Thought this month long event was worthy of it’s own thread for our collective dribblings so here it is.
Anyone taking part in this mental endeavour feel free to join in.
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And so, working essentially from my old Top 30 in reverse order I started today with a long overdue re-viewing of…
Blindman (Baldi / 1971)
Wrote a review of this one almost 8 years ago (when I was doing such things regularly) and on re-reading it found I still feel largely the same. Very much a film of its time in the use of higher levels of tits and violence but with a good balance of grittiness and humour. Still very enjoyable but I must say the levels of misogyny do grate a little harder on me these days. Maybe I’m getting soft in my old age but the women here are all strictly present to be ogled and abused and I’m finding that harder to take. Even the one female character who is not a constant victim (Sweet Mama, the bandit’s sister) is stripped naked and tied to a post at one point. Feminist ideals aside, that just smacks as unimaginative. However, this rather large flaw excepted, the film is still an enjoyable ride. It ain’t likely to creep into my top 20 and may even drop out of the top 30 when some other films are re-evaluated but it remains a solid favourite I think.
For those interested in my old review, it’s here: Blindman review - The Spaghetti Western Database
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It’s here!
Part endurance test, part involuntary orgasm, part flimsy excuse to watch one spaghetti western every day for an entire bloody MONTH, it’s the 30-day spaghetti western movie challenge, and every gorgeous one of you are welcome to play along and see if you can fit in a spag a day throughout November, a month which, until this moment, never really pulled its weight.
I have decided to set myself a criteria which will dictate my daily movie choices: I intend to watch each of the spags currently residing in my Top 30 (hence “The Big Rundown”). However, that needn’t be a hard and fast condition of the challenge. The challenge is to watch 30 spags in a month. If treating yourself to your own 30 favourites floats your boat then by all means join me, but if you want to arrange your spags according to any other criteria, well, that’s all good and sexy too.
Shall we crack on?
SPAGVEMBERFEST 2015 - THE BIG RUNDOWN: NUMBER 30
Propping up my personal Big 30 is A Minute to Pray, A Second to Die (Giraldi, 1968), in which the dazzingly white-shirted scoundrel Clay McCord (Alex Cord) attempts to reach the town of Tuscosa in order to receive a full pardon for his many crimes whilst simultaneously trying not to get murdered to pieces by the bounty hunters waiting to ambush him before he can make it AND ensuring that his shirt stays crisp, white and laundry fresh throughout the entire affair. Today, I shall be wringing every last drop of horsey goodness from A Minute to Pray, A Second to Die via the lovingly crafted Autephex Composite Version of the movie which set hearts a-fluttering on these boards a year or so ago. Here come the remix! Bo Selecta!
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Already loaded up this text on another thread, but Phil’s right, this month’s event deserves its own thread, so here I go:
By means of a kick-off of Last Caress’s WESTERN MONTH I rewatched and reviewed the Hilton Sartana
It was a pleasant rewatch. I had not watched a Sartana in a couple of years, so I can’t say in what place it’ll be on my Sartana list, but I’m pretty sure it won’t be bottom.
Actually, I was pleasantly surprised. Hilton lacks some of Garko’s badass image, but he does a pretty good job here
I planned to rewatch all Sartana’s in the next couple of weeks, probably in reverse (or random) order (I think A Cloud of Dust … will be next, because it’s closest in spirit to this one)
[size=12pt]http://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Sartana's_Here…_Trade_Your_Pistol_for_a_Coffin_Review[/size]
I don’t want to be that guy, but wouldn’t this thread be more appropriate in the Town Hall, seeing as it will discussing Spaghetti Westerns exclusively?
As an appetizer to this month’s movie fest I finished off Three Amens for Satan[url]http://Three Amens for Satan|http://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Vendetta_è_un_piatto_che_si_serve_freddo,_La[/url] last night and was pleasantly surprised. I watched it through the UK C’est La Vie disc and, despite the letterbox presentation, I enjoyed myself all the way through. It’s a solid example of a hidden gem. The cast is filled with recognizable names and roles: Leonard Mann is doing his usual Steffen impression, Elizabeth Eversfield is suitably delicious, Kinski is his usual madcap bit-part self (complete with “generous participation” role in the credits!), and Ivan Rassimov bites as the villainous antagonist. There’s enough gunfights to keep you satisfied, the poster sequence lives up to expectations, and the music does the picture justice. Definite Alt 20 material in my book ;D
Tonight I think I’ll officially begin the month off with Get Mean. The Blu-Ray came in a couple days ago and I have yet to give it a view.
Fair point, JW.
I just stuck it here because folk have been discussing it up to now under another thread in the saloon. I can shift it pretty easily though.
As suggested, I have now moved this topic to the Town Hall section where it is probably more appropriate.
[quote=“scherpschutter, post:4, topic:3590”]Already loaded up this text on another thread, but Phil’s right, this month’s event deserves its own thread, so here I go:
By means of a kick-off of Last Caress’s WESTERN MONTH I rewatched and reviewed the Hilton Sartana
It was a pleasant rewatch. I had not watched a Sartana in a couple of years, so I can’t say in what place it’ll be on my Sartana list, but I’m pretty sure it won’t be bottom.
Actually, I was pleasantly surprised. Hilton lacks some of Garko’s badass image, but he does a pretty good job here
I planned to rewatch all Sartana’s in the next couple of weeks, probably in reverse (or random) order (I think A Cloud of Dust … will be next, because it’s closest in spirit to this one)
[size=12pt]http://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Sartana's_Here…_Trade_Your_Pistol_for_a_Coffin_Review[/size][/quote]
Have still only ever watched this in the fullscreen version included in a bunch of those cheap box sets but I do have a widescreen fandub copy that I ripped from CG somewhere I think. I should probably give it another view to judge it properly as the fullscreen doesn’t really do it justice at all.
That’ll have to wait till next month though I’m afraid.
Last seen in 2011, and before that in 2008 in cut version, I finally watched the longer Koch version as this could now break into my Top 20… maybe?
What’d I think then…?
Cowards Don’t Pray
2008 - “Taste of Vengeance. English language (version by C.D.C. it says) with Dutch subs, Directed by Marlon Sirko(?), widescreen and a good print. ;D 96 mins. … Great film in my book.”
2011 - “I watched this again last night. Not much more to report.
It’s still a great ride, but really Just wanted to remind Phil of Lorenzo Robledo’s inglorious end in this.
Did a longer fansubdub ever surface?”
Well of course it did, and I actually prefer this longer version. So it could break in. (Only time in the form of Spagvember will tell.)
Besides it fleshing out the sheriff’s (Rassimov) character with all that family-feud stuff, it also allows him to play a stupidly unfeasible spag-game as well, with a two gun version of russian-roulette. This follows on from Garko’s cigar-in-the-dark and gun-joust malarkey. All good spag-nonsense! :o 8) ???
The highlights… for we all know the story…
… poor Lorenzo gets a reprieve only to get shot in the back accidentally by his own buddies. 
The whip-happy sadistic and narcissistic spoilt dandy adds some revenge-worthy stuff, particularly humorously when Brian (Garko) demands $2,000 off daddy for being out of pocket for killing his son. When I mention humour here, it’s obviously of the dark variety. This is a gritty and nihilistic slice of spaghetti-pie – which is why it is in my top 30 of course… as will be most the others I reckon.
The finale stuff after Brian’s capture starts great – with even less of that Requiescant fort left for them to rest up in (as also seen in Killer Kid yesterday) - the year since ain’t been kind to that fort. But to make amends, there was more of the ubiquitous wolf-loop (as also heard yesterday) to add to the foreboding sense of doom, death and destiny that the night-timey atmosphere lends.
One down - 29 to go… 
… I’d better give it a mark, and out of five stars aint gonna do here (as they’re all gonna be 3 and a half stars and above). So if I’m to evaluate better… my mark for Cowards don’t Pray is 14.75 out of 20.
This spaghfest sounds like a madness fitting to my deviant mind. So, let’s give it a try. I don’t know yet what to watch but I was thinking of going chronologically, picking some favorites and the ones I’ve been planning to rewatch, starting from 1961 to maybe 1980. Maybe I could find something I haven’t seen yet too.
So the first one was Robert Hossein’s beautiful The Taste of Violence[url]http://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Goût_de_la_violence,_Le[/url] (1961)
-Top20 film for me even though I’m still not sure if I should qualify it as a spaghetti western. Sort of a forebear of the genre I guess.
9/10
It could’ve started earlier. At any rate, I’ll soon publish my review of the Get Mean BluRay…
Yes, will force me to see ones I need to see
Well done to those than can go through with this
Sticking with one genre for a whole month is madness though and would make movie watching an endurance test instead of fun for me but if you’ve got the mentality for it its fun I guess
Good luck to all participants.
SPAGVEMBERFEST 2015 - THE BIG RUNDOWN: NUMBER 29
President’s bullet-ridden body in the street,
Ride Johnny, ride!
Kennedy’s shattered head hits concrete,
Ride Johnny, ride!
Johnny’s wife is floundering,
Johnny’s wife is scared,
Run Jackie, run!
Texas is an outrage when your husband is dead,
Texas is an outrage when they pick up his head,
Texas is the reason that the president’s dead!
The above is, of course, Bullet, Glenn Danzig’s rather unique take on the events of November 22nd, 1963, in which US President John F. Kennedy was shot dead in Dallas, Tx, and I’m sure you’re all way ahead of me already on where I’m going with this. At #29 on my list, my spag for today is another, even more unique take on that same event: The Price of Power (Valerii, 1969), in which the real 1881 assassination of President James Garfield is relocated in time and space, and dramatized into a loose practical simile of the Kennedy assassination in Dealy Plaza. Why? Oh, f*ck knows. I’ve never been one for translating allegorical messages in film. Alls I really give a gnat’s chufff about is: Is this film any good? Fortunately The Price of Power is a belter, no matter which President they’re offing.
Spagvemberfest number 29
The Fury of Johnny Kid (Puccini / 1967)
A loose re-telling of Romeo and Juliet featuring Peter Lee Lawrence in possibly his best outing in a Spag.
I obviously liked this film a lot back in 2009 when I wrote my review but I actually think I like it even more now. Number 29 just seems far too low for such a unique film. Beautifully shot with terrific composition and framing and a weird as batshit ending, what is not to like? Watched thios one with the wife and she gave it a hearty thumbs up while only falling asleep once. High praise indeed from the usually spaghetti shy wifey.
I loved it and expect it to push closer towards the top 20 by rather than top 30 by month’s end.
Here’s the link to my old review for those interested. But be warned, it is spoiler heavy.
http://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Fury_of_Johnny_Kidd_Review
1962 offered mainly lame comedies and Zorro’s so I skipped it to 1963 with:
2: Blasco: Gunfight at Red Sands[url]http://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Duello_nel_Texas[/url] (1963)
-One of the best pre-Leone sw’s. Harrison is a likable hero and the rest of the cast is good too. Morricone provided the rather cheesy but effective music. 6/10
[quote=“Phil H, post:17, topic:3590”][b]Spagvemberfest number 29
The Fury of Johnny Kid (Puccini / 1967)[/b]
Here’s the link to my old review for those interested. But be warned, it is spoiler heavy.
http://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Fury_of_Johnny_Kidd_Review[/quote]
One of those Top 30-50 movies I haven’t seen yet. I keep them for a special occasion, so I’ll read the review after watching the movie.
Well I haven’t seen most of my Top 20 and the other assorted 10 for quite a while for the most part, so I’m looking forward to it - but who knows… 
And it’s all gone tits-up!
Last of the Badmen
Last seen in 2008, I somehow then agreed with Brother Alk0’s “8/10” - (but not quite Sartana1968’s “10/10 … a MASTERPIECE”).
So - it could make my new Top 20? Fuck n0 
in fact - it’ll be nowhere near it.
Starting out like a spag version of Confessions of a Window Cleaner it has Georgie-boy hanky-pankying his way through the farm-hands and his boss’s wives, with comical fisticuffy-choreography that would normally set the alarm bells ringing on my comedy-spagometer.
The ‘jaunty’ whistlin’ theme tune and the smirkingly “Ok - whip me, brand me, gang beat me - even hang me” twattish-attitude got me a-wondering what I ever saw in this film?! But - as knob-worthy as George’s antics get, it does improve when Tracy arrives - an uncomfortable hybrid of leather-clad paunch-illy homo-erotic, col as fuck, silent and deadly, psychopathic-epileptically-deranged madness as I ever saw in spag-dom. But, unfortunately it never made any sense this time around. There are unique elements that thrilled me before, but alas, not this time,
This one will not then be knocking on the door of my new Top 20 - or even my Top 50. But it was still fun to watch, particularly in the context of this Spagvemberfest madness …
*(which reminds me - as some sort of revenge he fuckin’ n@ils some poor bastard to a door… that he’s been carrying around with him!!! :o :-\ - that’s gotta be a first… and doubley-unhinged?) 
… 2 down, 28 to go