Going also through John Huston’s ouevre, this one was first one to pick. If for nothing else, the Noah’s Arch and Babel Tower are must watch, but other segments are worth a watch too. Franco Nero appears here playing Abel. In Germany retitled as Django Der Donner Flog Aus Dem Fass.
Good thing Bud Spencer didn’t have a part in this, otherwise … “Der dicke Mann und das alte Testament”
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Bud Spencer is in it playing a bear boarding Noah’s ark.
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He was a good swimmer, so he should have played the whale swallowing poor Jonas
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Bud always swallows.
Am trying to watch as many Horror / Thriller films as I can fit around life commitments this month. No way I’ll do one every day but still doing my best.
So far…
The Beyond (Fulci / 1981)
Enjoyable haunted house/Zombie combo with Fulci uses as a vehicle for every gore special effect he can think of.
The Shout (Skolimowski / 1978)
British mumbo jumbo psycho drama with fantastic cast. (John Hurt, Alan Bates, Susannah York)
The Perfume of the Lady in Black (Barilli / 1974)
Overtones of Rosemary’s Baby and The Tenant but very enjoyable.
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Last 10:
- Demaizière& Teurlai: Rocco (Doc) 4/10
- Beaird: The Party Animal 7/10
- Valkeapää: They Have Escaped 3/10
- Brass: All Ladies Do It 7/10
- Edwards: The Party 10/10
- Mulcahy: Highlander (cinema) 7/10
- Mackenzie: The Long Good Friday 7/10
- Kaya: Remake, Remix, Rip-Off (Doc) 8/10
- Jarva: The Year of the Hare 9/10
- Jarmusch: Deadman 10/10
The Collini Case with Franco Nero
Orca the Killer Whale with Richard Harris and music by Ennio Morricone
El Camino with the late Robert Forster
Madigan with Richard Widmark and Henry Fonda
Double Face with Klaus Kinski
Hereditary (2018, Ari Aster)
October is horror month, so I decided to contribute my mite by watching one of the critically most acclaimed horror movies in recent memory. Maybe it’s just me, but man, what a deception this movie was. It is well-made, and both Toni Colette (as the mother) and Milly Shapiro (as the daughter) have great faces for horror, but horror – so we are told – is about the suspension of disbelief, and my belief wasn’t even suspended for one minute. Basically this is a movie about a family falling apart (and a mother going bonkers) after the loss of a family member, and I think it would’ve worked much better without the supernatural elements that take over in the final thirty minutes or so.
out of 5
Joker (Phillips / 2019)
Saw this at the weekend with the family.
I’m not a super hero film fan but this was everything those films are not for me. Well written, intelligent, multi-layered and 3 dimensional. Phoenix is excellent in the lead role and, while not perfect in some areas, the film is a really solid effort I think and well worth a watch.
Another thing. The best compliment I could give it was that it gripped the predominantly young multi-plex audience to the point where not a single one of them (and the cinema was nearly full) played on their phones, talked, got up and down constantly or behaved in any way annoyingly in the cinema. That is an achievement in itself.
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Dead Reckoning (1990) - Director: Robert Michael Lewis - 4/10 - Despite the fairly diverting story or moderately stimulating performances given by its main actors, the movie fails to bring anything new to the table or pique one’s interest by virtue of its lackluster delivery and its fairly unimaginative presentation vacillating between thriller and drama formula. Truth be told, the primary issue of the whole motion picture dwells in the fact that the film doesn’t even attempt to approach the subject matter in a particularly engaging manner and instead, treads down the path of utter mediocrity, thereby becoming yet another TV production indistinguishable from a multitude of similar efforts. That is not to say it’s not entertaining enough, however, there is a very salient element of blandness and cheap slovenliness running through the entirety of the work and while the said trashiness can sometimes add a quaint flavor to the overall film-viewing experience, it is simply not the case here.
The Soldier (1982) - Director: James Glickenhaus - 5/10 - Quite possibly one of the most entertaining plotless movies I’ve ever come across. The reason why I’m calling it plotless is because the flick feels like a Tangerine Dream music video for the most part and hey, that’s kind of cool in my book. The story is virtually devoid of any sense insofar as the film begins to acquire a psychedelic, trippy savor of sorts; although such quality can oftentimes prove to be an impediment to one’s enjoyment, it doesn’t appear to be much of a hindrance here and kind of works within the context of its completely preposterous, freewheeling storyline; the flick is worth tracking down for its whacky ski pursuit sequence alone.
Dead On: Relentless II (1992) - Director: Michael Schroeder - 5/10 - It appears to be quite different as well as a tad more ambitious and balanced than its predecessor, however, the rendition sporadically doesn’t live up to its seemingly lofty goals. The motion picture attempts to pool a number of different influences and shticks up from genres as distinct as espionage and slasher without amalgamating the whole mishmash in a stylistically or structurally prepossessing manner. Hence, the moderately intriguing buildup eventually fails to be resolved in a somewhat satisfactory fashion and eventually gets spoiled in the laughable attempt at delivering some sort of pseudo-political message, which feels remarkably out-of-place and kind of incongruous with the remainder of its story.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979) - Director: John Irvin - 8/10.
Apocalypse Now (1979) - Director: Francis Ford Coppola - 9/10 - Final Cut. Made me want to re-watch Redux more than anything else. People who love the theatrical cut will stick to that, while others will simply stick to the Redux. Certain soundtrack changes felt out-of-place and inappropriate, certain scenes looked more saturated and yummy though. The version made me realize how much I loved the scene at the French plantation and kinda how weak the ending feels in comparison with the rest of the movie. Overall, nothing groundbreaking here, but kind of fun to watch regardless and a slight change of pace so to speak.
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse (1991) - Directors: Fax Bahr, George Hickenlooper - 8/10.
Final Analysis (1992) - Director: Phil Joanou - 5/10 - While the basic ‘femme fatale’ story is expanded quite a bit here by interjecting some welcome turnabouts throughout its duration, the movie still feels by and large like a derivative of much better works; what appears to be the weakest component of the whole work is the dearth of dark humor and irony found in a multitude of similar works, which greatly profit from their mischievous approach to the subject matter. All in all, Joanou fails to impart a sufficient dose of the said edginess and wittiness to the overall narrative, as a consequence of which the motion picture appears a lot more serious and pompous than it should be. Thus, despite elaborating on the aforementioned thematic motif and giving heed to extra detail, the motion picture ultimately does not transcend its genre boundaries too much on account of its formulaic, tiresome portrayal of the central ordeal of its befuddled protagonist.
Twilight (1998) - Director: Robert Benton - 7/10 - Despite breaking no new ground in terms of what it sets out to recount, the movie conjures up quite an unusual atmosphere in that it gracefully distills a sense of ennui and existential languor into its overarching narrative without becoming insipid or immoderately pretentious. It actually reminds me one of those cool 1970s’ Paul Newman crime flicks, except it’s set in modern times and feels a lot more indie in tone. Tasteful attention to detail likewise translates into the varnished, slick look of the whole production and kind of endues the venture with its singularly refined flavor. Even though you could hardly label the motion picture as particularly revelatory in any concrete field, there is an inherent ambiance of stillness informing the entire composition with a certain atmosphere of airy classiness, so to speak, which escapes so many similar efforts; it’s kind of impressive how resolutely the director crafts the whole work and steadfastly adheres to his artistic vision without faltering at any point.
Back Stab (1990) - Director: Jim Kaufman - 5/10 - Despite the predictable plot development and its assortment of predictably far-fetched twists, the movie still manages to be quite entertaining in its own right and holds a strange appeal without really adding much to the equation or innovating its underlying formula. Irrespective of the cursory nature of main characters or the somewhat superficial manner in which it goes about its central story, the motion picture gets by owing to fine performances given by main actors, the sufficiently poignant depiction of framed man’s turmoil and his struggle to prove his innocence in spite of all odds. Even the somewhat tenuous resolution bordering on a paltry deus ex machina did not bother me much and all things considered, the flick proved surprisingly entertaining despite remaining quite heavily flawed in the end, plus it was nice to see older Brett Halsey in a smaller part.
Apology (1986) - Director: Robert Bierman - 5/10 - One of the more original TV movies of this kind I’ve ever come across. Even if the film is not radically dissimilar from its more generic counterparts, I feel the film’s singular setting and premise render this venture a lot more intriguing than a multitude of other genre examples. Notwithstanding the excellence of its original idea, the tale fails to attain the greatness it is destined for, as the overriding issue consisting in its rather mediocre execution comes to obfuscate the true potential of the flick, which eventually gets bogged down by the completely out-of-focus, erratic narration as well as the merely okay visual presentation. Oddly enough, despite my prodigious appreciation for loads of other Maurice Jarre’s cinematic scores, I found his work here to be merely passable, kind of outlandish and distracting without sounding particularly compelling, which is another component enervating the work at large. Both Warren’s and Weller’s acting is more than satisfactory, however, they’re regrettably unable to lift the tale from the mire of paltry execution. It’s a movie that deserves a proper remake, as there appears to be a lot of potential dwelling in the underlying tale, it just needs to be properly executed, rewritten in the modern context and given a proper, balanced structure.
Live Wire (1992) - Director: Christian Duguay - 3/10 - Neither Pierce Brosnan’s undeniable comedic flair nor Ron Silver’s charisma can save this hackneyed, exasperatingly prosaic turkey with nothing of note other than a series of tawdry, cheap action sequences interspersed with a number of ponderously interjected one-liners and comic relief abominations. Live Wire attempts to be this cool, tongue-in-cheek, zany action comedy, but falls short for the most part on account of its inherently asinine, incoherent story devoid of any real surprises and owing to the lack of any sidekick to Brosnan to provide at least a modicum of comedic chemistry; both of the aforementioned elements hurl this rather insipid piece of trash into no man’s land stuck between comedy and action genres and completely make it fall flat in the end.
Lisa (1989) - Director: Gary Sherman - 7/10 - You could venture as far as to call it a thinking man’s slasher (if that’s even possible) owing to the extensive time it dedicates to its thorough characterization and its prepossessing depiction of mother-daughter relationship in this unusual take at coming of age drama setting. What is so refreshing about the presented package is how patiently it goes on to delineate the psychological background of the whole story without turning the whole material into a boring slog. The primary reason why this thriller vehicle proves so successful is because for once, it provides its characters with believable motivations and credible interpersonal dynamics instead of the usual farrago of trashy shticks and cheap sensationalism. The good writing and entirely satisfying performances from main actors additionally buoy up the whole endeavor and make it even more fun to watch.
Class of 1999 (1990) - Director: Mark L. Lester - 4/10 - I know it’s supposed to be shlocky fun above all else, the thing is the action-driven machinery oftentimes just feels incredibly gratuitous, pointless and kind of uncalled for, the overarching plot merely constituting a pretext therefor without being particularly interesting or amusing in and of itself. Hence, if you do not find the explicit preposterousness and the general pulpiness of the material all that engaging, you may feel just as wearied with the underlying vacuousness and meaninglessness of the whole story as I was during my viewing. That is not to say there is nothing fun to be found here, but the entirety of the venture just appears remarkably contrived and forced in spite of its supposedly devil-may-care pretensions. I guess what I’m driving at is that this flick kind of looks like a disingenuous, cynical attempt at cashing in on the B-movie craze of the 1980s while having none of that enthusiasm for the medium found in better genre examples, emulating the overall style of those productions without the same appreciation for the niche and with no comprehension of the genre appeal that comes with it.
Distant Cousins (1993) - Director: Andrew Lane - 4/10 - The primary issue of the whole movie lies in the fact that it simply gives the game away way too early, as a consequence of which it never attains the tension it clearly strives for; the natural narrative momentum evaporates therewith and the film appears to be going through the motions for the rest of its duration without adding much depth to the character of Keith, his accomplice or the terrorized family. While Keith’s performance is adequately intriguing, charismatic and endows the flick with some edge, the remainder of the cast completely fails to keep up, the work simply does not succeed in evoking much dread or terror and last but not least, the writing leaves a lot to be desired in its ultimately weedy, superficial form.
Hard Target (1993) - Director: John Woo - 4/10 - The amalgamation of John Woo’s typically over-stylized direction and Van Damme’s obnoxious theatrics proves to be one of the deadliest and most insufferable combinations ever eternalized on film. Action sequences and shootouts are all unsurprisingly handled in a superb fashion, however, Van Damme’s one-dimensionality reaches its peak here, which is further accentuated (and exacerbated) by Woo’s distinctively flowery style. Woo endeavors to frame this whole affair in a suitably tongue-in-cheek fashion, granted, but that is not accompanied by a sufficiently engaging story or something that could spruce it all up a little bit, at least to an extent that it doesn’t feel like a myriad of other actioniers no one cares about or remembers once they’re over, which is exactly what this thing ends up being.
Dead Heat (1988) - Director: Mark Goldblatt - 6/10 - Conspicuously, Citizen Kane it ain’t, but if you’re looking for a completely ridiculous and unapologetically entertaining flick, this may very well fit the bill. It’s obviously cheesy, asinine and replete with bad humor, but that’s what makes it so bloody good apart from its spectacular special effects. It’s exactly what it appears to be, it’s exactly what it sets out to be - its jokes are bad, in point of fact, they’re insanely bad, but that’s precisely where its biggest appeal lies in my book. The flick is not without its faults, as the narrative often feels slightly out-of-focus, becomes somewhat stagnant just before the resolution and the execution appears to be rather on the shabby side, but the disarming stupidity of its plot and the charmingly cringy quips make up for some of its faults and turn it into a charming, one-of-a-kind, irresistible guilty pleasure. C’mon, how many movies about undead cop buddies are out there?
The Net (1995) - Director: Irwin Winkler - 3/10 - This is probably one of the most platitudinously out-of-touch big studio techno-thrillers I’ve ever seen, bar none. Everything ranging from absurdly miscast Sandra Bullock to cringeworthy dialogues is completely amiss and the script is mind-bendingly moronic insofar as it looks like a product of a bunch of tech-illiterate baby boomer screenwriters trying to figure out them computers 'n them webs 'n stuff over the span of one afternoon. The heavy-handed message the movie persistently (and overzealously for that matter) attempts to convey promptly gets mired in the ludicrousness and farfetchedness of its own story. While the overreliance on technology is a serious matter not to be sniffed at, the movie itself is most definitely not, especially in how ponderously it addresses the question and attempts to commercialize this central dilemma with its meretricious thriller formula.
Season of Fear (1989) - Director: Doug Campbell - 2/10 - Undoubtedly one of the worst early 1990s neonoirs I have ever come across so far. It is hard to determine what is the most crippling component of the whole venture, suffice to say, consecutive plot and character developments come about just as predictably as its ‘shocking’ twists, with the sole exception of its denouement, which includes most likely one of the worst cases of deus ex machina I have ever witnessed in my entire life. To add insult to injury, the narrative decelerates in the middle to such an extent that it practically grinds to a halt and remains completely stagnant up until the resolution, whereas the visual rendition is so shoddy certain angles and shots make no sense whatsoever. The overall pacing is so poor and so goddamn sluggish you could almost call it a poor man’s Bela Tarr movie for all the wrong reasons.
Night Eyes (1992) - Director: Jag Mundhra - 2/10 - I guess I expected a more trashy Rear Window, but instead of being a trashy, grimy thriller, this simply turned out to be a smutty, softcore piece of trash, no more no less. The initial premise ain’t bad at all and it kind of piqued my interest only to turn into the most nondescript skin flick with the most brazenly featureless pretext of a plot one could possibly conceive of. Even though I love the sound of the early 1990s, the fabled sax I have so much nostalgia for resurfaces here in the form of one melodic motif getting reiterated over and over, and over, and over, and over again, which begins to feel by and large like getting your skull crushed with a fucking screwdriver by the tenth time it is repeated. It’s considered ‘a serious film’ in some deranged circles which is why I’m treating it as such and hence my low rating. The only reason for this being a moderate success back in the early 1990s that I can think of is that there was probably a growing demand for this kind of trash to be broadcasted on late-cable TV as well as the growing home video market. Don’t be fooled, it’s just a piece of trash with bad direction, bad writing, bad cinematography, you name it. That fast-forward button proved indispensable once again.
Killer Instinct (1991) - Director: David Tausik - 5/10 - What a nasty little fucker. It’s the kind of filthy atrocity that I expected from Night Eyes, well, I guess you can rely on Roger Corman’s productions when it comes to scavenging around for good garbage. There is a fair bit of hanky-panky in the former half, which slightly destabilizes the pacing (and caters to the usual suspects), but it fortunately takes off in the second half the instant it becomes veritably dark and this is where things start to get really interesting. Apart from being tastefully shot by Janusz Kaminski, the motion picture boasts an exceedingly lurid, morbid, genuinely sick atmosphere greatly benefiting from its kaleidoscopic, sanguinary imagery as well as the unusual approach to its central character, who turns out to be a real scumbag bordering on psychopathy. There is no disguising the fact the movie could’ve made much more of its former half to construct a more satisfactory buildup instead of squandering all of this potential on several protracted, pointless fucking scenes, but all things considered, it’s a redolent little grinch of a flick that’s well worth checking out if you cherish sinister second-tier filmmaking and all the distinctive flavor it comes with.
Freeway (1996) - Director: Matthew Bright - 7/10 - All things considered, this is, first and foremost, Reese Witherspoon’s film above all else, she completely owns the movie, which basically constitutes a showcase for her veritably impressive acting skills. She plays the part of a white trash girl striving to stay afloat in the teeth of the class struggle portrayed in the motion picture. As pretentious and kind of pompous it might sound, the politics of the film are actually handled in a genuinely engaging manner, as a fair dose of sardonicism and edginess percolates through the setting and endows the whole effort with an exceedingly invigorating appearance, thus the flick remains remarkably enjoyable regardless of its ideological core. I would hesitate to call it some sort of classic, but it’s definitely diverting enough and packs a punch.
Heaven & Earth (1993) - Director: Oliver Stone - 6/10 - While the movie is conspicuously flawed in the storytelling department and lacks the kind of focus it aims for, the motion picture is quite clearly a Stone flick with a unique perspective of its own and is well worth a look or two despite its inability to accomplish the epic scope and stature it strives for. One particular component which I found to be one of the most compelling aspects of the whole opus was the juxtaposition of agragrian culture with the consumerist, post-industrial landscape delineated through the American culture as well as the culture shock entailed thereby. With all that being said, there is no denying the fact scenes with Vietnamese characters saliently should’ve been shot in Vietnamese and the structure appears rather flaccid because of the immoderately expansive scope of its narrative, which considerably attenuates the focus and makes all portrayed events feel more distant and less poignant than they normally should be.
Joker (2019) - Director: Todd Phillips - 7/10 - A new film theater opened nearby, so having seen the trailer and read a few encouraging reviews, I decided to give it a shot especially after all the hubbub in the media and it turned out even more unorthodox than I had expected it to be. Like Phil_H has said, it’s so unlike any other so-called superhero movie I’d hesitate to call it that at all, as it feels more like a classic noir merely set in the 1980s Gotham City or whatever. Secondly, not only does it appear to be by far the most politically-driven comic book movie I’ve ever seen, it might be one of the most politically-charged films to come out of a big studio in recent years. As opposed to milquetoast, trite corporate hogwash or the usual action diarrhea, the film is basically a study of Joker’s gradual descent into lunacy, which appears thoroughly permeated by explicitly economic deliberations, alienation as well as class warfare even if Joker himself claims to be a completely apolitical actor in the equation. There legitimately seems to be a lot of palpable anger and disgruntlement in the material which appears to be coming from a candidly political perspective. My complaint is that the narrative feels slightly confused, out of focus and Phoenix lacks the kind of charisma that typified Ledger’s performance, but other than that, it’s a very unusual venture with a quite a few aces up its sleeve.
Surviving the Game (1994) - Director: Ernest R. Dickerson - 5/10 - This is supposed to be a rip-off of Hard Target, but truth be told, I prefer this to the original. It’s just your typical goofy 1990s flick, but with a high number of well crafted action sequences and a sturdy structure making this one a great fun to watch. The story itself isn’t anything special, its certain plot points are undeniably reminiscent of Hard Target and the film in its entirety isn’t exactly revelatory, but none of that really matters in light of the prepossessing execution and the swift, expeditious pacing, which ensures the smooth and fluid course of action.
Liar’s Edge (1992) - Director: Ron Oliver - 5/10 - While the motion picture is conspicuously flawed in quite a few respects, it somehow manages to surmount its drawbacks by turning them to its advantage in the sense that the narrative vacillation in the form of its awkward respites and clumsy verbal exchanges is combined with outlandish, haunting fantasies of its protagonist, which makes the whole work acquire a rather unique flavor and surreal characteristics. The quaint atmosphere as well as the location in which the action of the movie is set are somewhat reminiscent of Twin Peaks TV series for some reason, which not to say it lives up to the same quality standard or can hold a candle to singular Lynchian aesthetics (in point of fact, it’s pretty similar to most TV productions out there); nonetheless, the unique amalgamation of its somnolent ambiance, the narrative vagrancy as well as the sheer weirdness of its central character renders this venture astonishingly quaint and enjoyable despite its inherently blemished nature.
A Perfect Murder (1998) - Director: Andrew Davis - 6/10 - In spite of its relative simplicity, there is a streak of slickness and elegance apparent in the final product. Even though it’s not unlike most big studio thrillers in terms of its aesthetics and the way it approaches its subject matter, the relatively nondescript, neutral presentation seems to work here in film’s favor in the sense that the frigidness of its central topic is matched by this equally cold, impersonal rendition. The all-star cast makes the whole effort a genuine pleasure to watch, but Douglas’s performance seems to stand out in how seamlessly he alternates between feigned altruism and cold-blooded ruthlessness.
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- Saura: Cria cuervos (cinema) 8/10
- Hawks: El Dorado 9/10
- McTeigue: V for Vendetta 8/10
- Pasanen & Loiri: Hirttämättömät 9/10
- Misumi: Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades 7/10
- Saito: Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril 7/10
- Lynch: Mulholland Drive 10/10
- Radford: 1984 7/10
- Nemes: Son of Saul 7/10
- Misumi: Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in the Land of Demons 6/10
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- Franco: Crypt of the Condemned part 1 2/10
- Kaya: Remake, Remix, Rip-Off (Doc) 8/10
- Kuroda: Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell 6/10
- Kotcheff: Wake in Fright 10/10
- Philippe: 78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene (Doc) 7/10
- Questi: Django Kill! 7/10
- Whale: Bride of Frankenstein 8/10
- Franco: Crypt of the Condemned part 2 2/10
- Jordan: Mona Lisa 7/10
- Medak: The Ghost of Peter Sellers (Doc) 7/10
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Dead Men Don’t Make Shadows (1970). Obviously made forthruppence by Demofilio Fidani, but pretty enjoyable all the same. Hunt Powers is excellent as nasty bounty killer Lazar and the lesser-known Franco Borelli (aka Chet Davis) effective as the mysterious deadly gunslinger on his trail. Not perfect by any means but the film has a certain something about it.
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Buried (2010, Cortés) - 3/5
REC (2007, Balaguero/Plaza) - 4.5/5
Hereditary (2018, Aster) - 4/5
The Conjuring (2013, Wan) - 3.5/5
The Conjuring 2 (2016, Wan) - 3.5
Sinister (2012, Derrickson) - 3.5/5
The Omen (1976, Donner) - 3/5
Vacancy - (2007, Antal) - 3/5
The Exorcist - (1973, Friedkin) - 5/5
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A belated welcome to the SWDB, Ian! 
I like Dead Men Don’t Make Shadows, it’s my favourite Fidani picture by some distance (I appreciate that that’s damning the movie with faint praise indeed, but still). It’s a fun film!
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Had a Halloween-em-up there I see, Deano. A blow-out over a couple of days or were you doing a full October horrorthon? I went with this lot over the last month:
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Thank you. I think it makes a big difference that Fidani knew to cast the coolest-looking actors he could afford in the two lead roles. This was in sharp contrast to the next Italian Western I saw, 1972’s A Bounty Killer for Trinity, starring the far less interesting Jeff Cameron. Next up I’m doing Colizzi’s Cat Stevens & Butch Hessey trilogy, starting with God Forgives…I Don’t.
Just the past few nights. I’m gonna cheekily continue it well into this month as I’m still in the mood 
Sorry Spagvember!
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Boo! (not the spooky, tenuously Halloween-related “Boo!” but the stern, disapproving “Boo!” 
)