Once upon time in a America -extended cut
-I was thrilled to see this masterpiece with some extra material. Most of the new scenes aren’t that special or important though, the best and most important new scene is where Eve is introduced. In the thetrical cut she just appears out of nowhere so I always felt like something was missing there.
DEEP BLUE SEA (1999, Renny Harlin)
A shark movie with some truly nasty sharks: they’re fast, furious and … smart. The story is set on an isolated (in the middle of the ocean) research facility, where scientists - working on a cure for Alzheimer disease - have been genetically engeneering the brains of some mako sharks. The sharks are now smarter, bigger and more dangerous. And of course things get out of hand.
Some have noticed plot and character similarities to the recent Jurassic World. The film may also have influenced Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), in which scientists are using genetic therapies on animals’ brains in an attempt to cure Alzheimer’s disease. The movie is about as subtle as some of Mike Tyson’s knock outs, but it sure delivers the thrills and kills. And you can always be sure that in this type of movies one of the leading scientists is a young and sexy woman (Saffron Burrows easily passes the test).
I rewatched it as a result of our recent discussions on guilty shark movie pleasures. I still think it’s an enjoyable piece of fluff, effectively directed by Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2, The Long Kiss Goodnight) in his trademark vigorous style. It also has some unexpected humor: Samuel L. Jackson’s sudden death - only seconds after delivering a pathetic speech (!) - is hilarious and LL Cool J is quite funny as a hard-drinking, but God-fearing cook who’s having conversations with God in the style of Don Camillo.
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Gomorrah (Garrone). Underwhelming documentary style but crazy bursts of violence. Not sure if I find it interesting enough to watch the series
I watched this too for the same reasons you did, a couple of weeks ago (my son had never seen it, he really enjoyed it). It’s still not a particularly good movie as far as I’m concerned but these elements…
…are enjoyable, certainly.
I saw this a few days ago and I have to say I found it compelling, fascinating and I can’t wait for the opportunity to see it again but I can understand absolutely why someone might draw the conclusions LG has done, here. It’s definitely a divisive pic. Soundtrack is excellent, I’ve been tentatively exploring that neo-eighties sound pretty-much since Drive.
La balance (1982)
French flic flick. It has that 80s cool, it’s moderately stylish, it has humor, actors are great, but I don’t know, something was missing to make this a truly great crime flick. It was still very much worth my time though.
Come rubare la corona d’Inghilterra (1967), directed by Sergio Grieco
After having watched Fünf Klumpen Gold, I was curious about other films directed by Sergio Grieco, thinking maybe Westerns just weren’t his thing. Checking his filmography on IMDb.com made me choose Come rubare la corona d’Inghilterra, literally “How to Steal the Crown of England,” a somewhat blasphemous title. The film’s hero is a stunning superhero, enigmatically named Argoman (don’t ask, he’s not very fast or swift and surely not one of Jason’s seafaring companions, though he does have a predilection for beautiful women on seagoing vessels). The amazing Argoman’s fantastic foe Jenabell (Dominique Boschero) strives for world domination, nothing less. To rule the world as “regina del mondo” is her astonishing aim, antagonized by Argoman (Roger Browne) and his set of stupendous superpowers, among them the uncanny ability to leap from a stationary box lorry in a single bound (as depicted in Figures 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3).
Fig. 1.1: The mighty …
Fig. 1.2: The incredible …
Fig. 1.3: ARGOMAN!
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THE SUSPECT (2013, Shin-Yeon Won)
A Korean thriller, very successful at home (more than 4 million admissions). Don’t expect anything like _A Bittersweet Life_ (2005) or The Man from Nowhere (2010): this is not an arthouse action movie in the style of Scorscese or Soderbergh, but rather a South-East Asian answer to Jason Bourne. The protagonist is a former North-Korean ace spy on the run: he defected after he was betrayed during a mission and his wife and child were killed. In South-Korea he has become a driver for a prominent businessman, but when his new boss is murdered he becomes the main suspect. The film offers some of the most spectacular car chases and close combat scenes in recent memory, but you’ll wish it were a bit more straightforward.
I watched a Korean picture last night: Train to Busan (Yeon, 2016),an outstanding zombie/infected horror pic. Apparently there’s already an animated prequel released as well.
I saw it last week, very good zombie movie. Kodi didn’t have it with english subtitles had to download from a torrent site. There’s already rumors that Hollywood wants to make a remake, which doesn’t surprise me.
MORIRAI A MEZZANOTTE (Midnight Killer - 1986, Lamberto Bava)
A Giallo, made some ten years after the glory days of the genre (a twilight giallo, so to speak), directed by Lamberto Bava, son of Mario, who calls himself John Old jr. (!) for the occasion (in honour - I guess - to his old man. The film tells the story of a murder spree similar to the one of a serial killer who was arrested fifteen years ago. The man subsequently died in a fire, but one of the potential victims, the female psychiatrist who interviewed him after the arrest, keeps seeing his face in mirrors, shop windows, etc. Are these faces only a reflection of her own fears or has the killer risen from the grave?
Midnight Killer has all the ingredients of a genuine Giallo (beautiful women, black gloves, knives, etc.) but it was made for TV, therefore the slayings are not as graphic as in most classic genre examples. The film is set in Ascoli Piceno, Marche and excellent use has been made of the geographical and architectural characteristics of the town (it’s a seaside resort and also has a famous historical centre built in marble). Some of the visuals are inspired by Kubricks’s The Shining (1980), others by Brian De Palma’s Body Double (1984) (and one scene by Hitchcock’s Psycho). This is not a bad homage from the son to the work of his father (and a couple of other illustrious names) but the conclusion is pretty laughable. Gialli were never meant to be believable …
Aka: You’ll Die at Midnight (a translation of the original Italian title)
Film is available on You Tube, in Italian, with English subtitles:
Mario Bava directed his first Western, La strada per Fort Alamo (1964), under the pseudonym John Old.
In that case John Old Jr. most certainly was chosen in honor of the old man. It remains a very odd pseudonym, in my eyes even more ridiculous than some of Fidani’s pseudos, like for instance Dick Spitfire (that doesn’t sound like a real name, and is also quite odd, but has at least a certain ‘inventive’ feel; John Old is plain stupid)
“Dick Spitfire” is a magnificent name. It’s crossed my mind more than once to change my name to “Dick Spitfire”.
Yes, I could imagine changing my name to Dick Spitfire, but John Old? John Old Jr. ? Nevva
Bava’s other English pseudonym wasn’t much better, maybe even worse, John Foam (the translation of his surname; it also means “dribble,” “slobber,” “breath”).
I’ve never said it before, but this is the moment:
Oooh Myyy Gooooood !!!
LE PACHA (1968, Georges Lautner)
I continued my journey through French cinema with a rewatch of this thriller. I wasn’t impressed when I first watched it but wanted to see it again to check if it hadn’t improved with age. Can’t say it had, or just a little. But there’s a guest appearance by the great Serge Gainsbourg (there’s a link in the article to the film clip)
Recently watched his Bébel vehicle Le Professionnel (1981) again. Solidly crafted eighties action-entertainment, though surprisingly slow-paced; Leone-inspired duel scene: Josselin (Belmondo) versus Rosen (Robert Hossein); annoying overuse of Morricone’s “Chi mai” theme.
Absolument formidable !
I would love to post in this topic more often, but honestly I mostly forget.
For those of you using Letterboxed, I can be found and followed there, for example.
Last movie I saw: LA ISLA MINIMA, a kind of True Detective-esque Spanish crime flick that takes place in the fall of 1980 in the south of Spain, a depressing kind of crime flick that deals both in culture, Spain’s painful history and the beautiful but kind of melancholic geography… a great film though. Called Marshlands internationally, catch if it you can.
I read some interesting things about LA ISLA MINIMA, but it won’t be shown in any theatre nearby.