Thanks, scherpschutter, I appreciate your kind, encouraging words.
Only a short time after their collaboration on Quel maledetto giorno d’inverno … Demo and Hunt, the Italian Western’s Marty and Bobby, again worked together on a Django and Sartana vehicle, though this time Sartana was played by Chet Davis (Franco Borelli), Fabio Testi having moved on to greener pastures, to Vittorio De Sica’s Garden of the Finzi-Continis. By giving cinemagoers Gordon Mitchell as Burt “Krazy” Keller, a lunatic who plays poker with his own reflection in a mirror, Demofilo Fidani proved with Arrivano Django e Sartana … è la fine, released on November 20, 1970, that he was “the people’s friend” indeed, as his first name indicates.
Mr. Mitchell’s facial expressionism makes watching ADeS … èlf almost worthwhile.
Remembered Yankee as being stylistically very distinct and I wasn’t disappointed. Thoroughly enjoyed and will almost certainly rise up in my top 50 list.
Haven’t seen that one yet, so I might join you. I like Rossi Stuart
I watched I Lunghi Giorni della Vendetta last weekend, but still have to work a little on the review page. I’ve been busy over the last few days with a few other things, but if nothing bad happens, i have a couple of days off starting this friday. So don’t worry, i haven’t given up the spahvember fight yet
A Bullet For Sandoval is actually pretty good (in my opinion, which is a bit screwed up as I’m a sucker for films others seem to hate). I’d definitely give that one a go as it isn’t entirely reliant on the cliche’s of the genre and offers some refreshing deviations. I’d seriously recommend it.
Also The Five Man Army is more of a fun shoot em’ up than anything, it doesn’t strive to be anything nifty. Perfect for a lazy movie day.
no 22. Boccia: Kill the Wickeds (1967)
-Little known candy colored small gem. It’s a nice little film but something seems to be missing in it for me, maybe some better known actor for the role of a hero would have helped. For me the biggest delight in the film is Maria Silva, she is just so good looking and sexy in every scene, wearing sexy outfits or bathing nude.
6/10
I agree that Matalo! begins the better film - an excellent film in fact; I remember seeing it for the first time and wondering if I might’ve stumbled across a new all-time favourite - but it kind-of falls apart as it moves forward, and the boomerang action and general psychedelia towards the end renders parts of the film outright laughable. Kill the Wickeds is never as good, but never as bad, either. It feels more consistent to me.
But yes, ultimately I like them both a lot too. Somehow, both movies have fallen through the Spagvember cracks: Neither were in my big 30 which I watched for last year’s Spagvember, and my opinion on both is solidified enough that I didn’t feel either warranted another look during this Spagvember where I’m looking at movies I’ve seen but about which I’m unsure. Perhaps they should be the first two earmarked for next year.
I’d go with Matalo! Like you said Kill the Wicked is more consistent but the good stuff in Matalo! is so much more memorable, also better cast (except for Silva) and cool music.
SPAGVEMBERFEST 2016 - A FISTFUL OF REAPPRAISALS: DAY 24
This was one of the one I was going to replace but at the eleventh hour I’ve decided, sod it, stick with what you picked, LC, so here it stays: It’s The Deserter (Kennedy, 1970), the spag so un-spag it’s almost not a spag. I recall quite liking it when I first saw it but I’ve had zero desire ever to return to it, it’s slid a long way down my “Favourite Spags” list and I must say, I’ve little appetite for returning to it now. So what’s so bad about The Deserter that it’s generated such apathy since? And what, if anything, did I like about it in the first place? I guess I’m going to find out this evening.
no 23. Bianchini: God Forgives… His Life is Mine (1968)
-Spaghetti overdose is starting to wear me out and I didn’t pay that much attention for this film. Slightly comedic film that turns quite violent toward the end. Dean Reed’s song during the closing credits was a good one. 5/10
Dodgy music aside this is still one of Castellari’s best westerns and well worth a re-visit. Not a Top 20 film for me by any means but still very enjoyable.
With only a handful of days in November left I’m having to think carefully about what will make the cut to be included. 3 or 4 are nailed on but still undecided about the last couple.
Well, it’s spag enough for inclusion here at the SWDB, so it’s in (and, having watched it last night, it’ll certainly climb up my preference lists again slightly but, although there’s nothing at all wrong with it, The Deserter simply doesn’t possess that WOW factor which genuine favourites tend to have). Although, tbh, I was thinking anyway of including a random contemporary action film and/or an American western in this year’s Spagvember in honour of The Manhunt (De Angelis, 1984) and the f*ckawful Apache Blood (Piehl, 1975) both being on the infamous Mill Creek 44-Spag set. Ah well, maybe next year. Wow, I’ve already got Matalo! and Kill the Wickeds lined up, now I’ve got The Bronx Warriors and Bone Tomahawk as well… SpagvemberFest 2017 is organising itself!
In case you haven’t watched it yet, a good copy (alternating Spanish and Italian audio) was loaded up this morning on You Tube :
The opening scene, with Aldo Sambrell in his Santana days, looks much better here than in the copy I watched yesterday night (and the night before, it took me two nights to get through this thing). A suggestion made on the film’s thread by @Phil_H is correct: the ‘mysterious’ man killing the bandidos is their leader, Santana, who later becomes ‘Burton’
SPAGVEMBERFEST 2016 - A FISTFUL OF REAPPRAISALS: DAY 25
We’ve got friends over tonight but I’m sticking a spag on anyway, and I think the most people-friendly spag I’ve got left is cheerful slaughterfest Kill Them All and Come Back Alone (Castellari, 1968), so I’m going with that one. No concentration on the plot required, I can just happily sit there watching Chuck Connors murder everybody else. Hurrah!
This is one of those movies that gets better with age. There’s the traditional silly barroom brawl but otherwise this a spaghetti western like fans of the genre prefer to see them: mean, violent and exciting. It’s also one of Giuliano Gemma’s best movies and features two of the most attractive women ever spotted within the genre, Nieves Navarro and Gabriella Giorgelli
Because of friends and company, I’ve expanded my first Spagvember run to include Eurowesterns. I’ve seen some new, some old, some good, some ugly, but none that are bad!
Navajo Joe - Django, Prepare a Coffin - Once Upon a Time in the West - A Bullet for the General - Who Killed Johnny Ringo? - Jonathan of the Bears - Ringo and his Golden Pistol - The Good, the Bad and the Weird - Vamos a Matar, Companeros - Shoot the Living, Pray for the Dead - Blood at Sundown - Run, Man, Run - A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die - The Big Gundown - Texas, Adios - Keoma - Silver Saddle - Take a Hard Ride - Red Sun
I’ve done a lot of Corbucci. I wanted to do an independent Corbucci marathon in October and started with Minnesota Clay, but then I got sidetracked by turning October into British Horror month.
