Mandingo - Really enjoyed it, James Mason was fantastic. I thought I’d seen it before but haven’t, it was Drum that I’ve seen before.
Enjoyed both films a lot, check out the italian spin-off called Mandinga as well!
Me too. The premise is great, but in the end it’s only so-so.
Kwaidan (1964).
An another film by Kobayashi and an another masterpiece.
Imdb Plot Summary:
This film contains four distinct, separate stories. “Black Hair”: A poor samurai who divorces his true love to marry for money, but finds the marriage disastrous and returns to his old wife, only to discover something eerie about her. “The Woman in the Snow”: Stranded in a snowstorm, a woodcutter meets an icy spirit in the form of a woman spares his life on the condition that he never tell anyone about her. “Hoichi the Earless”: Hoichi is a blind musician, living in a monastery who sings so well that a ghostly imperial court commands him to perform the epic ballad of their death battle for them. But the ghosts are draining away his life, and the monks set out to protect him by writing a holy mantra over his body to make him invisible to the ghosts. “In a Cup of Tea”: a writer tells the story of a man who keep seeing a mysterious face reflected in his cup of tea.
Truly weird movie with loads of very enigmatic scenes. This was probably one of the visually best films I’ve ever seen (if not the best). The first act was the weakest one, a bit uninteresting in the middle, but it has very shocking ending. The rest is just great and the final scene is completely bizarre and unpredictable. Actually everything in this one is unpredictable. If you love good cinema and you’re patient viewer (the uncut version lasts 183 min!), it’ll be absolutely fantastic entertainment for you.
Highly recommended, I think it’s a true masterpiece (10/10), and I’m beginning to fall in love with Japanese cinematography. 
A Touch of Zen (King Hu / 1969-71)
Two films for the price of one and together adding up to an epic Wuxia experience from my favourite director in this genre. I enjoy Chang Cheh’s films but Hu’s touch is so much lighter and more cinematic that, in my opinion, there is no comparrison between the two as film makers. You only have to watch Come Drink With Me and then see what Cheh did with the same characters in Golden Swallow to get my point I think.
Anyhow, enough with the comparrisons, this is a lovely film that goes for some time before a single sword is drawn and illustrates Hu’s willingness to concentrate on characters and atmosphere before unleashing the beautifully choreographed action. It is easy to see how he was such an influence on latter films such as Crouching Tiger or House of Daggers.
Not sure what the source was of the version I saw but it was the full 3 hour double film rather than the cut together single and despite the picture quality not being great during the night sequences (and there are lots of them) it was a pleasure to watch from start to finish.
Cleopatra Jones and The Casino of Gold.
All about the adventures of government agent Jones on a mission. Mix of blaxploitation and James Bond, which I had a hard job getting into. Fun film alot of the time though, but not nasty enough for me for a 70’s film of this kind.
The Green Berets (1968)
John Wayne’s infamous Vietnam movie
Quite interesting watch
I’m writing an article about it
[quote=“scherpschutter, post:6327, topic:1923”]The Green Berets (1968)
John Wayne’s infamous Vietnam movie
Quite interesting watch
I’m writing an article about it[/quote]
I watched it a long time ago, when I was 12 (I was very keen on John Wayne) and I remember I liked it very much.
I watched The Green Berets very long ago. I remember it as not being as bad as I expected it to be.
[quote=“scherpschutter, post:6327, topic:1923”]The Green Berets (1968)
John Wayne’s infamous Vietnam movie
Quite interesting watch
I’m writing an article about it[/quote]
I didn’t like it that much, well done movie, and if you think about it the first (or one of the firsts) Vietnam war movie. But it was mission imposssible to transform the Vietnam conflit into some sort of WWII.
I just watched ”Jonah Hex” with Josh Brolin which was nothing to write home about.
4/10.
Zigzag (1970).
George Kennedy plays a dying man who frames himself for kidnap and murder, so his wife can claim the reward money. Been done before but Kennedy adds a freshness to things in the lead role. Eli Wallach plays his lawyer, who glares with his eyes Spaghetti western style…intense.
The Traveling Executioner - Stacy Keach plays the role of a state executioner in 1918 who travels from one prison to another. It started off fantastic and was pretty good during the rest of the film.
Keach is great in that one, he did some good roles especially in the 70’s.
The California Kid… Vic Morrow, Martin Sheen, Nick Nolte… 1974, the same year Vic Morrow played a semi-sinister California-sheriff in Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (mmmm, Susan George), he plays a psychotically-sinister California-sheriff here. -With an evil-looking front-bumper on his patrol-car, which he’s been using to push motorists-he-doesn’t-like off twisting mountain-roads. There’s never any witnesses and Morrow, as the ‘investigating officer’ is perpetually innocent as a newborn babe.… until Sheen shows-up in a customized hot-rod, investigating the crash-death of his brother. He and Morrow immediately ‘clash’ and the film maintains that volatile chemical-mix perfectly through-to its suspenseful high-speed conclusion. There’s kind of a sappy romance with Michelle Phillips, but it doesn’t detract from the film’s superb impact.
Didn’t like THE TRAVELLING EXECUTIONER. Maybe it’s not that bad, but I just couldn’t get into it.
Romulus and Remus (Corbucci / 1961)
Two musclemen for the price of one in this fable of the twins who founded the immortal city and, to be fair, it is one of the better peplums I think. Steve Reeves and Gordon Scott were two of the biggest stars of this genre so having them together was something of a peplum supergroup really. Virna Lisi doesn’t hurt matters either. A couple of nicely framed shots and an axe in the back gives a suggestion of what Corbucci might do in the future and worth seeing for this alone.
COMES A HORSEMAN (1978) Alan J Pakula
Not a special appreciator of Pakula’s bulk of work, but this one its a great film indeed, one that real makes you want to say, - They don’t make them like this anymore - And this saying about Comes a horseman never sounded so true.
The story is very good and well put in images, the acting is enourmous with Jane Fonda, Caan, Robards and other familiar faces, the photography its magnificent and so the soundtrack.
A real classic, highly recommended
4 stars
P.S. Is it just me or the ideia of the Dallas series was taken form this film, the similarities between both, can not be a coincidence
[quote=“El Topo, post:6338, topic:1923”]COMES A HORSEMAN (1978) Alan J Pakula
Not a special appreciator of Pakula’s bulk of work, but this one its a great film indeed, one that real makes you want to say, - They don’t make them like this anymore - And this saying about Comes a horseman never sounded so true.
The story is very good and well put in images, the acting is enourmous with Jane Fonda, Caan, Robards and other familiar faces, the photography its magnificent and so the soundtrack.
A real classic, highly recommended
4 stars
P.S. Is it just me or the ideia of the Dallas series was taken form this film, the similarities between both, can not be a coincidence[/quote]
I don’t know if it was literally taken from this movie, but there certainly are similarities. I remember I had the same idea when I watched it.
I think it’s a good movie, but nothing special. Well-made, well-acted (like you say), but slow slow, long and long-winded (one of those 2 hour movies that would have worked much better at 90 minutes)
I liked cause normally I like those long epics, if they’re well made of course, which was the case here, for me of course.
Apart from the good acting (and I’m not also the biggest Jane Fonda fan, but she’s quite good in this film), the photography work and soundtrack, made it easier for me to like this one.
So far clearly the best Pakula for me.