One of Pete Walker’s last films (only Home Before midnight and House of Long Shadows were to follow) The Comeback follows the tale of a singer (Jack Jones) attempting to record his comebcak album after a period of retirement when he got married. Newly divorced, he rents a large house and sets to work. Someone, however, doesn’t seem to want him to make his comebcak, or is he going insane?
While easily not up to the standard of his best work (which includes Frightmare and The House of Mortal Sin) there is much to be enjoyed in what is basicaly a fairly ludicrous story. The ludicrousness is highlighted to the nth degree by an absolutely farcical twist ending that is, however, delivered in such a convincing way that you are prepared to forgive.
What is notably absent from the film is Walker’s usual demaniacally twisted authority figure that give his earlier films that bit of metaphorical bite and the film is more of a straightforward flick than his usual offerings as a result. If it sounds like I’m giving a bad impression, then I don’t mean to; as I said earlier there is much to enjoy in the film, not least yet another performance of gold from Walker regular, Sheila Keith. No actress has ever chewed the scenery quite like Ms Keith and she remains one of the most under-rated horror icons in Britain in my humble opinion. Another stand out moment is the first murder, which may be the most effective Walker-flmed shock moments ever. Had the rest of the film been as top notch as this then we would be discussing an all-time classic here. It’s not, but it’s still a fun flick and a definite for any Walker fan.
Tuesday, 29 December 2009
Monday, 7 December 2009
Deadlier Than The Male/Some Girls Do
I was watching the 1960’s Bulldog Drummond revivals over the weekend and found myself heartily enjoying them which, as I thought while reflecting afterwards, is a bit surprising really as there are a few reasons why I shouldn’t like them whatsoever. First off, they are clearly James Bond rip-offs. Not that I have anything against rip-offs (quite the contrary really) but I’ve never been a fan of James Bond. Secondly, I am a Bulldog Drummond fan – both the books and the early films starring various suave actors in the role like Ray Milland and John Howard – and this version, made flesh by Richard Johnson, is nothing like the famous jut-jawed adventurer and is Hugh Drummond in name only (The word ‘Bulldog’ is not even mentioned) and I tend to dislike anything that travesties anything that I hold dear . Also both films (especially the second, Some Girls Do) are frequently silly, along the making you cringe lines. Silliness can be great, but it’s a fine line that you tread and the silliness on offer in these two flicks should have obvious to everybody involved as being the wrong type of silliness. In effect, these are pretty bad films.
But………….
Films are all about entertainment and these two deliver on that point. I’m not even going to explain the plots, because I probably couldn’t, suffice to say they’re about scientists, secret weapons, world domination etc and so on and so forth.
The music is as what you expect or hope for. A suitably sixties soundtrack with a theme song belted out at the beginning and end.
The films up the girl-ante of the James Bond series with the sheer amount of beautiful ladies that get paraded by the camera lens and in this type of film this must be considered a decided bonus, especially when one of them is Yutte Stensgaard (hooray!!). I will rather shame-facedly admit that both films score rather high on the ‘Exploitation of Women Scale’ and it’s not too difficult to discern some rather callous streaks of misogyny here and there that makes
one raise an eyebrow, Roger Moore-style. But, c’mon, it’s the sixties!
Anyway, the locations are great, direction is adequate and production costs seem to be better than most similar romps. At the end of the day they are just two mindless, fun, tongue-in-cheek capers that aren’t meant to be taken seriously whatsoever, so don’t and you might just enjoy them. The first one, Deadlier Than The Male, is easily the better of the two with a particularly notable Carl Peterson as played by Nigel Greene. In the second, Peterson is played by James Villiers and he plays it more camp, which makes the character less effective. Bizarrely the second is not just content to rip-off James Bond, it also seems to be taking the mickey out of DTTM! God knows what third one would have looked like. But I bet it would have been fun.
But………….
Films are all about entertainment and these two deliver on that point. I’m not even going to explain the plots, because I probably couldn’t, suffice to say they’re about scientists, secret weapons, world domination etc and so on and so forth.
The music is as what you expect or hope for. A suitably sixties soundtrack with a theme song belted out at the beginning and end.
The films up the girl-ante of the James Bond series with the sheer amount of beautiful ladies that get paraded by the camera lens and in this type of film this must be considered a decided bonus, especially when one of them is Yutte Stensgaard (hooray!!). I will rather shame-facedly admit that both films score rather high on the ‘Exploitation of Women Scale’ and it’s not too difficult to discern some rather callous streaks of misogyny here and there that makes
one raise an eyebrow, Roger Moore-style. But, c’mon, it’s the sixties!Anyway, the locations are great, direction is adequate and production costs seem to be better than most similar romps. At the end of the day they are just two mindless, fun, tongue-in-cheek capers that aren’t meant to be taken seriously whatsoever, so don’t and you might just enjoy them. The first one, Deadlier Than The Male, is easily the better of the two with a particularly notable Carl Peterson as played by Nigel Greene. In the second, Peterson is played by James Villiers and he plays it more camp, which makes the character less effective. Bizarrely the second is not just content to rip-off James Bond, it also seems to be taking the mickey out of DTTM! God knows what third one would have looked like. But I bet it would have been fun.
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Paul Naschy 1934 - 2009
I have just heard about the sad passing of the great Spanish horror icon, Paul Naschy. Paul was more than a giant in his particular field, he was the field. He will probably be most remembered for his many films featuring the tortured lycanthrope Waldemar Daninsky but he leaves behind a vast legacy which encompasses every single one of the classic film monsters/villains, even Dr Fu Manchu! While it has to be agreed that all of his movies were not of the same calibre, very often they would transcend budgetary constraints and produce something very special.
A few personal Naschy faves are Horror Rises From The Tomb, Curse of the Devil, Werewolf Shadow and Blue Eyes Of A Broken Doll, but even his lesser films entertained – Dr Jekyll vs the Werewolf is a prime example – and kept you riveted throughout. Many of his films were penned by himself under his real name Jacinta Molina, and he would sometimes make as many as 8 films in one year. His last film, The Waldemar Inheritance comes out in January.
RIP Paul.
A few personal Naschy faves are Horror Rises From The Tomb, Curse of the Devil, Werewolf Shadow and Blue Eyes Of A Broken Doll, but even his lesser films entertained – Dr Jekyll vs the Werewolf is a prime example – and kept you riveted throughout. Many of his films were penned by himself under his real name Jacinta Molina, and he would sometimes make as many as 8 films in one year. His last film, The Waldemar Inheritance comes out in January.
RIP Paul.
Monday, 30 November 2009
Deadly Strangers (1974)
While browsing through the dvds the other night looking for something to watch we hit on a stalemate not being able to choose something that we both wanted to watch. Then we discovered the dvd for ‘Deadly Strangers’ which I had to admit to not being able to remember a damn thing about it. I knew I hadn’t seen it but couldn’t remember what it was about, who was in it or even what precise genre it was. But given that I must have it for a reason we decided to give it a go and hope for the best. Now, I’m not too sure what benefits this can have when watching a film. Obviously we would have no preconceptions about the flick, no expectations etc so it would be difficult to be disappointed, but also, conversely, if it was good would we over-rate it because it came out of the blue.
Anyway, it was a psychological thriller. Hayley Mills misses her train and is forced to hitch a lift. After a narrow escape from a scumbag trucker she is picked up by Simon Ward. It soon becomes clear that one of them is the escaped psychopath that the police are out in force trying to track down and the rest of the film charts their relationship while we try and work out which of them is the nutter.
Full of red herrings, this cross breed of road movies and psycho thriller is nicely crafted and never once gives an apt opportunity to get the kettle on. Mills is adequate in the role (and evidently still doing her best to shed her Pollyanna image by shedding her clothes) but Ward steals the show and is admirably ambiguous. Special mention must go to Sterling Hayden, whose eccentric character is worthy of a film series of his own and completely overshadows the superfluous-ness of his presence. We did guess the identity of the loony but have to admit at getting sidestepped a couple of times, so respect for that.
Of course, as with many of these type of thrillers, a lot of the fun is accidental. The British locations, the old cars and the basic 70s ‘feel’ to the movie add a great deal to the overall ambience of the flick.
While not an undiscovered masterpiece this was a pleasant surprise and a genuinely enjoyable film thatI would heartily recommend it to anyone.
Anyway, it was a psychological thriller. Hayley Mills misses her train and is forced to hitch a lift. After a narrow escape from a scumbag trucker she is picked up by Simon Ward. It soon becomes clear that one of them is the escaped psychopath that the police are out in force trying to track down and the rest of the film charts their relationship while we try and work out which of them is the nutter.
Full of red herrings, this cross breed of road movies and psycho thriller is nicely crafted and never once gives an apt opportunity to get the kettle on. Mills is adequate in the role (and evidently still doing her best to shed her Pollyanna image by shedding her clothes) but Ward steals the show and is admirably ambiguous. Special mention must go to Sterling Hayden, whose eccentric character is worthy of a film series of his own and completely overshadows the superfluous-ness of his presence. We did guess the identity of the loony but have to admit at getting sidestepped a couple of times, so respect for that.
Of course, as with many of these type of thrillers, a lot of the fun is accidental. The British locations, the old cars and the basic 70s ‘feel’ to the movie add a great deal to the overall ambience of the flick.
While not an undiscovered masterpiece this was a pleasant surprise and a genuinely enjoyable film thatI would heartily recommend it to anyone.
Friday, 27 November 2009
Killer's Moon
Killer’s Moon on the face of it had everything going for it. A busload of schoolgirls break down in the middle of nowhere and are forced to hole up in an old hotel. Meanwhile 4 lunatics have escaped from a nearby hospital. They have been used as guinea pigs in a new therapy and believe they are actually dreaming what is happening, so they don’t care about killing/raping/maiming anybody (although given their pedigrees as lunatics, they wouldn’t care anyway!) and they happen to come across the hotel. A couple of lads who are camping nearby have a go at playing the hero and try and rescue the girls. It was made in the 70s (quite a plus in my book), had dialogue written by the acclaimed author Fay Weldon and had a fair amount of sleaze involved. Sounds like an out and out winner, right? Well no. Not quite. In fact it misfires on most counts which is a real shame. Not that the flick isn’t watchable, it most certainly is, but you get the overall feeling of a missed opportunity.
I do like the general plot point of the lunatics believing themselves to be in a dream and the murders etc just figments of their imagination. But making them lunatics wasn’t the right path to go down. Or multiple antagonists either. It should have been 1 ‘normal’ chap who is the guinea pig, somebody who wouldn’t normally kill, but because it’s only a dream………..
Anyhow, I didn’t make it, Alan Birkenshaw did, and all the faults are his. The highly erratic continuity when it comes to day time and night time stops being amusing after the nth time as it becomes clear that consistency just isn’t cared about. Also, at the lads’ campsite it suddenly switches to woefully obvious studio set with a backdrop of a large lake, which is fine as the location is the Lake District but alas earlier shots prove that there was no lake there at all. This film just keeps falling into Ed Wood territory, and given the fact that it can be quite nasty , it doesn’t have a hope of having the charm of a Wood flick.
This all sounds a bit negative. There are some positives: its heart is in the right place, it really isn’t far away from being a minor cult classic; some of the mood shots also hint at what could have been; there’s a three-legged dog and again, the story isn’t half bad. Oh, and it’s nice to see the British Board Of Certification shot at the beginning branding the film an ‘X’.
I do like the general plot point of the lunatics believing themselves to be in a dream and the murders etc just figments of their imagination. But making them lunatics wasn’t the right path to go down. Or multiple antagonists either. It should have been 1 ‘normal’ chap who is the guinea pig, somebody who wouldn’t normally kill, but because it’s only a dream………..
Anyhow, I didn’t make it, Alan Birkenshaw did, and all the faults are his. The highly erratic continuity when it comes to day time and night time stops being amusing after the nth time as it becomes clear that consistency just isn’t cared about. Also, at the lads’ campsite it suddenly switches to woefully obvious studio set with a backdrop of a large lake, which is fine as the location is the Lake District but alas earlier shots prove that there was no lake there at all. This film just keeps falling into Ed Wood territory, and given the fact that it can be quite nasty , it doesn’t have a hope of having the charm of a Wood flick.
This all sounds a bit negative. There are some positives: its heart is in the right place, it really isn’t far away from being a minor cult classic; some of the mood shots also hint at what could have been; there’s a three-legged dog and again, the story isn’t half bad. Oh, and it’s nice to see the British Board Of Certification shot at the beginning branding the film an ‘X’.
Thursday, 26 November 2009
The Strange Affair
The Strange Affair is an aptly named film from 1968, although the double meaning irony hits home when you find the main protagonist’s name is Strange.
When we first meet Strange it becomes clear he is a disgraced policeman, and the film quickly falls into flashback, to his first day on the force and catalogues how this idealistic young copper ended up going down for a stretch.
But there’s more stories that weave themselves around the hapless Strange. One of his colleagues is embittered Detective Sergeant Pierce, hell-bent on bringing down the Quince family, a family no-good drug-dealers and all-round bad eggs, headed up by ex policeman Jack Watson.
On his off-duty Strange gets involved with the free-spirited and young Fred (Susan George) who introduces him to her uninhibited life and bizarre Aunt and Uncle. It transpires that the Aunt and Uncle like to film their niece in the throes of passion and then sell the film on the black market. Fred is seemingly unaware of this side to her family. This has a disastrous effect when DS Pierce finds photos of Strange and Fred in flagrante and uses this to bully and blackmail Strange into planting drugs on Quince in a desperate attempt to get him locked up.
Written down it seems like a straightforward tale but the director manages to film it as a series of bizarre events that crash into a man’s life leaving him bewildered as to what is actually happening to him. Of course, reflecting on it, it is basically the bad choices and decisions that Strange made that lead to his downfall, not helped by the on-the-edge-of-sanity DS Pierce’s bullying ways.
The copy I watched wasn’t the most wonderful copy (this is a film that has basically disappeared and to my knowledge has never been released on Video and definitely not on DVD) but it still looked good enough to capture the gritty streets of 1960’s London in realistic detail – no sunny, swinging sixties kitsch was involved in the making of this film. The best way I can describe this drama is ‘off-kilter’ , in a good way and with a dose of 60’s realism that you don’t see all that often.
When we first meet Strange it becomes clear he is a disgraced policeman, and the film quickly falls into flashback, to his first day on the force and catalogues how this idealistic young copper ended up going down for a stretch.
But there’s more stories that weave themselves around the hapless Strange. One of his colleagues is embittered Detective Sergeant Pierce, hell-bent on bringing down the Quince family, a family no-good drug-dealers and all-round bad eggs, headed up by ex policeman Jack Watson.
On his off-duty Strange gets involved with the free-spirited and young Fred (Susan George) who introduces him to her uninhibited life and bizarre Aunt and Uncle. It transpires that the Aunt and Uncle like to film their niece in the throes of passion and then sell the film on the black market. Fred is seemingly unaware of this side to her family. This has a disastrous effect when DS Pierce finds photos of Strange and Fred in flagrante and uses this to bully and blackmail Strange into planting drugs on Quince in a desperate attempt to get him locked up.
Written down it seems like a straightforward tale but the director manages to film it as a series of bizarre events that crash into a man’s life leaving him bewildered as to what is actually happening to him. Of course, reflecting on it, it is basically the bad choices and decisions that Strange made that lead to his downfall, not helped by the on-the-edge-of-sanity DS Pierce’s bullying ways.
The copy I watched wasn’t the most wonderful copy (this is a film that has basically disappeared and to my knowledge has never been released on Video and definitely not on DVD) but it still looked good enough to capture the gritty streets of 1960’s London in realistic detail – no sunny, swinging sixties kitsch was involved in the making of this film. The best way I can describe this drama is ‘off-kilter’ , in a good way and with a dose of 60’s realism that you don’t see all that often.
Thursday, 12 November 2009
Night Child (1972)
Night Child (or Night Hair Child or What The Peeper Saw or Diabolicas Malicia or Child of The Night)is a 1972 British thriller starring Mark Lester (he of Oliver) and Britt Ekland (she of The Wicker Man [apart from her arse, which wasn’t in that]. Elise (Ekland) is married to widower Hardy Kruger, who has a 12 year son, Marcus. Marcus seems to be very sexually interested in Elise and Elsie slowly starts to think that Marcus is suffering mentally because of his mother’s death. But then, what of his mother’s death? Was it an accident? Is her own life in danger? A power struggle begins between step-mother and step-son, but how far will they take it?
Pretty far as it happens. I would suggest that out of all the films Mark Lester made this was probably his favourite to make. He was about 14 when he made it but gets to snog Britt Ekland, watch her slowly strip bare and even share a naked passionate embrace when she climbs (naked again) into his bed (this part I should mention is part of a drug fuelled hallucinatory dream. Even this film has some boundaries). How can a 14 year old not like that.
Unfortunately a good premise quickly gives way to dodgy film-making and on reflection I think the main reason for this is the miscasting of both Lester and Ekland who constantly prove themselves to be not able to provide their roles with the necessary depth and realism. Ekland is particularly at sea and even occasionally seems to miss her cues, which either of the two directors (two directors – rarely a good thing) seem to care about either.
The music, while enjoyable as a separate entity, more often than not seems at odds with the underlying menace. Of course it could have meant to be ironic but who knows.
I will say that I liked the twist at the end and that it caught me off-guard for a moment (I really should have seen it coming) and at least made the journey to the end worthwhile. As so often with these type of films, worth a watch once but not a lot there to tempt you back for a second viewing.
Pretty far as it happens. I would suggest that out of all the films Mark Lester made this was probably his favourite to make. He was about 14 when he made it but gets to snog Britt Ekland, watch her slowly strip bare and even share a naked passionate embrace when she climbs (naked again) into his bed (this part I should mention is part of a drug fuelled hallucinatory dream. Even this film has some boundaries). How can a 14 year old not like that.
Unfortunately a good premise quickly gives way to dodgy film-making and on reflection I think the main reason for this is the miscasting of both Lester and Ekland who constantly prove themselves to be not able to provide their roles with the necessary depth and realism. Ekland is particularly at sea and even occasionally seems to miss her cues, which either of the two directors (two directors – rarely a good thing) seem to care about either.
The music, while enjoyable as a separate entity, more often than not seems at odds with the underlying menace. Of course it could have meant to be ironic but who knows.
I will say that I liked the twist at the end and that it caught me off-guard for a moment (I really should have seen it coming) and at least made the journey to the end worthwhile. As so often with these type of films, worth a watch once but not a lot there to tempt you back for a second viewing.
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
Satan's Slave (1976)
I was really looking forward to Satan’s Slave. I had read it was about the best of the Norman J Warren horrors, it was written by Pete Walker’s collaborator, David McGillivray, starred that bundle of cute that is 7os moppet Candace Glendenning and , like, you know, it’s called Satan’s Slave!
However, I was destined to be disappointed. The whole film is unfortunately a disjointed mess. Practically any 5 or ten minutes could be cut from the film altering it not one jot. Michael Gough simply walks through his role and I would be surprised if he was more than 1 day on set. The look of the film varies wildly, no doubt down to the fact that there are four cinematographers credited. The script asks you to take for too much for granted and in the end the sheer amount of stupid implausibilities ruin it. For example, 2 minutes after her parent’s were killed, Michael Gough tells Candace that she go and get some sleep to which she calmly acquiesces. No trauma at all about the sudden and very violent death of her beloved parents then? No. Right. This is what we are looking at here. Forget plausible, whatever is needed to move the film on is what goes, regardless of how stupid it may be. Once or twice can be forgiven in this type of film, but come on.
But, it took no effort to stick with it and I didn’t switch it off before the end, and Candace was looking rather nice and the locations were very nice. I didn’t exactly waste my 90 minutes, I just didn’t want my expectations dashed that badly.
However, I was destined to be disappointed. The whole film is unfortunately a disjointed mess. Practically any 5 or ten minutes could be cut from the film altering it not one jot. Michael Gough simply walks through his role and I would be surprised if he was more than 1 day on set. The look of the film varies wildly, no doubt down to the fact that there are four cinematographers credited. The script asks you to take for too much for granted and in the end the sheer amount of stupid implausibilities ruin it. For example, 2 minutes after her parent’s were killed, Michael Gough tells Candace that she go and get some sleep to which she calmly acquiesces. No trauma at all about the sudden and very violent death of her beloved parents then? No. Right. This is what we are looking at here. Forget plausible, whatever is needed to move the film on is what goes, regardless of how stupid it may be. Once or twice can be forgiven in this type of film, but come on.
But, it took no effort to stick with it and I didn’t switch it off before the end, and Candace was looking rather nice and the locations were very nice. I didn’t exactly waste my 90 minutes, I just didn’t want my expectations dashed that badly.
Sunday, 26 July 2009
Baffled
Another of my recent 'watching films that I first saw as a teenager' viewings, this didn't hold up to my intial impressions, but remains an enjoyably naff 9o or so minutes.
A man has visions of wrong doings andf is persuaded to go and help out the damsel in distress in the visions. An American tv movie that was certainly meant as a pilot to a series it is easy to see why it never evolved. The star is Leonard Nimoy and while he was good as playing the unemotional Spock, he was truly at sea at playing a human. His playing of the character of Tom Kovak, racing driver and medium, is wholly beyond his capabilities. His supposed witty repartee is delivered in such a wooden way that it deadens his chemistry with Susan Hampshire, who rises well to the occasion. Mostly shot with back projection and studio sets, it's easy to see what could have been, but in the end it just fails. It's a shame because you can see what could have been. Watchable nonetheless.
A man has visions of wrong doings andf is persuaded to go and help out the damsel in distress in the visions. An American tv movie that was certainly meant as a pilot to a series it is easy to see why it never evolved. The star is Leonard Nimoy and while he was good as playing the unemotional Spock, he was truly at sea at playing a human. His playing of the character of Tom Kovak, racing driver and medium, is wholly beyond his capabilities. His supposed witty repartee is delivered in such a wooden way that it deadens his chemistry with Susan Hampshire, who rises well to the occasion. Mostly shot with back projection and studio sets, it's easy to see what could have been, but in the end it just fails. It's a shame because you can see what could have been. Watchable nonetheless.
Sleepless
I was eager to watch this film as it apparently geralded Dario Argento's return to form after a critically bad 90s. Here he was back in familiar territory with a straightforward giallo. While this is a good thing, you do get a feeling of a director just giving people what they want in order to keep his profile up there. While that may be slightly unfair, it is fair to say that Argento brings nothing new to the giallo genre, and from a director like Argento, you are always wanting that little bit more than the norm. However it is decidedly worthwhile watch and it doesn't break your attention whatsoever. I did mange to solve the puzzle very early, but whather that's because of a poor story or just because I'm in tune with giallos in general is open to debate. Regardles this tale of a returned serial killer after a break of 17 years delivers, from the outrageous red herrings, black gloved killer, POV shots etc. I fact it's like Argento was asked to make a textbook giallo. Although I never spied the J&B!
Requiem For A Vampire
I have to admit to being a huge Jean Rollin fan. His 'horror' films are unlike anything else in the genre and are always a personal journey. Compared to other auteur directors he is a man whose personal visions are imprinted on his work like no other. This does make his films rather cliquey, but if you get 'it', he is most rewarding. Requiem.... is a curious one in that his trademark highly stylish visuals are mostly absent, but regardless of this it is a most hypnotic movie that takes you in from the first frame and leaves you thoroughly satisfied as the last frame dissolves into its final disappearing circle.
The film opens during a chase where two girls, dressed as clowns, are being chased in their car, driven by an unknown bloke, whilst shooting at their chasers. Bloke killed, they abandon their car and go on the run, eventually ending up at a chateau where live the last vampire. They learn that this vampire is trying to sire some new vampires in order to keep the bloodline going. As they are both virgins (in this film you must be a virgin to made into a vampire, otherwise you are just food) they are given the chance to become vampires, but first they must help lure victims to feed the vampire and his horde of vampire wannabes. One girl fancies it, the other doesn't and they are eventually forced to choose between the love that they share and a new life as a vampire. One is deadset against it and through shared love manages to change the mind of the other girl. The last vampire reckons this is ok as he thinks it is about time the vampires die out anyway. He is an alright dude, like. So at the end the girls are allowed to go free while the vampire, and his nearly chnaged minion, get locked in a mauseleum to end their days.
This isn't one of Rollin's most stylish offerings, and it is a great compliment to the great director that it still retains a power to enthral. Mostly devoid of speech, it is hard to say why this works like it does. But it does. It's a dreamy, surreal slice of Rollin whimsy that works on every level.
The film opens during a chase where two girls, dressed as clowns, are being chased in their car, driven by an unknown bloke, whilst shooting at their chasers. Bloke killed, they abandon their car and go on the run, eventually ending up at a chateau where live the last vampire. They learn that this vampire is trying to sire some new vampires in order to keep the bloodline going. As they are both virgins (in this film you must be a virgin to made into a vampire, otherwise you are just food) they are given the chance to become vampires, but first they must help lure victims to feed the vampire and his horde of vampire wannabes. One girl fancies it, the other doesn't and they are eventually forced to choose between the love that they share and a new life as a vampire. One is deadset against it and through shared love manages to change the mind of the other girl. The last vampire reckons this is ok as he thinks it is about time the vampires die out anyway. He is an alright dude, like. So at the end the girls are allowed to go free while the vampire, and his nearly chnaged minion, get locked in a mauseleum to end their days.
This isn't one of Rollin's most stylish offerings, and it is a great compliment to the great director that it still retains a power to enthral. Mostly devoid of speech, it is hard to say why this works like it does. But it does. It's a dreamy, surreal slice of Rollin whimsy that works on every level.
Inglorious Bastards
With Tarantino remaking this film I felt the urge to catch the original before the remake. Although having watched it and reading the plotline of QT's effiort it seems like QT is homaging rather then remaking, which is probably a good idea. Straight remakes suffer from comparison regardless of quality.
Anyway the original turns out to be a fine WW2 adventure that readily encompasses that retrospective b-movie quality that becomes more populist daily.
A group of army criminals on their way to incarceration or the firing squad managhe to escape during a Nazi air attack and try and make their way to Switzerland. They inadvertantly wipe out a crack force that has been sent to carry out an 'important raid' and end up doing the task themselves. It's a suicide mission but regardless of their 'criminal' ways they haven't forgotten the reason for the war and readily accept the task; obviously with a full pardon as their reward.
Director Enzo Castellari yet again proves himself as a top notch Euroaction director and gives us tight direction and generally exciting battle sequences. I have a feeling that even with a huge budget behind him he would still produce B movies, but I say that not to knock him. He had his field, he knows it and delivers wqhat he is good at. He manges to gain the audience sympathy for what is basically a group of self-serving sociopaths incredibly well. During the air raid half the criminals get shot by thier own army while trying to run for cover - point well taken Enzo, and we now want them to succeed. There is a strange love subplot that rattles a bit as the Bastard involved is one of the least likeable of the bunch and he is the only one to escape pretty much unscathed. One hopes he finds redemption after the cameras stop rolling and returns yeas after year to honour his fallen comrades.
Refgardless opf minor quibbles Inglorious Bastards is a highly enjoyable Dirty Dozen rip-off that (I'm guessing) can be returnd to time after time. And I haven't even mentioned the skinny dipping German women with machine guns!!
Anyway the original turns out to be a fine WW2 adventure that readily encompasses that retrospective b-movie quality that becomes more populist daily.
A group of army criminals on their way to incarceration or the firing squad managhe to escape during a Nazi air attack and try and make their way to Switzerland. They inadvertantly wipe out a crack force that has been sent to carry out an 'important raid' and end up doing the task themselves. It's a suicide mission but regardless of their 'criminal' ways they haven't forgotten the reason for the war and readily accept the task; obviously with a full pardon as their reward.
Director Enzo Castellari yet again proves himself as a top notch Euroaction director and gives us tight direction and generally exciting battle sequences. I have a feeling that even with a huge budget behind him he would still produce B movies, but I say that not to knock him. He had his field, he knows it and delivers wqhat he is good at. He manges to gain the audience sympathy for what is basically a group of self-serving sociopaths incredibly well. During the air raid half the criminals get shot by thier own army while trying to run for cover - point well taken Enzo, and we now want them to succeed. There is a strange love subplot that rattles a bit as the Bastard involved is one of the least likeable of the bunch and he is the only one to escape pretty much unscathed. One hopes he finds redemption after the cameras stop rolling and returns yeas after year to honour his fallen comrades.
Refgardless opf minor quibbles Inglorious Bastards is a highly enjoyable Dirty Dozen rip-off that (I'm guessing) can be returnd to time after time. And I haven't even mentioned the skinny dipping German women with machine guns!!
Tuesday, 21 July 2009
Cut And Run (1985)
Directed by Ruggero Deodato, it is another of his films to be set in a jungle. In fact Deodato is on record saying that it was as close to a sequel to his infamous Cannibal Holocaust as he was ever going to get - although don't be expecting much cannibal behaviour; the link is more the barbarity of the civilised world.
After a pre-credits sequence of a tribal attack on a jungle drug factory, we cut to Fran and Mark, a reporter and her cameraman, who are staking out a house in the city where they are sure drugs are being sold. After entering the house they find the occupants butchered, tribal fashion. Fran steals a photo and recgnises one of the people in the photo as being the son of her boss, who quickly sends her and Mark into the jungle to cover the story (it's all linked with Jim Jones and the Jonestown massacre) and track down his son, who, it turns out, is being held captive in the jungle to help the drug runners.
Though there are some half-baked ideas in the film, what really sets it apart from some of the Euro Action movies is the tight direction by Deodato. He has a firm hand on the proceedings and keeps the pacing at a perfect level. And if this isn't enough, there's enough gore and action to
keep all genre fans happy, including an especially gory, if ridiculous, ripping apart of a man from a jungle booby trap. Although the version I saw suffered from being dubbed back into it's original English, apart from a few Italian segments, the acting generally above acceptable, with the odd notable exception. And it's still a pleasure to see Berryman in anything. His first appearance here, as he leaps out of the water and grabs one of the workers and disappears with him underwater unnoticed by the others is a highly memorable moment - the first of many in the film.
Sunday, 19 July 2009
Starstruck
A very eighties antipodean musical. Jackie has dreams of making it big as a singer and her young cousin Angus is determined to be her manager to help her make it.
In spite of its eighties-ness and some ill-constructed set pieces this remains a highly enjoyable romp purely because of the exuberance of the two leads, Jo Kennedy and Ross O'Donovan.
Although some of the songs don't work, the ones that stand out are memorable and you will find yourself humming the tunes for days afterwards.
It is, admittedley, a slight film. It is ragged around the edges but this is part of the charm. The choreography is not pinpoint perfect, but again that helps add a touch of realism that is normally not present in musicals. Good fun.
In spite of its eighties-ness and some ill-constructed set pieces this remains a highly enjoyable romp purely because of the exuberance of the two leads, Jo Kennedy and Ross O'Donovan.
Although some of the songs don't work, the ones that stand out are memorable and you will find yourself humming the tunes for days afterwards.
It is, admittedley, a slight film. It is ragged around the edges but this is part of the charm. The choreography is not pinpoint perfect, but again that helps add a touch of realism that is normally not present in musicals. Good fun.
Sunday, 12 July 2009
Brother Orchid
It was a delight to see this film again. I last (and first) saw this roughly 28 years ago and it managed to stay within my psyche. Unlike other films watched so many years ago, Brother Orchid remains as I first saw it - a charmer of a gangster movie. To call it a gangster movie is a little unfair. Rather it is a human interest film with a gangster backdrop.
Edward G Robinson ("see") is 'Little' Johnny Sarto, a crime boss who runs a protection racket. He has delusions of grandeur and resigns his operation, letting Humphrey Bogart take over the reins of the racket, and goes to Europe to gain 'class'. He fails and after 5 years returns to resume his position. But Bogey won't have this (quite understandably really) and suddenly a war starts up. Edward G is shot and is rescued and taken in by a monastery where he realises he is in the perfect place to hide out, recuperate and plan his return. But he slowly learns that the monks' life of no material possessions, charity and quiet contemplation has more 'class' than anything that he ever aspired to before.
While today we can look at this film and easily predict how it will end, this somewhat forgotten film fully engages the viewer and delights on many levels. As with most pre-Casablanca movies, Bogart is the bad guy, but is not given much to do, although the fight between him and Edward G at the end is surpringly well realised. A perfunctory film perhaps, but one that draws you in and leaves you satisfied.
Saturday, 11 July 2009
White Heat
White Heat was the triumphant return of James Cagney to the genre of gangster movies. Quite what prompted this move by Cagney I can't say without a little bit of research. I've read a biography or two about him but I can't recall the actual reasons. What I do know is that he wasn't a great fan of these type of films, and was more inclined to more family fare and especially a bit of song and dance. However the public is a beast with an insatiable appetite and they tend to get what they want. So I'm guessing a number of years of basic public indifference persuaded Cagney back into the type of the role that he is still best remembered for today - the hard nut gangster. Although he adds a new dimension in White Heat as his character, Cody Jarrett, isn't just a gangster. Prohibition has ended and WW2 has played out and Jarrett is a vocational thief . With a (possibly first?) mother fixation and a psychotic personality it's easy to see how the audiences arrived in their droves to see this new brutalised version of the pre-war gangster movies. And today it is still brutal. Obviously not 'Joe Pesci' brutal by today's standards but it leaves no room for guessing why it caused waves on it's release.
Saturday, 4 July 2009
Twisted Nerve
Here's an interesting little movie. I would have loved to have been about when this originally hit the screens. Quite what the producers were going for is difficult to imagine and possibly they weren't too aware themselves as it ends up in a jumbled mess that would even make the Italians gasp at. It must have made some sort of sense while on the story boards, but the convolutions involved go against each other in such a way that whatever way you wish to look at it, there's always a piece of the jigsaw that doesn't fit.
Hywell Bennett plays Martin, a (possible) mummy's boy who becomes infatuated with Susan (Hayley Mills) and engineers himself into moving into her mother's boarding house, but under the guise of Georgie, a backward man with a child's mind. While living there, he endears himself to the both and the occupants but also uses the subterfuge that he has set up to kill his step-father. His dangerous side is found out just before he can kill Susan, but not before he has already offed her mother. An explantion is offered that because he has a Down's Syndrome brother makes him more susceptable to killing.
That's kind of what happens but there's oh so much more that the writer/director/producer want to shove in there to make you second guess what it's all about. And it woks. You're left with so many questions about what went on that none of it makes any sense when you play each fact off each other. My opinion is that at the end the big twist is supposed to be that he WAS mad and it wasn't all a big plan, but that part is so badly drawn it's nearly laughable. What stops it being laughable is the casual offence it thrusts in front of the viewer many times without any other reason than to be offensive. The casual racism offered to the Asian occupant of the boarding house has absolutely no bearing on the proceedings. It makes no point. Whatsoever. It's just there. The whole Down's Syndrome reason for the murders (or Mongolid as it's put, but I suppose you can put that down to the era) is soooooo unnecessary to the plot of the film unless that is what the makers actually thought, which is distasteful in the extreme, regardless of the age. It smacks you like a shovel that the makers were trying to 'controversial' for its own sake. A kind of "This'll get us noticed now that our (The Boulting Brothers) star is on the wane. And it did. It disappeared for years and has only resurfaced properly in the last few years, more likely than not because of Q Tarantino's use of the theme in his overtly stylish Kill Bill films.
But, bizarrely, it kind of works. Almost. The acting on offer is beyond approach. Hywell Bennett plays the troubled young man very well. Billie Whitelaw is her usual excellence as Ms Mills' mother. Even Ms Mills herself, who at this point was trying to make the breakthrough into adult films, plays her part well; the more bizarre points of the story are easily bridged although you are left with the kind of raised frown that is usually reserved for continental exploitation movies. Maybe that's why it jars, British thrillers are rarely exploitative for exploitative's own sake.
An interesting aside is that it is written by Leo Marks, who also penned Peeping Tom - a film which does have so many parallels with this one - a film about a psychopathic killer, hiding out in a boarding house, deep father issues etc. On top of that both films were despised in their time and took a seeming eternity to re-emerge. There is a difference in that Peeping Tom is an exceptional piece of film-making art and Twisted Nerve isn't, but you can't help think about what could have been.
Hywell Bennett plays Martin, a (possible) mummy's boy who becomes infatuated with Susan (Hayley Mills) and engineers himself into moving into her mother's boarding house, but under the guise of Georgie, a backward man with a child's mind. While living there, he endears himself to the both and the occupants but also uses the subterfuge that he has set up to kill his step-father. His dangerous side is found out just before he can kill Susan, but not before he has already offed her mother. An explantion is offered that because he has a Down's Syndrome brother makes him more susceptable to killing.
That's kind of what happens but there's oh so much more that the writer/director/producer want to shove in there to make you second guess what it's all about. And it woks. You're left with so many questions about what went on that none of it makes any sense when you play each fact off each other. My opinion is that at the end the big twist is supposed to be that he WAS mad and it wasn't all a big plan, but that part is so badly drawn it's nearly laughable. What stops it being laughable is the casual offence it thrusts in front of the viewer many times without any other reason than to be offensive. The casual racism offered to the Asian occupant of the boarding house has absolutely no bearing on the proceedings. It makes no point. Whatsoever. It's just there. The whole Down's Syndrome reason for the murders (or Mongolid as it's put, but I suppose you can put that down to the era) is soooooo unnecessary to the plot of the film unless that is what the makers actually thought, which is distasteful in the extreme, regardless of the age. It smacks you like a shovel that the makers were trying to 'controversial' for its own sake. A kind of "This'll get us noticed now that our (The Boulting Brothers) star is on the wane. And it did. It disappeared for years and has only resurfaced properly in the last few years, more likely than not because of Q Tarantino's use of the theme in his overtly stylish Kill Bill films.
But, bizarrely, it kind of works. Almost. The acting on offer is beyond approach. Hywell Bennett plays the troubled young man very well. Billie Whitelaw is her usual excellence as Ms Mills' mother. Even Ms Mills herself, who at this point was trying to make the breakthrough into adult films, plays her part well; the more bizarre points of the story are easily bridged although you are left with the kind of raised frown that is usually reserved for continental exploitation movies. Maybe that's why it jars, British thrillers are rarely exploitative for exploitative's own sake.
An interesting aside is that it is written by Leo Marks, who also penned Peeping Tom - a film which does have so many parallels with this one - a film about a psychopathic killer, hiding out in a boarding house, deep father issues etc. On top of that both films were despised in their time and took a seeming eternity to re-emerge. There is a difference in that Peeping Tom is an exceptional piece of film-making art and Twisted Nerve isn't, but you can't help think about what could have been.
Friday, 26 June 2009
The Devil Rides Out
The Devil Rides Out has always been a favourite of the Hammer Horror films. An absolute gem that doesn't waste any of its screen time. As soon as the ominous titles are over we are straight into the action as the Duc De Richleau and Rex Van Ryn (Christopher Lee and Lorne Green) arrive for a reunion and find that their friend Simon Aaron (Patrick Mower) has not turned up. When they visit him at his new pad, they find him mixed up in satanism. They kidnap him to keep him safe, but the leader of the coven, Mocata (Charles Gray) is very unhappy about this and so begins a cat and mouse game.
The sheer pacing of this film alone makes this Hammer entry a must-see; it rattles along at a fair lick barely pausing for breath. Each of the actors play their parts with an intense glee, and if the dialogue they are given to speak seems a little thick-ear and melodramatic, it's perfectly in keeping with the source novel by Dennis Wheatly, whose books were very much Boys Own fare, albeit with an adult slant. Charles Gray's turn as Mocata is surely one of the most sinister 
portrayals in an English horror movie, reminiscent of Karswell from Night Of The Demon, but with more blackness of heart - it's a truly chilling performance.
portrayals in an English horror movie, reminiscent of Karswell from Night Of The Demon, but with more blackness of heart - it's a truly chilling performance. There are many fine set pieces on offer - the orgy where they rescue Simon (again) is superbly realised and a thrilling, heart stopping ride as Mocata raises the Goat Of Mendes. Also of note is the evening they spend within a sacred circle, knowing that Mocata will be trying to break their spirits during the night, as he sends giant spiders and horsemen of hell to try and tempt them from theirholy barricade.
The battle rages until the big climax where the devil is summoned and Mocata is foiled and ends up being taken to hell himself and time itself is reversed to give us the happy ending. If you only ever watch one Hammer Horror, you cannot go wrong with this one. Everybody is on top form, including, and most importantly, director Terence Fisher who keeps such a tight hand on proceedings there's no wonder it's such breathless entertainment.
Somewhat bizarrely, as much as I love this film, it is one that I reckon could be remade without the usual problems inherent in such undertakings. Of course, it would have to be sympathetic with both the source novel and original film. but if they didn't try and set it in more modern times it could be pulled off. In fact when the news came through the other year about Hammer beginning to produce movbies again, I actually thought that they would redo this, and I firmly believe they would have been better off doing so.
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Merge
I've been blogging now for 6 months and I decided to make a change. The main blog was simply meant as a record of every film I watch and then I started another to hopefully record different aspects of my thoughts in a very genre specific medium. Suddenly the whim took me to merge them. This I know is going to throw up some very different bedfellows - Laurel and Hardy sat next to Dario Argento isn't you're usual progressions, and indeed if there a person out there who enjoys the similar kind of range as I do, well I'd be happy to hear from them - we are a strange breed! But as much as I am blown away by the cinema of Buster Keaton, I am similarly struck by the work of Jean Rollin. For every great Hitchcock movie, there is a Jess Franco film that demands the same attention. I know that, compared to some of the great blogs out there, my meagre additions to the world of film appreciation don't amount to a hill of beans but as I gain confidence in puting my thoughts down it all starts to become more important to lat my obsessions live side by side, of which there are many:
My Obsessions
My Obsessions
- Silent Comedy
- American Comedy up to 1950
- British Comedy up to 1980
- Giallos
- Eurohorror
- Eurotrash (which encapsulted some of the above [possibly below too!], and although I'm not a huge fan of the term, it fits the purpose here)
- Brit-Horror
- French Cinema
NOT an exhaustive list. I basically just love film. Currently my obsession with Giallos, Franco, Rollin and the ilk is prominent but like all multi-obsessives, allegiances shine bright and wane only to return stronger. As I look forward to my France trip this year I fully expect an abundance of French films to be watched, 'cause that's what I'm like. I also have a family who have their own tastes, which, sometimes regretably, has to be taken into consideration. So there will be a mixed bag, and if you do stumble upon this site I hope some of it is to your liking. And if it all is, you just might be my long lost brother or sister.
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
Spasmo
Bonkers giallo that goes beyond the usual giallo convolutions and takes twists and turns to a new height. But this is one of the reasons we watch giallo. A couple, after finding a mannequin hanging in an old building come across a women lying unconscious on the beach. She quickly recovers and vanishes but Christian trackes her down at a boat party and soon they become a couple and get embroiled in murder. Is she all she seems? Is Christian all he seems? And what of the mannequins that keep turning up 'murdered'?
I can safely say that you'll never work this one out but it sort of wraps itself up well at the end, albeit with many threads unexplained. It is though made with enough style to keep you happy and the Morricone soundtrack is a pearler.
I can safely say that you'll never work this one out but it sort of wraps itself up well at the end, albeit with many threads unexplained. It is though made with enough style to keep you happy and the Morricone soundtrack is a pearler.
Anna
A bizarre oddity from 1967 French television. Serge Gainbourg wrote and scored this musical for Anna Karina, one time wife of Jean Luc Goddard. There are many surreal touches that are horribly dated but after discovering that this was the first colour production on French television, they become understandable. The main thrust of the film is Serge's (Jean-Claude Brialy) search for Anna, who is mistakenly photographed as she disomunts from a train as she arrives in Paris hoping to find a soulmate. Unfortunately she wears thick glasses so the picture of her makes her difficult to find. His obsession grows as he realises this is love at first sight and this is all-consuming. He doesn't realise she works in his company's building and even has a few encounters with her, not recgnising her. She knows he's looking for the girl in the picture, but doesn't realises it's her and she is sad because she is falling for him. As the film progresses both characters get lost in their misery.
It is easy to see how this became a French favourite, it has immense (sometimes intense) charm and it draws you in to root for the star-crossed lovers. The music is brilliant (and is now firmly in place in the car stereo) and includes many numbers that refuse to budge from your brain. Top song is Roller Girl where Anna dances maddly as she imagines herself a wild child. Both leads play their part marvellously but the film belongs to Anna Karina whose cutenss, carefree ways and melancholia will stay with you forever.
Monday, 22 June 2009
Black Belly Of The Tarantula (1971)
A thoroughly well made giallo that maybe lacks some of the devices that make gialli such a pleasure, such as twists. That aside it does deliver a few original ideas. The detective here isn't the usual hard-boiled hard living type chap, he is a man in a dilemma - he's not sure if he's cut out for the force. He knows he's neglecting his woman and it pains him, but any indecision is blown away by the ending.
The film is also exceptionally well directed with detailed close-ups (which to me where a clue in themselves to the killer's identity) and some edgy shots that unease, especially when they go hand-in-hand with the occasionally dischordant soundtrack by Morricone.
A class film.
The film is also exceptionally well directed with detailed close-ups (which to me where a clue in themselves to the killer's identity) and some edgy shots that unease, especially when they go hand-in-hand with the occasionally dischordant soundtrack by Morricone.
A class film.
Sunday, 21 June 2009
The Girl From Paris
There's not a lot to say about this film apart from It's one of my all-time favourites. A simple tale of Mathilde Seigner giving up her teaching job in Paris to take up goat farming in the Vacleuse doesn't have much originality but the playing of both leads (the other being the grumpy old ex-owner of the farm who isn't moving out for 18 months) are beautifully realised and make what could easily be a mildly diverting feel good film into a tale that sucks you right into the lives of the protagonists. A perfect film.
Saturday, 20 June 2009
Trailer Park Of Terror
It may be slickly made with oodles of gore but this film just bores. You just don't care about anything that happens. I am giving up on modern American horror, for the time being anyway.
The Living Dead At The Manchester Morgue
Finally got round to rewatching this after visiting some of the locations a while back, and it hasn't dimmed one iota. I rate this as the best Zombie movie ever and if there are slight faults here and there, the film as a whole more than makes up for it. Sure it can be said that Romero's Night Of The Living Dead hasn't dated as much, in fact NOTLD just refuses to date at all, but The Living Dead.... ends up as a more cohesive entity. The culture clash against the order and the hippies does come across as archaic and does age the film and there is quite a lot of unintentional humour involved. At the start, our hero George (Ray Lovelock) is probably the most hilariously rude person to grace a screen, but he redeems himself.
George leaves his London pad to spend the weekend in the Lake District. After Edna reverses over his bike he gets her to give him travel to his destination, but on the way they stop off at Edna's sister's place. All is not well. Nearby they are trying out a new invention to get rid of bugs by radiation. This has the unfortunate effect of bringing the dead back to life.
The German film poster, no idea how it translates!
Even during the opening credits it's plain to see that this is an environmental warning. We are witness to world in decline, a world so far in decay that even the appearance of a streaker in rush hour doesn't make the commuters bat an eyelid. Commuters that wear masks to try and stop the pollution filling their lungs. And it's worse than that, because this decay is spreading to the countryside. The locations used for filming is one of the big bonuses of this film. Geographically laughable perhaps, but they add an incredable amount of ambience to the proceedings as well as driving home the idea of a world in turmoil.
If you wish to dissect the film you get a feeling that the greatness it has is almost an accident. A veritable mish-mash of a production - Directed by a Spaniard, partly funded from Spain ands Italy with Italian, Spanish, American and British acting talent, filmed in various parts of Northern England as well as Spanish and Italian sound stages and a script that is filled with groaners, but despite this a remarkable film results. Lambsted at the time for its violence and gore (tame by todays standards) it bombed, but nevertheless hung around in people's consciousness and is now rightly regarded as a classic of its genre. All the more remarkable is the length of time that it takes for the actual living dead mayhem to occur. But this film has a steady pace, without any down time. We, as viewers, know what's coming and the film never lets our thoughts wander whiloe we wait for the inevitable. From the first off, we are hooked and hooked we stay. And for once the frustration of authority lasts until the last scene.
One of the standout scens happens when it all starts to kick off in the vault of a crypt. Like Romero, the director Jorge Grau knew that with slow moving attackers you have to contain the action and he does so in a genuinely suspenseful way. For such a relative unknown, and without many credits to his name, Jorge Grau does a very impressive job.
In short, this is is of the highest calibre that Eurohorror has to offer and can't be recommended highly enough. Also known as Let Sleeping Corpses Lie.
George leaves his London pad to spend the weekend in the Lake District. After Edna reverses over his bike he gets her to give him travel to his destination, but on the way they stop off at Edna's sister's place. All is not well. Nearby they are trying out a new invention to get rid of bugs by radiation. This has the unfortunate effect of bringing the dead back to life.The German film poster, no idea how it translates!
Even during the opening credits it's plain to see that this is an environmental warning. We are witness to world in decline, a world so far in decay that even the appearance of a streaker in rush hour doesn't make the commuters bat an eyelid. Commuters that wear masks to try and stop the pollution filling their lungs. And it's worse than that, because this decay is spreading to the countryside. The locations used for filming is one of the big bonuses of this film. Geographically laughable perhaps, but they add an incredable amount of ambience to the proceedings as well as driving home the idea of a world in turmoil.
If you wish to dissect the film you get a feeling that the greatness it has is almost an accident. A veritable mish-mash of a production - Directed by a Spaniard, partly funded from Spain ands Italy with Italian, Spanish, American and British acting talent, filmed in various parts of Northern England as well as Spanish and Italian sound stages and a script that is filled with groaners, but despite this a remarkable film results. Lambsted at the time for its violence and gore (tame by todays standards) it bombed, but nevertheless hung around in people's consciousness and is now rightly regarded as a classic of its genre. All the more remarkable is the length of time that it takes for the actual living dead mayhem to occur. But this film has a steady pace, without any down time. We, as viewers, know what's coming and the film never lets our thoughts wander whiloe we wait for the inevitable. From the first off, we are hooked and hooked we stay. And for once the frustration of authority lasts until the last scene.
One of the standout scens happens when it all starts to kick off in the vault of a crypt. Like Romero, the director Jorge Grau knew that with slow moving attackers you have to contain the action and he does so in a genuinely suspenseful way. For such a relative unknown, and without many credits to his name, Jorge Grau does a very impressive job.
In short, this is is of the highest calibre that Eurohorror has to offer and can't be recommended highly enough. Also known as Let Sleeping Corpses Lie.
Thursday, 18 June 2009
Cats in Gialli
Watching Your Vice Is A Locked Room... the other night and it occurred to me that not only is the cat, Satan, a character in the film, it is an important and pivotal character and not just a prop of a plot device. She is the wronged woman. She is the femme fatale burning with vengeance, the man she loved now dead and she is intent in bringing justice to his killer. She is not a lady to be trifled with. The killer knows how dangerous this cat is and tries to kill it, and if she had succeeded, her nemesis would not have been there to spoil her plan.
The cat in a giallo is symbolic of the giallo femme fatale. Lovely to look at, sweet to hold, but capable of sinking her claws in if the fancy takes her.
(In the picture The two leading ladies of Your Vice Is A Locked Room And I Have The Key: Satan and the ever delectable Edwige Fenech.)
Wednesday, 17 June 2009
Bloody Moon (and Bloody Vipco)
Jess Franco's 1981 slasher opus is a mixed bag. Suffering from the usual dubbing problems that can render even the best film laughable, the main problem seems to be that Franco is not working with complete control. The main sticking point for me was the awful hatchet job done by the fools at Vipco. Practically all the gore is missing, includinhg the infamous beheading by a giant stonesaw. And it's not the first time Vipco have been guily of this. Struggling to be fair, oit may be that this is the only print they are allowed to release in Britain but somehow I doubt it if you think about what other films you can see in their entirety. So what we're really looking at here is a 79 minute version. Would the added gore have added anything to the film? Well, yeah I think so. Without it you are left with all the padding without the rewards.
Set in a Adults Language School (filling in for the more usual campsite) someone is going about killing the ladies. Is it the disfigured Miguel, recently released from an asylum after a similar killing? Is it Antonio, the randy tennis coach? Or what about the weird gardener who only shows up right after a killing? There's many suspects but anyone familiar with slasher films will have no trouble guessing who is behind them. But that's okay, 'cause we're here for the gore. Oh no, wait. Vipco aren't showing that. Bastards. Now, I'm a big Franco fan and I believe that had this been 100% his film we would have had something better, but everytime a Franco-moment seems about to happen the action just stops and moves back to the female lead wandering about being scared which hampers the flow big time. This is an inherent problem rather being down to Vipco. It just doesn't have that Franco feeling. Shame, because it would be real interesting to see Franco do a routine slasher film, but his way. Franco would have made so much more of the incestual relationship between Miguel and his sister Manuela and their feelings towards the invalid mother. the pace may have slowed, but I think Franco does slow paced movies better than most (with the exception of the great Jean Rollin) and I would have loved to see him build a bit of suspense up slowly.
Sorry if the above seems a bit chaotic. I was looking forward to this one and I feel slightly cheated by not getting a chance to see the picture as a whole. I will try and rectify this, although I have the suspicion that it will remain a lesser Franco flick, purely because he seems like a hired hand.
Saturday, 13 June 2009
Mark Of The Wolfman (1968)
Or Frankenstein's Bloody Terror as it is called here, making it the American drive-in version. Not that there's any sign of Frankenstein, which is explained away right at the beginning saying that Frankenstein changed his name to Wolfstein! The first Waldemar Daninsky movie is a fun romp woth watching for fans of Paul Naschy and cheesey horror flicks. Naschy's movies would improve a lot when he got into the 1970s, his 60s movies being somewhat tame. Good fun is to be had here though as the wolfman battles the evil vampires bent on using him for thier own nefarious purposes.
Timber Falls (2008)
Yet another variation on Texas Chainsaw Massacre, this time the twisted locals are religious freaks who want the doomed campers to produce a child for them. Pretty grisly and well made, but the feeling that you've seen it all before hangs over the proceedings constantly. Still, for what it is, it's watchable enough.
Thursday, 11 June 2009
Death Walks On High Heels (1971)
Highly enjoyable giallo and only one of three that came from the helmsmanship of Luciano Ercoli. After a jewelry robbery one of the perpetrators is killed in his train compartment. His daughter (Susan Scott) is warned that the killer may be looking for her while trying to track down the missing jewels. And this is precisely what happens. But who is terrorising her? Starting in France, the action then moves to the south coast of England and the locations are a definite boon for the film. The denouement, while complicated, makes perfect sense and you are left thoroughly satisfied. There's even room for some humour from the English (sic) detective and his sidekick. Nice one.
Short Night Of The Glass Dolls (1971)
Aldo Lado's directorial debut is a classy and slightly convoluted giallo-ish thriller that begins with the body of the hero being found in a park. After being pronounced dead we then hear narrate the film as he isn't really dead, or is he. A series of flashbacks tells the tale of how his girlfriend, Barbara Bach, goes missing without a trace and how he tries to track her down. The film is a slow mover, but Lado has the confidence to tell his story slowly and does so with style. If I have any problems with this film (and they are very slight problems) is that the supernatural element that arrives at the end doesn't fit snugly, even though you may be heading your guesses this way at the end. The final scenes at the live autopsy are well done and prove a fitting finale to an enjoyable flick.
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
All The Colors Of The Dark
A quite delirious cross between giallo and Rosemary’s Baby, all wrapped up in that comfortable Martino/Fenech/Hilton team that brought us The Strange Vice Of Mrs Wardh. Fenech, as ever, is beyond any kind of reproach and the rest of the cast are as required. It probably lacks a certain something in the plot department, or maybe a mite too hysterical at times, but hey, this early 70s Italian exploitation cinema. A good solid, enjoyable film.
Eyeball (1976)
A late (for the director) Giallo entry from Umbert Lenzi, and, highly watchable as the film is, you get the feeling Lenzi was starting to get bored with the genre, and indeed the genre itself was starting to signs of strain. The dialogue is poor, but given that it is dubbed we have no choice but to wash over that. A vicious killer is going round killing members of a coach tour party and plucking out their eyeballs. With more red herrings than you’re find in a handful of giallos, this one tries hard to be one step ahead of everyone, although the killer is easily guessable as you near the end. Not even close to bad, but you can see all too clearly what it could have been had the director been firing on all cylinders.
Sunday, 7 June 2009
Seven Deaths In The Cat's Eye (1973)
Tasty little giallo/gothic thriller set in a Scottish castle with the cast being bumped off one by one. We've seen it all before but it's done with enough panache to pull it off. Nice one.
Friday, 5 June 2009
Seven Murders For Scotland Yard
A giallo-esque outing for that most enjoyable of Spanish actors/writers Paul Naschy.
There's a serial killer on the loose that has a simalr modus operandi of Jack The Ripper. Paul Naschy is wrongly suspected of the crimes and goes on the run and tries to solve the crime. Naschy refuses to act in this piece of hokum about a modern day Ripper but this is still a highly enjoyable romp. From the cheesey dialogue to the excellent seventies London locations there is much to be relished throughout this barmy opus. A film that gives a pretty good definition of Eurotrash.
There's a serial killer on the loose that has a simalr modus operandi of Jack The Ripper. Paul Naschy is wrongly suspected of the crimes and goes on the run and tries to solve the crime. Naschy refuses to act in this piece of hokum about a modern day Ripper but this is still a highly enjoyable romp. From the cheesey dialogue to the excellent seventies London locations there is much to be relished throughout this barmy opus. A film that gives a pretty good definition of Eurotrash.
Rabid Dogs (1974)
Or possibly 'Last Car On The Left'! One of Mario bava's last film and the last one to surface as it was held in post-production hell for a variety of reasons.
Three robbers escaping after a heist take a women hostage and comandeer a vehicle taking the driver and his son hostage also. That's about it. Many Bava fans hail this as an unqualified success, but I would challenge that. While the film has redeeming factors, what we have here is a pretty nasty, mean film that seems to misfire on some of it's more important points. Bava is striving for realism here and nearly achieves it, but the frantic over-playing of two of the thieves, Blade and Thirty Two, removes much of the desired realism. The film takes place largely within the escape vehicle and the driver, female hostage and leader of the gang retain enough realistic acting that you can see what could have been, but the other two's histrionics blow this out of the water. Bava was never one for realism in his films and maybe this provided the naivety not to reign in these two. He does however manage to achieve the difficult task of filming mainly in an enclosed space very well and the film doesn't lag too much.
A mixed bag.
Three robbers escaping after a heist take a women hostage and comandeer a vehicle taking the driver and his son hostage also. That's about it. Many Bava fans hail this as an unqualified success, but I would challenge that. While the film has redeeming factors, what we have here is a pretty nasty, mean film that seems to misfire on some of it's more important points. Bava is striving for realism here and nearly achieves it, but the frantic over-playing of two of the thieves, Blade and Thirty Two, removes much of the desired realism. The film takes place largely within the escape vehicle and the driver, female hostage and leader of the gang retain enough realistic acting that you can see what could have been, but the other two's histrionics blow this out of the water. Bava was never one for realism in his films and maybe this provided the naivety not to reign in these two. He does however manage to achieve the difficult task of filming mainly in an enclosed space very well and the film doesn't lag too much.
A mixed bag.
Mediterraneo (1992)
A group of soldiers come to secure a remote Greek Aegean island and get stranded there as their boat is destroyed. They are quickly accepted by the islanders who are just pleased they are not Germans. By the time of their rescue three years later, they have all grown and taken on different viewpoints of life.
A charming, gentle anti-war movie full of whimsical humour and mild political noises. The Italians make this type of film very well and it carries echoes of Cinema Paradiso, Il Postino, Malena etc. and the scenery will make you fall in love with the island yourself as the cinematography capture’s its different moods with affection.
A charming, gentle anti-war movie full of whimsical humour and mild political noises. The Italians make this type of film very well and it carries echoes of Cinema Paradiso, Il Postino, Malena etc. and the scenery will make you fall in love with the island yourself as the cinematography capture’s its different moods with affection.
Tuesday, 2 June 2009
Night Of The Hunted (1980)
Coming at the end of Jean Rollin's best period, this is a different outing for France's favourite surreal auteur. A man comes across a lady in the middle of the road one night and discovers that not only is she amnesiac but it is a degenereative conditon. After bedding her (hey it's a Rollin movie and she is Brigitte Lahaie) he goes off to work and a man and women arrive on the scene and take Elisabeth (for it is she) back to where she came from, a mysterious tower block in palace, where all the residents have similar problems, and some have degenerated a lot more. She manages to nearly escape again and call the man from the night before who comes to rescue her, but he is unprepared for the truth.
It's a slow moving film, much like all of Rollin's work but there is little scop for Rollin's remarkable imagery. There are a few sex scenes which, although it can be argued as being part of the plot (touch and sensual feeling are all that these people have left), can be a bit of a bore to sit through. However, bizarrely, the film doesn't seem to last as long as it does, a sure sign of grabbing the viewers attention (although the missus said she thought it lasted about 5 hours!) As ever I won't spoil the twist but I will say that it seemed to me about the impersonalway of modern buildings and how the authorities use tower blocks as sterile pens to fence in the hordes and keep them out of harms way. Or something along those lines. Not Rollin's best, but a haunting statement of the nuclear family and uncaring treatment of the impersonal authorities.
It's a slow moving film, much like all of Rollin's work but there is little scop for Rollin's remarkable imagery. There are a few sex scenes which, although it can be argued as being part of the plot (touch and sensual feeling are all that these people have left), can be a bit of a bore to sit through. However, bizarrely, the film doesn't seem to last as long as it does, a sure sign of grabbing the viewers attention (although the missus said she thought it lasted about 5 hours!) As ever I won't spoil the twist but I will say that it seemed to me about the impersonalway of modern buildings and how the authorities use tower blocks as sterile pens to fence in the hordes and keep them out of harms way. Or something along those lines. Not Rollin's best, but a haunting statement of the nuclear family and uncaring treatment of the impersonal authorities.
Without A Paddle
Three childhood friends meet up at the funeral of their fourth friend from childhood, re-bond and decide to take the trip that their friend had planned - to go looking for some lost treasure in the wilderness.
An amiable romp that would have probably been better to forget the treasure hunt so we could have spared the 'actually, it's not the cash that's the treasure, it's our new found desire for life' bollocks that comes inevitably at the end as surely it must.
An amiable romp that would have probably been better to forget the treasure hunt so we could have spared the 'actually, it's not the cash that's the treasure, it's our new found desire for life' bollocks that comes inevitably at the end as surely it must.
Thursday, 28 May 2009
Oasis Of Fear (1971)
Also known as Dirty Pictures, its original title is in Italian, this film is usually referred to as a giallo. Probably because theres a murder in it and it comes at a time when director Umberto Lenzi was making gialli. However it isn't a giallo really, it's more of a straightforward thriller. The twist involved can unfortunately be seen a mile off, and not just guessing the main thrust of the twist - the whole caboodle and the ensuing events are easily guessed. However the film is most enjoyable. Two young lovers visiting Italy take to selling porn to raise big bucks, which works. They lib=ve the high life for a short while and become penniless again. So they make their own porn (Dirty Pictures) but get busted trying to sell it. Told to leave the country they run out of petrol near a remote-ish house and try to steal; some petrol. They are found by the lady of the house who eventuially takes pity on them and invites them in and soon they are having a party. But has the lady a hidden agenda? You betcha. And soon the games of cat and mouse begin. All good wholesome fum with some added unnecessary sleaze thrown in because it's an Italian picture from 1971. A special mention has to go to the soundtrack -excellent upbeat euro nonsense.
War Of The Worlds (2005)
Oh I don't know. This should have been good, but was actually sort of...empty. Even if you take out that most over-rated of 'actors' Tom Cruise, it's still too much on the blah side. Personally I think Spielberg has lost his movie making heart (from what I've seen which lately, admittedly, isn't a lot) and all that is left is reliance on CGI. Perfectly watchable but absolutely no grit whatsoever.
Monday, 25 May 2009
My All-Time Favourites - Pt 1 - Swallows And Amazons
Over the course of this blog I will attempt to look at the films that I consider to be my all time favourites. Some of them may not be great films, but they will all have at one time endeared themselves to me in such a way they still give me that same warm feeling inside as they did when I first saw them. Some films pale after a time - some to a degree that you wonder what you ever saw in them in the first place. But some stay with you, having built themselves a home in my consciousness and occasionally have been life changing events.
For the first it seems quite apt to go back to one of the first to grab me in such a way - Claude Watham's 1974version of the perennial Arthur Ransome classic children's story Swallow And Amazons. A simple tale of a family holiday in The Lake District in 1929. The Walker family arrive in the Lakes and the four Walker children set off to camp on the island on the lake on their boet, The Swallow. There, they meet the Blackett girls, whose boat is The Amazon and they have fun creating their own adventures. And that's all there is really. Except, of course, there is so much more underlying the simplicity of the story. As with the books, the most endearing aspect of the books, and in such the film, is that the adventures they have are created by themselves. No spies to rounded up, no hidden treasure (well, nearly none), no being tied up in cellars by surly bearded men etc. In essence it is the kind of childhood adventures that we all got involved in - the ones that were limited only by our own imagination. The Lake then becomes the Wide Open Sea, and charted accordingly, with every bay, inlet, stream being accorded an exotic name - Shark Bay, the Amazon river, Rio. One of the greatest achievements in the film is how the landscape is shown as it appears in the children's imagination. While certain shots do show the relative close proximity of the island to their holiday home, when they are abroad in their world, we see it as a deserted island set in a silvery sea of vast scope. The moutainous landscape on the horizon only adds to this feeling of solitude, a world where adults are far, far away. And as viewers, we identify with this feeling of freedom, because we all surely at one point in our childhood, revelled in those moments where there are no adults present and we are left to our own devices.
The locations are a big help to the film, and they not only filmed in the Lake District, but Wildcat Island is actually Peel Island, the origianl inspiration for Wildcat Island, thus adding a 'realism' usually missing from book to film translations. There before your very eyes is the landing bay, the campsite and the secret harbour, exactly how Ransome, and thus his characters, saw them.
When, in the film, they land in 'Rio', they land in Bowness, another true representation with the added bonus of seeing Bowness as it was in the 70s, albeit done up to look like the 20s. Not long after, this pleasant location was morphed into the tourist trap monstrosity that is today.
While it isn't hard to film the Lake District in its best light, to film it from a child's viewpoint isn't that easy but Whatham does it making it a microcosm for juvenile explorers and while the action takes place in what is probably a few square miles the impression of a limitless wilderness is thoroughly well realised.
It would be too easy to frown at the amateurish acting on view from the child actors, and indeed some performances are particularly stilted, but on the whole they manage between them to carry the film. Virginai McKenna as Mrs Walker is on her usual good form and Ronald Fraser, while not perhaps the Captain Flint of the books, involves himself admirably. Both the adult leads are to be commended for playing along with the ethos of a kids film and play it gentle and understated.
Kit Seymour as Nancy seems ill at ease throughout much of the film. This, however, is not how I remember from my first viewing when I was about 11 and going through the first flushes of puberty. Nancy was one of my first crushes and no doubt helped my enjoyment of the film no end. While the crush has obviously gone the way of all adolescent crushes, the character of Nancy still retains my affection and as I read through the books, it was Ms Seymour that I pictured as the domesticated feral tomboy captain of the Amazon. God knows where she is now, but the ghost of my awkward teenage years salutes her.
I have tried to get my children to watch SAA, to no effect though, alas. It seems that stories of children having fun messing about in boats just don't cut the mustard with today's children. The BBC announced a while back that they were going to make a new film of the book, and possibly the others also. I cautiously welcome the idea, but only if they remain true to the spirit of the book/original film. What this story indulges itself in more than anything is the innocence of our childhood years, and if any remake were even to hint that the kids were more hip, more street, then the whole magic disappears instantly.
Not long after my first viewing of SAA I made the first on many, many trips to the Lakes. I was instantly as captivated as the Walker children. Each time I arrive in the Lakes I am back in the land of Swallows and Amazons and I have never made a trip there without thinking of this film. For a beautifully filmed adventure of childhood innocence and exploration, for me, this has no equal (although fans of The Railway Children may argue that point. But there's no sailing in that!)
For the first it seems quite apt to go back to one of the first to grab me in such a way - Claude Watham's 1974version of the perennial Arthur Ransome classic children's story Swallow And Amazons. A simple tale of a family holiday in The Lake District in 1929. The Walker family arrive in the Lakes and the four Walker children set off to camp on the island on the lake on their boet, The Swallow. There, they meet the Blackett girls, whose boat is The Amazon and they have fun creating their own adventures. And that's all there is really. Except, of course, there is so much more underlying the simplicity of the story. As with the books, the most endearing aspect of the books, and in such the film, is that the adventures they have are created by themselves. No spies to rounded up, no hidden treasure (well, nearly none), no being tied up in cellars by surly bearded men etc. In essence it is the kind of childhood adventures that we all got involved in - the ones that were limited only by our own imagination. The Lake then becomes the Wide Open Sea, and charted accordingly, with every bay, inlet, stream being accorded an exotic name - Shark Bay, the Amazon river, Rio. One of the greatest achievements in the film is how the landscape is shown as it appears in the children's imagination. While certain shots do show the relative close proximity of the island to their holiday home, when they are abroad in their world, we see it as a deserted island set in a silvery sea of vast scope. The moutainous landscape on the horizon only adds to this feeling of solitude, a world where adults are far, far away. And as viewers, we identify with this feeling of freedom, because we all surely at one point in our childhood, revelled in those moments where there are no adults present and we are left to our own devices.
The locations are a big help to the film, and they not only filmed in the Lake District, but Wildcat Island is actually Peel Island, the origianl inspiration for Wildcat Island, thus adding a 'realism' usually missing from book to film translations. There before your very eyes is the landing bay, the campsite and the secret harbour, exactly how Ransome, and thus his characters, saw them.
When, in the film, they land in 'Rio', they land in Bowness, another true representation with the added bonus of seeing Bowness as it was in the 70s, albeit done up to look like the 20s. Not long after, this pleasant location was morphed into the tourist trap monstrosity that is today.
While it isn't hard to film the Lake District in its best light, to film it from a child's viewpoint isn't that easy but Whatham does it making it a microcosm for juvenile explorers and while the action takes place in what is probably a few square miles the impression of a limitless wilderness is thoroughly well realised.
It would be too easy to frown at the amateurish acting on view from the child actors, and indeed some performances are particularly stilted, but on the whole they manage between them to carry the film. Virginai McKenna as Mrs Walker is on her usual good form and Ronald Fraser, while not perhaps the Captain Flint of the books, involves himself admirably. Both the adult leads are to be commended for playing along with the ethos of a kids film and play it gentle and understated.
Kit Seymour as Nancy seems ill at ease throughout much of the film. This, however, is not how I remember from my first viewing when I was about 11 and going through the first flushes of puberty. Nancy was one of my first crushes and no doubt helped my enjoyment of the film no end. While the crush has obviously gone the way of all adolescent crushes, the character of Nancy still retains my affection and as I read through the books, it was Ms Seymour that I pictured as the domesticated feral tomboy captain of the Amazon. God knows where she is now, but the ghost of my awkward teenage years salutes her.
I have tried to get my children to watch SAA, to no effect though, alas. It seems that stories of children having fun messing about in boats just don't cut the mustard with today's children. The BBC announced a while back that they were going to make a new film of the book, and possibly the others also. I cautiously welcome the idea, but only if they remain true to the spirit of the book/original film. What this story indulges itself in more than anything is the innocence of our childhood years, and if any remake were even to hint that the kids were more hip, more street, then the whole magic disappears instantly.
Not long after my first viewing of SAA I made the first on many, many trips to the Lakes. I was instantly as captivated as the Walker children. Each time I arrive in the Lakes I am back in the land of Swallows and Amazons and I have never made a trip there without thinking of this film. For a beautifully filmed adventure of childhood innocence and exploration, for me, this has no equal (although fans of The Railway Children may argue that point. But there's no sailing in that!)
Dracula's Daughter (1972)
Jess Franco has a name for himself and some of it is rather unfair. Known for his zooms (especially of female nether regions), out of focus shots, gratuitous sex scenes etc. Whether this is fair or not Dracula's Daughter seems to encapsulate all of Franco's perceived filming techniques. Unfortunately it also plays into his detractors hands as the film wanders aimlessly, seemingly just waiting for the next lesbian lovemaking scene. The story of a young lady being told of her family's curse on her grandmother's deathbed could have been better but Franco is in one of his more laviscious moods and without some of his more artier veins present the film just drags, something that I don't usually mind in his films. Not all bad, but you end up wishing for more. Howard Vernon in particular is woefully under-used as Cout Karlstein/Dracula, never once straying from his coffin. He does, though, manage to encapsulate the Hammer feel during the opening credits. It's just a shame he couldn't keep it up.
Saturday, 23 May 2009
Bean (1997)
This first Bean movie cannot fail to raise a few chuckles but ultimately is a complete misfire. Many mistakes are made in translating the character to the big screen, and the main one is Peter MacNicol who, through no fault of his own, is misused as the protaganist for whom Bean can play off. He's simply not a straight enough straight man. Add to that the americanisation of the whole thing and it just sinks like a brick mini. Compared to his European venture this is one big damp squib.
Sodomas Ghosts (1988)
Lucio Fulci is a director who divides fans of Eurocult films. Many find him a hack who hasn't brought anything other than workmanlike entries into a variety of genres depending on what is hot at the time. However, he has produced some classics, as the recently watched Don't Torture A Duckling can easily testify. However, in Sodomas Ghosts he plays into the hands of his detractors. Beginning with an orgy at a chateau of some nazis that gets bombed, we flash forward to some youths who get lost and end up at the chateau where the ghosts lead them on a merry dance of horror and torture before ultimately escaping. A simple story but Fulci it seems can't be bothered with it and the whole thing flops along from one uninspired set piece to another. It's a shame as it should have been putty in his hands. Regardless, this film should not be seen as typical Fulci. Even Hitchcock made turgid films.
The Ruins (2008)
You get a feeling of deja vu with this story of 4 young Americans on holiday who meet someone who takes them to some out of the way destination only for it all to wrong. Similarities with Hostel (no torture though) and Paradise Lost. Not badly done, but you have seen it all before.
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
The Da Vinci Code (2006)
Can't be arsed explaining the plot, you must know what it's about.
The first thing that struck me was the, to my mind, miscasting of Hanks and Tatou. Not their fault really, as it's just that they were not how I pictured their characters while reading the book. The immensely excellent actor Jean Reno however was who I pictured, so that was good. Sophie Nevu should have been played by Sophie Marceau, and anyone who thinks differently is wrong. The puzzles that are so much a part of the books get lost within the film as there's no time to ponder them, scour the internet for background facts etc which is where most of the fun in the book was to be had, for me at any rate. The film seems strangely empty because of this. Watchable (especially for the always dependable Ian McKellen) but that's about it. Would have been better as a six hour TV series
The first thing that struck me was the, to my mind, miscasting of Hanks and Tatou. Not their fault really, as it's just that they were not how I pictured their characters while reading the book. The immensely excellent actor Jean Reno however was who I pictured, so that was good. Sophie Nevu should have been played by Sophie Marceau, and anyone who thinks differently is wrong. The puzzles that are so much a part of the books get lost within the film as there's no time to ponder them, scour the internet for background facts etc which is where most of the fun in the book was to be had, for me at any rate. The film seems strangely empty because of this. Watchable (especially for the always dependable Ian McKellen) but that's about it. Would have been better as a six hour TV series
Lars And The Real Girl (2007)
Length 106mins
Director Craig Gillespie
Country USA
Lead Actors Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer
Genre Comedy Drama
Language English
Plot Lars is a shy guy, real shy. Living in the garage near the house he co-owns with his married brother, he shuts himself away shunning human contact. One day he buys a rubber doll, a very realistic one, and introduces her to his brother and his wife and his guest/girlfriend. Sensibly, they take him to the doctors who says he is going threough some sorrt of delusional crisis and the best thing for them is to play along, and pretty soon the whole village is playing along.
Comments An offbeat film, this is both charming, poignant and often very funny. Taking a sideways look at human contact, a chunk of suspension of dibelief is needed, but as it comes along as a modern fable that isn't a problem. We know how this film is going to end (to a degree at any rate) but the journey to get there is wonderful
Director Craig Gillespie
Country USA
Lead Actors Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer
Genre Comedy Drama
Language English
Plot Lars is a shy guy, real shy. Living in the garage near the house he co-owns with his married brother, he shuts himself away shunning human contact. One day he buys a rubber doll, a very realistic one, and introduces her to his brother and his wife and his guest/girlfriend. Sensibly, they take him to the doctors who says he is going threough some sorrt of delusional crisis and the best thing for them is to play along, and pretty soon the whole village is playing along.
Comments An offbeat film, this is both charming, poignant and often very funny. Taking a sideways look at human contact, a chunk of suspension of dibelief is needed, but as it comes along as a modern fable that isn't a problem. We know how this film is going to end (to a degree at any rate) but the journey to get there is wonderful
Dellamorte Dellamore (1994)
Francesco Dellamorte has a strange job. He lives in a cemetery with his simple best friend and is employed to kill the dead who rise 7 days after being buried. But he falls in love with a woman who keeps dying and reappearing, and he ends up as a serial killer who the authorities refuse to blame for the killings. He begins to question the difference between the living dead and 'dead' living.
A crazy film that must be the last word in the Italian zombie cycle. Chock full of way too many themes for me to even begin to dissect on one viewing. Full of gore, humour and weird sex, this is a highly stylised film with a great central performance from Everett who underplays everything perfectly. Quite why the English version is called Cemetery Man is beyond me as the literal translation, 'of death, of love', is perfect. One to savour, watch again,savour a bit more, then have another viewing.
A crazy film that must be the last word in the Italian zombie cycle. Chock full of way too many themes for me to even begin to dissect on one viewing. Full of gore, humour and weird sex, this is a highly stylised film with a great central performance from Everett who underplays everything perfectly. Quite why the English version is called Cemetery Man is beyond me as the literal translation, 'of death, of love', is perfect. One to savour, watch again,savour a bit more, then have another viewing.
Sunday, 10 May 2009
Horror Hospital (1973)
Robin Askwith decides he needs a holiday in the country. On his way to his retreat he meets a girl going to the same place, which it turns out is run by a mad scientist who conducts wewird experiments on their boarders.
A mixof 70's cheeky comedy and brit horror, this is usually the kind of stuff that is right up my alley, but watching it this time I was just bored. Whether it was just a matter of bad timing or I have finally outgrown this type of film remains to be seen.
A mixof 70's cheeky comedy and brit horror, this is usually the kind of stuff that is right up my alley, but watching it this time I was just bored. Whether it was just a matter of bad timing or I have finally outgrown this type of film remains to be seen.
Night Of The Demon (1957)
Paranormal sceptic Dr Holden arrives in the UK to expose a cult leader just as his colleague is killed. He slowly comes to realise that diabolical events may be taking place and the cult leader may be behind them.
One of the all time classics. Dana Andrews may be a bit stiff, and you have to agree with the director that the appearance of the monster (on the insistance of the backers) does nothing for the film, but the film is still a treat as it charts the mounting terror of Dr Holden, the sceptic who learns to believe. Superb.
One of the all time classics. Dana Andrews may be a bit stiff, and you have to agree with the director that the appearance of the monster (on the insistance of the backers) does nothing for the film, but the film is still a treat as it charts the mounting terror of Dr Holden, the sceptic who learns to believe. Superb.
Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey (1991)
Length 93mins
Director Peter Hewitt
Country USA
Lead Actors Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, Joss Ackland
Language English
Genre Comedy
Plot Bill and Ted get killed by robotic evil version of themselves and try and cheat death to come back to stop their evil counterparts.
Comments Delivers exactly what you expect.
Director Peter Hewitt
Country USA
Lead Actors Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, Joss Ackland
Language English
Genre Comedy
Plot Bill and Ted get killed by robotic evil version of themselves and try and cheat death to come back to stop their evil counterparts.
Comments Delivers exactly what you expect.
Tintin and the Golden Fleece (1961)
Captain Haddock inherits an old boat that a lot of people seem to be very interested in. Tintin and the Captain investigate why.
The first live action Tintin and noticeably better than its sequel, Tintin and Blue Oranges - although Captain Haddock was better impersonated in the sequel. As it is, Golden Fleece is a fun , fast moving romp and includes all the characters you expect to see. Snowy is particularly well played! Unseen in Britain since 1973, it's about time these films got a dusting down and aired, which may happen given that Spielberg is currently making his own version of the boy hero. Golden Fleece is good enough, I reckon, for Spielberg not to want it about though!
The first live action Tintin and noticeably better than its sequel, Tintin and Blue Oranges - although Captain Haddock was better impersonated in the sequel. As it is, Golden Fleece is a fun , fast moving romp and includes all the characters you expect to see. Snowy is particularly well played! Unseen in Britain since 1973, it's about time these films got a dusting down and aired, which may happen given that Spielberg is currently making his own version of the boy hero. Golden Fleece is good enough, I reckon, for Spielberg not to want it about though!
Saturday, 9 May 2009
Zombies! Zombies! Zombies!
Some bad crack crystals cause a couple of prostitutes to turn into zombies who then descend on a strip club.
Every decade has had their own scream queens for the horror movies. The likes Fay Wray, Barbara Steele, Ingrid Pitt, Linnea Quigley for example have given an extra lift to many a horror movie and the scream queen has become something of a necessity. One of the newest to add to this list is the wonderful Tiffany Shepis whose committed playing has enlivened many a dull horror movie and made everything she appears in watchable. So after seeing the first two minutes of this dreary 'comedy' horror flick and noticing la Tiff I decided to give it a go the next night. Imagine my (all too real horror) when it turns out that she only appears in the first two minutes. So I was never really going to like this film! And I didn't. The whole thing just seemed a bit hollow although I would say to its credit that most of the actors are actually quite competent. The fault lies squarely with script and director. Pants.
Every decade has had their own scream queens for the horror movies. The likes Fay Wray, Barbara Steele, Ingrid Pitt, Linnea Quigley for example have given an extra lift to many a horror movie and the scream queen has become something of a necessity. One of the newest to add to this list is the wonderful Tiffany Shepis whose committed playing has enlivened many a dull horror movie and made everything she appears in watchable. So after seeing the first two minutes of this dreary 'comedy' horror flick and noticing la Tiff I decided to give it a go the next night. Imagine my (all too real horror) when it turns out that she only appears in the first two minutes. So I was never really going to like this film! And I didn't. The whole thing just seemed a bit hollow although I would say to its credit that most of the actors are actually quite competent. The fault lies squarely with script and director. Pants.
Baba Yaga (1973)
A lady photographer falls under the spell of a witch
Short on plot but nevertheless an arty attempt to film Guido Crepax's comic creation. Quite atmospheric and well done, albeit slow. I never really warmed to the actress playing the photographer, Valentina, which would have helped but overall the film manages to keep your attention.
Short on plot but nevertheless an arty attempt to film Guido Crepax's comic creation. Quite atmospheric and well done, albeit slow. I never really warmed to the actress playing the photographer, Valentina, which would have helped but overall the film manages to keep your attention.
Bulldog Drummond Comes Back (1937)
Stiff upper lip time as Drummond gets involved in yet another fiendish plot. In a rather bizarre plot the fiends have concocted a plan in which they deliver clues to Mr D as to where to find his fiancé so when he does get there they can bump him off, regardless of the fact they had plenty of opportunities to do just that while delivering the clues. Silly, but fast paced and good-natured fun.
Monday, 4 May 2009
Four Times That Night (1972)
Tina and Gianni's date is seen from 4 different perspectives, but what really happened?
A one-off foray into the slight genre of the sex comedy for Mario Bava and it's easy to see why he wasn't tempted back. Not that it's awful, but there is no room for Bava to display his talents and his lack of understanding of directing comedy makes for a somewhat stagey film. In essence a remake of, or a least a direct copy of the idea from, Kurosawa's Rashomon, Four Times That Night isn't as clever as it likes to think it is and significant plot points can be found missing as we move between versions. However it is amusing in places and Daniela Giordano is a treat.
A one-off foray into the slight genre of the sex comedy for Mario Bava and it's easy to see why he wasn't tempted back. Not that it's awful, but there is no room for Bava to display his talents and his lack of understanding of directing comedy makes for a somewhat stagey film. In essence a remake of, or a least a direct copy of the idea from, Kurosawa's Rashomon, Four Times That Night isn't as clever as it likes to think it is and significant plot points can be found missing as we move between versions. However it is amusing in places and Daniela Giordano is a treat.
IQ (1994)
Tim Robbins, a garage mechanic, falls for Albert Einstein's niece when she comes to his garage in her fiance's car. He tries to woo her, aided by Einsyein and his friends.
By-the-numbers RomCom of the type that Ryan was churning out by the bucketload in the 90s. Matthau as Einstein helps make this lacklustre comedy watchable.
By-the-numbers RomCom of the type that Ryan was churning out by the bucketload in the 90s. Matthau as Einstein helps make this lacklustre comedy watchable.
Sunday, 3 May 2009
Suspiria (1977)
Jessica Harper arrives at a ballet school in Europe unaware that the teachers are a coven of witches.
Not a great deal to be said about this movie other than it is one of, if not the, best horror movies ever made. Why on earth they want to remake it baffles me; just re-release it. It is still as visceral, horrifying and goddamned brilliant as it ever was. If you haven't seen it, I suggest you rectify that as soon as possible.
Not a great deal to be said about this movie other than it is one of, if not the, best horror movies ever made. Why on earth they want to remake it baffles me; just re-release it. It is still as visceral, horrifying and goddamned brilliant as it ever was. If you haven't seen it, I suggest you rectify that as soon as possible.
Dude, Where's My Car? (2000)
A 'Bill and Ted' type mindless comedy. There are some heartuy chuckles to be had in what is basically a harmless romp.
Daughters of Darkness (1971)
Length 100mins
Director Harry Kumel
Country Belgium
Lead Actors Daphne Seyrig, John Karlen
Language Dutch
Genre Horror
Plot A young couple arrive at an out of season hotel and are bewitched by the only other occupants, Countess Bathory and her companion.
Comments If you have ever wondered what would have happened if you crossed a Hammer lesbian vampire flick with a European Arthouse movie then wonder no more; you would have Daughters of Darkness. The story takes its time to evolve but the film is constantly sumptious to look at with scenes arranged lovingly as an grand master would do before putting brush to canvas. Colour is an important motif to the story as he uses red dissolves to move between scenes mirroring the Countess' desire for the red sticky stuff. With long, lingering shots of the hotel and its interiors you are reminded of the great arthouse classic, Last Year In Marienbad, which also featured Dapne Seyrig. Seyrig herself adds inestimable class to the proceedings and makes the Countess by far the most interesting character. Next to Seyrig, the others seem nothing more than commonplace. A thoughtful, intelligent piece of cinema that plays down its horrors.
Director Harry Kumel
Country Belgium
Lead Actors Daphne Seyrig, John Karlen
Language Dutch
Genre Horror
Plot A young couple arrive at an out of season hotel and are bewitched by the only other occupants, Countess Bathory and her companion.
Comments If you have ever wondered what would have happened if you crossed a Hammer lesbian vampire flick with a European Arthouse movie then wonder no more; you would have Daughters of Darkness. The story takes its time to evolve but the film is constantly sumptious to look at with scenes arranged lovingly as an grand master would do before putting brush to canvas. Colour is an important motif to the story as he uses red dissolves to move between scenes mirroring the Countess' desire for the red sticky stuff. With long, lingering shots of the hotel and its interiors you are reminded of the great arthouse classic, Last Year In Marienbad, which also featured Dapne Seyrig. Seyrig herself adds inestimable class to the proceedings and makes the Countess by far the most interesting character. Next to Seyrig, the others seem nothing more than commonplace. A thoughtful, intelligent piece of cinema that plays down its horrors.
Wednesday, 29 April 2009
See No Evil (1971)
Mia Farrow arrives at her Uncle's country manor to recuperate after losing her eyesight after a horseriding accident. After a riding trip she returns to the house and slowly comes to realise that the household have been brutally slaughtered and the killer has left an identity bracelet behind, which he returns to collect....
Or Blind Terror as it's normally known in Britain. Right from the start the director shows his intentions as the killer, only recognisable, until the end, by his cowboy boots, coming out of a cinema double bill showing 'The Convent Murders' and 'Rapist Cult' and focuses on toy guns in windows, violence on the tvs in shop windows etc. Then he plays the class card as an upper crust car (actually the car of of Mia Farrow's uncle) has the temerity to splash his boots and so the killer crosses a zebra crossing, stopping the car from moving on. The uncle driving the car says, echoing the viewer, "Ok, move along. You've made your point." But I'm being harsh. Besides all this, and the old disabled person/woman in peril plotline' this is a finely made taut thriller from the confident hand of 60/70s tv supremo Brian Clemens. The only major complaint is that the ending just sort of fizzles out. Not flawless, but still an overlooked gem.
Or Blind Terror as it's normally known in Britain. Right from the start the director shows his intentions as the killer, only recognisable, until the end, by his cowboy boots, coming out of a cinema double bill showing 'The Convent Murders' and 'Rapist Cult' and focuses on toy guns in windows, violence on the tvs in shop windows etc. Then he plays the class card as an upper crust car (actually the car of of Mia Farrow's uncle) has the temerity to splash his boots and so the killer crosses a zebra crossing, stopping the car from moving on. The uncle driving the car says, echoing the viewer, "Ok, move along. You've made your point." But I'm being harsh. Besides all this, and the old disabled person/woman in peril plotline' this is a finely made taut thriller from the confident hand of 60/70s tv supremo Brian Clemens. The only major complaint is that the ending just sort of fizzles out. Not flawless, but still an overlooked gem.
Tuesday, 28 April 2009
The Hanging Woman (1973)
Serge Chekov arrives at his ancestor's castle for the reading of a will and sees a hanging woman in the graveyard, which disappears aftyer he raises the alarm. He sets out to investigate just how is uncle was killed.
One of those Eurohorrors that appears in many forms and many, many titles. Mostly remembered these days by the cameo appearance of Spanish horror icon Paul Naschy as a necrophiliac gravedigger, this is a reasonable horror with a rousing climax, but a tad slow in the first half.
One of those Eurohorrors that appears in many forms and many, many titles. Mostly remembered these days by the cameo appearance of Spanish horror icon Paul Naschy as a necrophiliac gravedigger, this is a reasonable horror with a rousing climax, but a tad slow in the first half.
March Of The Wooden Soldiers (1934)
In Toyland the evil Silas Barnaby attempts to force Bo Peep to marry him prompting Stannie Dum and Ollie Dee to do what they can to thwart his plans .
Basically this is Stan and Ollie in panto with a load of operetta songs thrown into the mix. For once colour would have been nice here to make the most of the wonderful sets. However, although this was made during their best period, this isn't one of their best. More than most, the film lags horribly when the boys are not on the screen.
Basically this is Stan and Ollie in panto with a load of operetta songs thrown into the mix. For once colour would have been nice here to make the most of the wonderful sets. However, although this was made during their best period, this isn't one of their best. More than most, the film lags horribly when the boys are not on the screen.
Tintin and the Blue Oranges (1964)
After being sent a blue orange by his colleague, Professor Calculus is kidnapped. Tintin and Captain Haddock go to the rescue.
A second live action for the boy reporter. A somewhat confusing plot but thoroughly charming also for fans of Tintin. The characters are lovingly created and the whole film looks like it was drawn by Hergé. It is quite talkative, which may explain the convolutions of the plot, and for once a dubbed film would have been preferable. But if you are a fan of Tintin, it's a treat.
A second live action for the boy reporter. A somewhat confusing plot but thoroughly charming also for fans of Tintin. The characters are lovingly created and the whole film looks like it was drawn by Hergé. It is quite talkative, which may explain the convolutions of the plot, and for once a dubbed film would have been preferable. But if you are a fan of Tintin, it's a treat.
Saturday, 25 April 2009
Orange County (2002)
Shaun is a surfer dudeon the Californian coast who reads a book that changes his life. He decides he wants to be a writer and applies to Stanford College, but gets rejected because of mis-sent information. He enlists his girlfriend and stoner brother to try and help him get into the college.
Pretty run of the mill teen comedy that is pefectly watchable and made all the more so when Jack Black is on the screen. Harmless.
Pretty run of the mill teen comedy that is pefectly watchable and made all the more so when Jack Black is on the screen. Harmless.
The Big Racket (1976)
An organised group of criminals is running a protection racket that is getting out of control. Detective Nico Palmieri is determined to bring them to justice, one way or another.
A highly entertaining Italian crime drama, chock full of fistfights, car chases and a detective being continuously in trouble with his boss. Some great scenes, including the detective being rolled down a hill in his car with the camera on the inside and a great finale that manages to wipe out most of the cast. The dubbing is of particular humerous interest with words like diddly and basket being used frequently to mask swear words. Great fun.
A highly entertaining Italian crime drama, chock full of fistfights, car chases and a detective being continuously in trouble with his boss. Some great scenes, including the detective being rolled down a hill in his car with the camera on the inside and a great finale that manages to wipe out most of the cast. The dubbing is of particular humerous interest with words like diddly and basket being used frequently to mask swear words. Great fun.
Race To Witch Mountain (2009)
Been to the pictures with my daughter!
A taxi driver tries to help two extra terrestial children find their way to their spaceship, helped by a UFO specialist.
My daughter loved it. I got myself into an internal fight with one half saying that this film was full of half baked ideas, no character development and a bloody awful script. The other half said to shut it, it's for the kids so stop being so picky. On reflection I don't think they should get away with making sloppy films just because they are for kids. On the plus side, Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) isn't the worst ever actor to come from the WWF.
A taxi driver tries to help two extra terrestial children find their way to their spaceship, helped by a UFO specialist.
My daughter loved it. I got myself into an internal fight with one half saying that this film was full of half baked ideas, no character development and a bloody awful script. The other half said to shut it, it's for the kids so stop being so picky. On reflection I don't think they should get away with making sloppy films just because they are for kids. On the plus side, Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) isn't the worst ever actor to come from the WWF.
Blood Angels (2004)
A young woman goes to live with her sister who runs up a pub with her friends. It turns out her sister and her friends are Thralls, halfway to being vampires, and are hiding from Jones, the vampire who bit and enslaved them before they managed to escape.
This comes across as one of those pilot shows featuring vampires, created ride on the coat tails of the excellent Buffy TV series. Which, of course, nothing can. It was a one-off and that's what made it special. This film flaps about like a landed haddock in search of some water to give it some sustenance. It is pretty insipid stuff. Neither sleazy, trashy, funny, horrific, scary, etc but it rather fancies itself as everything without the conviction to choose one. Pants.
This comes across as one of those pilot shows featuring vampires, created ride on the coat tails of the excellent Buffy TV series. Which, of course, nothing can. It was a one-off and that's what made it special. This film flaps about like a landed haddock in search of some water to give it some sustenance. It is pretty insipid stuff. Neither sleazy, trashy, funny, horrific, scary, etc but it rather fancies itself as everything without the conviction to choose one. Pants.
Don't Torture A Duckling (1972)
A child killer is ruuning amok in a sleepy rural village.
Some people would have you believe that Fulci was nothing more than a hack director without an original thought but they're wrong and this is one of the films that proves it beyond a doubt. Seen by many fans as his masterpiece, this is a pearler of a giallo with much to be said against the ruthless economic urban development of the towns and cities against the forgotten, archaic villages where superstition is still rife. There are two main scenes of note: Barbara Bouchet, fully nude, invites a young (12ish) boy to bed with her. Quite what the character's motives are never fully revealed but it seems to be she does like to tease. The other scene is the murder by the villagers of a local 'witch' whom they suspect of the killing. Done in slow motion to a choice soundtrack, this is an horrific but highly stylish moment that encapsulates the fear and mistrust at the heart of the film. While the killer's identity can be easily guessed, despite the plethora of red herring thrown in our face from Fulci, the ending is still fulfilling, irrespective of the final 'special effects'.
Some people would have you believe that Fulci was nothing more than a hack director without an original thought but they're wrong and this is one of the films that proves it beyond a doubt. Seen by many fans as his masterpiece, this is a pearler of a giallo with much to be said against the ruthless economic urban development of the towns and cities against the forgotten, archaic villages where superstition is still rife. There are two main scenes of note: Barbara Bouchet, fully nude, invites a young (12ish) boy to bed with her. Quite what the character's motives are never fully revealed but it seems to be she does like to tease. The other scene is the murder by the villagers of a local 'witch' whom they suspect of the killing. Done in slow motion to a choice soundtrack, this is an horrific but highly stylish moment that encapsulates the fear and mistrust at the heart of the film. While the killer's identity can be easily guessed, despite the plethora of red herring thrown in our face from Fulci, the ending is still fulfilling, irrespective of the final 'special effects'.
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
The Strangers (2008)
A couple are terrorised in their own home by three masked intruders
The director says he wrote the film about two years before Ils (Them) was released. Maybe so, but I’ll lay bets to say that his script altered somewhat after Ils’ release. After watching Ils I was wondering when a remake would take place and, barring a few minor plot points, The Strangers is that remake. But can it stand on it’s own?
Actually, there’s plenty of films about with common themes to this; Haneke’s masterly Funny Games springs to mind and you can even go back to the 60s to In Cold Blood. In fact the director said one the inspirations was Helter Skelter – the story of the Manson atrocities.
Anyhow, the film opens strongly with Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman arriving at a summer house after a party in a subdued mood as Tyler has just turned down Speedman's proposal. They are interrupted by a girl knocking on the door asking for someone called Tamara. Sending the girl on her way Speedman goes into to buy some cigarettes for Tyler and while he is away the terrorising slowly starts. In one of he most quietly impressive scenes in the movie we see Tyler lighting a cigarette when slowly, and without background music, a masked figure appears in a darkened corner of the screen and stares at Tyler’s back. It’s a genuinely creepy moment and is never bettered throughout the film. At this point I was looking forward to something a bit different but it quickly becomes a by-the-numbers horror, although there are still effective moments. The ending is one of those open ends which are starting to become incredibly passé, which is something I never thought I would find myself saying. But sometimes a film cries out for a more solid ending.
Still, it was a box-office success, and being an American flick, that’s all that counts. Look out for a sequel.
The director says he wrote the film about two years before Ils (Them) was released. Maybe so, but I’ll lay bets to say that his script altered somewhat after Ils’ release. After watching Ils I was wondering when a remake would take place and, barring a few minor plot points, The Strangers is that remake. But can it stand on it’s own?
Actually, there’s plenty of films about with common themes to this; Haneke’s masterly Funny Games springs to mind and you can even go back to the 60s to In Cold Blood. In fact the director said one the inspirations was Helter Skelter – the story of the Manson atrocities.
Anyhow, the film opens strongly with Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman arriving at a summer house after a party in a subdued mood as Tyler has just turned down Speedman's proposal. They are interrupted by a girl knocking on the door asking for someone called Tamara. Sending the girl on her way Speedman goes into to buy some cigarettes for Tyler and while he is away the terrorising slowly starts. In one of he most quietly impressive scenes in the movie we see Tyler lighting a cigarette when slowly, and without background music, a masked figure appears in a darkened corner of the screen and stares at Tyler’s back. It’s a genuinely creepy moment and is never bettered throughout the film. At this point I was looking forward to something a bit different but it quickly becomes a by-the-numbers horror, although there are still effective moments. The ending is one of those open ends which are starting to become incredibly passé, which is something I never thought I would find myself saying. But sometimes a film cries out for a more solid ending.
Still, it was a box-office success, and being an American flick, that’s all that counts. Look out for a sequel.
Monday, 20 April 2009
Faceless (1987)
After his sister has acid thrown in her face, a notable plastic surgeon vows to give her her face back whatever the cost. Suddenly beautiful girls start to go missing and a privare detective is hired to find one of the missing girls.
A quite restrained effort fron Senór Franco, Faceless has echoes of Franju's Eyes Without A Face and Franco's own Awful Dr Orloff amongst others. Bolstered by a decent cast this turns out to be a quite accessable film, although there is quite a few gore moments that are quite effective. The whole picture has a look of a 1980s Jackie Collins movie - in fact it is a definite 80's movie, which does add a tad to the naff meter as the 80s were exceptionally devoid of style or class.
Strangely the very last line, delivered by the follically challenged Savalas is dubbed in French, which is a bugger because it's possible that line could alter the proceedings; I will endeavour to find out. Apart from that the ending was notable for themad scientist type actually winning through, his sister getting her new face and all is well, while the private eye and the model he was looing for, supposedly the heroes one would have thought, end up trapped, presumably for good. Different.
Special mention should made for Anton Diffring in what I believe to be his final role, as an ex Nazi doctor, who used to perform atrocities during the war and now hides out in Spain. In a pleasureable nod, the doctor is led to the Nazi by none other than Howard Vernon as Dr Orloff; a nice touch.
A quite restrained effort fron Senór Franco, Faceless has echoes of Franju's Eyes Without A Face and Franco's own Awful Dr Orloff amongst others. Bolstered by a decent cast this turns out to be a quite accessable film, although there is quite a few gore moments that are quite effective. The whole picture has a look of a 1980s Jackie Collins movie - in fact it is a definite 80's movie, which does add a tad to the naff meter as the 80s were exceptionally devoid of style or class.
Strangely the very last line, delivered by the follically challenged Savalas is dubbed in French, which is a bugger because it's possible that line could alter the proceedings; I will endeavour to find out. Apart from that the ending was notable for themad scientist type actually winning through, his sister getting her new face and all is well, while the private eye and the model he was looing for, supposedly the heroes one would have thought, end up trapped, presumably for good. Different.
Special mention should made for Anton Diffring in what I believe to be his final role, as an ex Nazi doctor, who used to perform atrocities during the war and now hides out in Spain. In a pleasureable nod, the doctor is led to the Nazi by none other than Howard Vernon as Dr Orloff; a nice touch.
Sunday, 19 April 2009
Our Man Flint (1966)
In an effort to control the world, a group of scientists hold thew world to ransome by causing devastating weather conditions. Only one man can save the planet, retired super spy Derek Flint.
Firmly embedded in the American 60s ethos, this Bond spoof has its tongue planted exceptionally far into to its cheek. A very enjoyable and funny film which unfortunately runs on for about 15 minutes to long. With a bit of tightening up it could have been a classic as it does get lost in itself a little in the middle. But it's a minor complaint. Who can moan when James Coburn is in his "gee, isn't this great fun" mode.
Firmly embedded in the American 60s ethos, this Bond spoof has its tongue planted exceptionally far into to its cheek. A very enjoyable and funny film which unfortunately runs on for about 15 minutes to long. With a bit of tightening up it could have been a classic as it does get lost in itself a little in the middle. But it's a minor complaint. Who can moan when James Coburn is in his "gee, isn't this great fun" mode.
Thursday, 16 April 2009
What Have They Done To Solange? (1972)
Someone is killing a group of schollgirl friends in a particularly nasty way. Their teacher, who is also having an affair with one of his pupils, is suspected and so, with the aid of his wife, tries to work out the identity of the killer himself.
Part of Massimo’s unofficial schoolgirl trilogy this is sleazy giallo at its sleaziest, but damn fine it is too. Nicely filmed in London, the morally dubious story moves slowly but surely towards its climax, which I never saw coming although on reflection it seems obvious. You also have to get near to the end of the film to hear the name Solange, so don’t be thinking you’ve missed something. Rated.
Part of Massimo’s unofficial schoolgirl trilogy this is sleazy giallo at its sleaziest, but damn fine it is too. Nicely filmed in London, the morally dubious story moves slowly but surely towards its climax, which I never saw coming although on reflection it seems obvious. You also have to get near to the end of the film to hear the name Solange, so don’t be thinking you’ve missed something. Rated.
Be Kind Rewind (2008)
While Mos Def is minding Danny Glover's video store, Jack Black accidentally gets his head magnetized and wipes all the videos in the store. Fearful of letting Glover down they decide ro remake a film for one of their customers, which leads to filming another and suddenly their films are more popular thanthe originals.
Michael Gondry’s films in the past have been something to treasure. Offbeat, they refreshingly walk an original path through today’s mainstream mire of movie monotony that seems to pervade the cinemas from across the ocean. Both ‘The Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind’ and ‘The Science Of Sleep’ were off-kilter pleasures that entranced long after viewing had stopped. On the face of it Be Kind Rewind looked like it was going to be similar but somewhere along the line it became one of the movies it poked fun at. That’s not to say it’s bad, far from it - it is a most enjoyable movie, it’s just that it lacks the preternatural enchantment that the aforementioned films had.
Michael Gondry’s films in the past have been something to treasure. Offbeat, they refreshingly walk an original path through today’s mainstream mire of movie monotony that seems to pervade the cinemas from across the ocean. Both ‘The Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind’ and ‘The Science Of Sleep’ were off-kilter pleasures that entranced long after viewing had stopped. On the face of it Be Kind Rewind looked like it was going to be similar but somewhere along the line it became one of the movies it poked fun at. That’s not to say it’s bad, far from it - it is a most enjoyable movie, it’s just that it lacks the preternatural enchantment that the aforementioned films had.
Wednesday, 8 April 2009
The Chorus (2004)
A failed musician comes to a tough boarding school for troublesome kids and turns their life around when he starts a choir.
This tries hard to be a heartwarming, poignant drama and nearly succeeds but ultimately it ends up lacking character interest as it features the teacher strongly far more than some of the children that are integral to its plot development. However, it is impossible to dislike and you do warm to Mr Mathieu, the teacher. And the music is perfect.
This tries hard to be a heartwarming, poignant drama and nearly succeeds but ultimately it ends up lacking character interest as it features the teacher strongly far more than some of the children that are integral to its plot development. However, it is impossible to dislike and you do warm to Mr Mathieu, the teacher. And the music is perfect.
Who Saw Her Die (1972)
George Lazenby's daughter is killed and he goes on a mission to find the killer, undaunted by the amount of bodies piling up.
Reminiscent of the following year’s classier ‘Don’t Look Now’, this also revolves around a dead child whilst in the midst of a Venetian backdrop, but George Lazenby is no Donald Sutherland (but saying that, Sutherland has never played Bond, and never will, so there.) and he seems to sleepwalk through his role. However it’s yet another highly watchable giallo that’s neither one of the best nor one of the worst. There is an amusing bit right at the end where a character comes running shouting to Lazenby what is basically a disclaimer against any possible bad press from certain factions which is head scratchingly out of place and seems more damage limitation than plot. Mention must go to the superb Morricone soundtrack, one of his best.
Reminiscent of the following year’s classier ‘Don’t Look Now’, this also revolves around a dead child whilst in the midst of a Venetian backdrop, but George Lazenby is no Donald Sutherland (but saying that, Sutherland has never played Bond, and never will, so there.) and he seems to sleepwalk through his role. However it’s yet another highly watchable giallo that’s neither one of the best nor one of the worst. There is an amusing bit right at the end where a character comes running shouting to Lazenby what is basically a disclaimer against any possible bad press from certain factions which is head scratchingly out of place and seems more damage limitation than plot. Mention must go to the superb Morricone soundtrack, one of his best.
Monday, 6 April 2009
Planet Of The Vampires (1965)
Two spaceships answer a distress signal and get lured to a planet where the occupants start to get picked off. The dead then start to rise from the graves re-animated by an evil host bent on escaping the planet in their ship.
This miniscule budgeted piece of hokum would be quite torturous to watch if it wasn't for the director, Italian supremo Mario Bava, working wonders with no back up whatsoever. He makes the planet look suitably creepy using imaginative lighting and forced perspective sets and does his best to keep the story moving along. Alas, the dialogue is poor and stilted and confused in places. For staunch Bava fans and fans of low budget schlock.
This miniscule budgeted piece of hokum would be quite torturous to watch if it wasn't for the director, Italian supremo Mario Bava, working wonders with no back up whatsoever. He makes the planet look suitably creepy using imaginative lighting and forced perspective sets and does his best to keep the story moving along. Alas, the dialogue is poor and stilted and confused in places. For staunch Bava fans and fans of low budget schlock.
Sunday, 5 April 2009
Bronx Warriors (1982)
In the future the Bronx has been turned over to the people as the authorities can no longer police it and it is run by gangs. The heir to a gun manufacturing business runs away to the Bronx to hide from the people who wish to control her assets. A maniac cop called Hammer (Vic Morrow) is sent to get her. Meanwhile she has fallen in love with Trash, leader of The Riders. When she is kidnapped by the Zombies, Trash goes to The Ogre (honest, I'm not making this up) to ask for help in securing her release.
Coming across as a hybrid between Escape From New York and The Warriors this is an Italian Trash Classic and as such goes beyond criticism. And anything with a violent tap-dancing gang is ok in my book. Sure the fight scenes are crying out for a decent director and editor. Yes, the dialogue makes you cringe, when you aren't laughing. For definite Mark Gregory (Trash) is the worst actor, like, ever. But it remains fab.
Coming across as a hybrid between Escape From New York and The Warriors this is an Italian Trash Classic and as such goes beyond criticism. And anything with a violent tap-dancing gang is ok in my book. Sure the fight scenes are crying out for a decent director and editor. Yes, the dialogue makes you cringe, when you aren't laughing. For definite Mark Gregory (Trash) is the worst actor, like, ever. But it remains fab.
Alien Autopsy (2006)
Two men on a Elvis memorabilia buying expecition in America are offered footage of an alien autopsy. They borrow the £30,000 needed to buy the film which, by the time they get to show it, has decomposed. Un daunted the lads get their family together to make a reconstruction
The big hoax of 1995 becomes a vehicle for Ant and Dec and it is surprisingly enjoyable. Very lightweight with plenty of humour with the two geordies putting in an assured performance. Not bad at all.
The big hoax of 1995 becomes a vehicle for Ant and Dec and it is surprisingly enjoyable. Very lightweight with plenty of humour with the two geordies putting in an assured performance. Not bad at all.
Saturday, 4 April 2009
The Perfume Of The Lady In Black (1974)
A young women is disturbed by a series of visions which is driving her insane, but are her family and friends really trying to help?
While it may sound like a by-the-numbers Hammer psycho offering , this is actually quite an intelligent, tricksy crossbreed of giallo and supernatural horror, with echoes of Polanski (especially Rosemary's Baby). And just when you think you have a handle on what is going on ....POW, the ending just makes stare blankly at the TV and it takes a while to realise it is not as ridiculous as it first appeared. A film that definitely requires a second viewing.
While it may sound like a by-the-numbers Hammer psycho offering , this is actually quite an intelligent, tricksy crossbreed of giallo and supernatural horror, with echoes of Polanski (especially Rosemary's Baby). And just when you think you have a handle on what is going on ....POW, the ending just makes stare blankly at the TV and it takes a while to realise it is not as ridiculous as it first appeared. A film that definitely requires a second viewing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)