A good crime- thriller, which feature’s a talented cast, a soundtrack filled with R&B, and soul music, and plenty of great dialogue, shocking violence, and heated romantic scene’s that should keep the viewer entertained throughout it’s 154 minute run time.
Tarantino’s best film in my opinion.
I’d have to rewatch it, but the casting ( I thought) was superb. Tarantino really made good use of close- ups, and is able to reveal critical plot points just as the audience needs them. He’s a great director, who tells a story so well, I felt as if I was part of the story. At times, this suspenseful combination of drama and crime topped off with its R&B funky soundtrack make for an action packed, entertaining, film. It’s sad. This should be mentioned more ( when talking about the best films of the 90s.)
I could not wait to see this, and found its casting and plot to be fresh and exciting.
I had few ( if any complaints) about the casting, Frank Booth is certainly one of the most memorable villains ive seen on screen in a while. ( Weird fetish’s that’s for sure. The use of Frank also being the “well dressed man” I thought was a genius idea) Also I’ve never seen a character anywhere like singer Dorothy Vallens (who one might think is mad, psychotic, and dangerous.) The plot was just as astounding as the cast, where Jeffrey returns home to visit his father, discovers a crime ( remains of a human ear) and with the a few tips from a policemen’s daughter, decides to take it upon himself to solve the crime. Little does he know, he would nearly get killed by a group of thugs, and that he would fall in love with a mentally unstable woman. I don’t find the violence nor sexual scenes disturbing, and I can’t imagine the film without them. Most of the important scenes take place in/ around an apartment building/room but I’d leave this film as is ( and not add or cut anything out). An enjoyable film for sure.
a post apocalyptic, unconventional, black and white film, (Very post war, with its rundown factories, and Henry’s uncomfortable, rundown apartment) Henry’s character is downright odd, ( I think he has a deep desire to kill himself, especially after his son is born. As a result of the nuclear radiation Mary X’s family is deeply affected by illness, most of these that take place in Mary’s house are unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Much of the film revolves around Henry’s dreams and hallucinations, however one may have to watch this a few times before all the details are worked out ( even then I don’t think theirs an explanation for everything shown).
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Moord in Extase (1984, Hans Scheepmaker)
A cop thriller, based on a novel in the popular series around a police detective called De Cock (no, in Dutch this name doesn’t sound ambiguous, it’s a common name, usually spelled Kok, meaning cook). The title means Murder in Exaltation (has nothing to do with the drug ecstasy)
De Cock and his assistent Vledder investigate a series of murders, all linked to a violent hold up of a money transport. All victims were also involved with a femme fatale called Monique. Is she a Black Widow, murdering her lovers or is there a person in the background who wants to have her - and the money - all for himself?
As a thriller Moord in Extase is not exceptional, the plot is rather far-fetched and not very believable, but it’s well-made and it also made a star and a sex symbol out of young actress Manouk van der Meulen, and it’s easy to see why …
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So a Dutch picture which looks as though it might be about Ecstasy and cock turns out to be about neither. Deeply disappointing stuff there from The Netherlands! 
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My first Fellini film. Such a terrific portrayal of young streetwalker/ prostitute who’s is desperate for love, and is tired of being taken advantage of.(One of the men shoves her into a river and the other is a movie star, who just cant get over relationship with another woman.) Along the way she begs the Madonna ( the blessed Virgin Mary for forgiveness and help, and even chooses to go to confession. This is pre Vatican II, and since I attend a traditional latin mass, I’m familiar with the language of the liturgy said in Latin.) Not long after, she experiences a man giving alms to poor folks and is impressed by his charity. After a magic show ( in which she is humiliated) she meets a man who claims to sympathize with her. Eventually she falls in love and agrees to merry him. Felini’s dramatic ending is pure genius to a brilliantly shot film, and the very last scene is unforgettable and will probably stick with me for the rest of my life.
Yesterday: Across the River (Malone, 2016), a sweet, smaller scale Before Sunrise-a-like concerning a pair of former lovers who bump into each other in London, and spend a few hours catching up.
Today: A few days ago I stumbled upon the hashtag #Junesploitation on my Twitter feed. Turns out it relates to a 30-day movie challenge. Yes!
There’s a different category on each day (with a handful of “free days” thrown in too) and the idea is you watch a different movie each day relating to that day’s category. It’s pretty similar to the shenanigans I tried (and failed) to get going on here last year, except that people are actually into it .
Well, I love this sort of thing so I thought I’d give it a spin. I’ll not bore you guys with a day-by-day update as to my picks this time, but for what it’s worth here are all of the categories for the entire challenge along with all of my picks at once:
1 - Aliens! ALTERED (Sánchez, 2006)
2 - '80s Action! COMMANDO (Lester, 1985)
3 - Revenge! DEATH SENTENCE (Lanfranchi, 1968)
4 - Cars! THE CAR (Silverstein, 1977)
5 - Burtsploitation! NAVAJO JOE (Corbucci, 1966)
6 - Free Space! GODZILLA, MOTHRA & KING GHIDORAH: GIANT MONSTERS ALL-OUT ATTACK (Kaneko, 2001)
7 - Slashers! FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE FINAL CHAPTER (Zito, 1984)
8 - Cops! HOT FUZZ (Wright, 2007)
9 - Blaxploitation! COFFY (Hill, 1973)
10 - Kung Fu! SHOGUN ASSASSIN (Houston/Misumi, 1980)
11 - Animals! BAIT (Rendall, 2013)
12 - Lethal Ladies! LADY SNOWBLOOD (Fujita, 1973)
13 - '80s Horror! NEAR DARK (Bigelow, 1987)
14 - Sybil Danning! GOD’S GUN (Parolini, 1976)
15 - Free Space! NINJA SCROLL (Kawajiri, 1993)
16 - Westerns! DJANGO KILL… IF YOU LIVE, SHOOT! (Questi, 1967)
17 - Italian Horror! ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS (Fulci, 1979)
18 - Code Red! CUT-THROATS NINE (Marchent, 1972)
19 - Killer Kids! THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS (McCarthy, 2016)
20 - Sci Fi! HARDWARE (Stanley, 1990)
21 - Free Space! SUPERVIXENS (Meyer, 1975)
22 - Video Nasties! THE EVIL DEAD (Raimi, 1981)
23 - Barbara Crampton! THE LORDS OF SALEM (Zombie, 2012)
24 - Zombies! NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (Romero, 1968)
25 - Teenagers! WEIRD SCIENCE (Hughes, 1985)
26 - '90s Action! DESPERADO (Rodriguez, 1995)
27 - New Horror! THE DARK TAPES (Guastini/McQuown, 2017)
28 - '80s Comedy! THIS IS SPINAL TAP (Reiner, 1984)
29 - Free Space! DAY OF ANGER (Valerii, 1967)
30 - Monsters! GODZILLA: FINAL WARS (Kitamura, 2004)
So that’s what I’ll be watching for the rest of June. I’ve only started today though but, rather than just write off the first six picks, I’ll catch them up by watching two or three films for the next few days.
Black Swan (2010)
Natalie Portman was born to play this role. Rest - Hershey, Cassel, Kunis - also perfectly cast, and Winona off course always seemed like Natalie’s slightly older version. Quest for perfection leads to lunacy, but when it comes to filmaking, this one comes close to it.
I have recently seen another Dutch 80s cop thriller called Amtserdamned (1988). Also nothing exceptional but it was fun. First killing was especially effective, killer’s method was original (if a little bit silly), there was touches of giallo, and the best: there was a lot of Amsterdam and its canals, including speed boat chase.
Upon a rewatch of nights of Cabiria, i would say I felt say the film touches those on a personal level ( each relationship formed seems better then the last, yet the better the relationship the worse the break up, and in the end, is Fellini trying to make a statement on how important catholic spirituality really is? I seem to think so. I can’t believe I waited 29 years to see this. What have I been doing with my life??
Is it better than California?
Amsterdamned is a classic dutch thriller. No, it’s not a cinematographic masterpiece, but it’s great fun.
This is what I wrote about the speedboat scene in “Geographical nonsense”:
The best known example in Dutch cinema is the chase scene with speedboats in Dick Maas’ Amsterdamned through the canals of … well, that’s the problem. Dutch thrillers are usually set in Amsterdam, and when a thriller is set in Amsterdam, and aimed at the international market, you of course try to use the world famous canals for the chase scene. But that’s easier said than done. Like they say: In Amsterdam is altijd wat aan de hand (never a dull moment in Amsterdam). A large part of the sequence, set in Amsterdam, is actually shot in the so-called Oudegracht, a canal in Utrecht. Even most Dutchmen aren’t really familiar with every inch of the Amsterdam canals, but in one scene, the chase ‘jumps’ from Amsterdam to the centre of Utrecht: it’s the scene with the people on the terrace. This terrace is probably the best-known terrace of Holland, so every dutchmen knowns this particular scene is filmed in Utrecht, not in Amsterdam. Most people in cinemas started to laugh when they were confronted with this Geographical Nonsense;
I’d recommend it! Pay close attention to how Fellini’s dramatic story set right in the middle of post WWII Italy, and the performance of Giulietta Masina. will never ever be forgotten in my mind. Ever. I think it capture’s human reality on a level much different then any spaghetti, so its hard if not impossible to compare the two or to say that one is better then the other. Fellini however struck me as more crafted, polished, director and the soundtrack had cool use of big band/ Italian music with some wonderful dance scenes. Post WWII Rome was the opposite of the west, as we see automobiles, movie cinema/ actors, the magic show scene, and the scene’s involving redemption and catholic spirituality. I guess I can relate to it a bit more then California because of the catholic spirituality, but i dont think the film is super religious. Let me know what you think! I don’t wanna say anything else because i’d spoil it for you. 
I’ve read it was partially filmed in Utrecht, but I forgot about it until you have mentioned it.
Sometimes funny, others tragic, and a few oppressive ( here and there) and with Fellini you get a cool soundtrack. Their is a loose plot based around Titta and his family, but most of the film shows us how life was like in a small Italian town during the 1930’s. Some of the scenes ( the ones that take place in the school, and the confessions) are quite humorous, but the film can also be very serious ( the scene’s involving the fascists). I’d recommend this to sny Fellini fan.
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Amarcord is excellent, Fellini’s best film after Eight and a Half. Yes, yes 10/10
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Suburra (2015) by Sollima junior. Solid movie, great visuals, extremely brutal, but overall didn’t knock me out.
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