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Borsalino (1970)
Delon's passion project
A passion project for Alain Delon which ehe produced and cast Jean Paul Belmondo opposite him. It's a star vehicle all the way with the two French legends sharing the screen for the first time. When they first meet they have an amusingly long fist-fight over a girl, Lola (Catherine Rouvel).
Loosely based on a pair of small time gangsters who worked their way through the organized crime syndicate in Marseilles, Jacques Deray's film keeps a fairly lite tone even with all the murder and mayhem. The script isn't bad, if a bit formless, only picking up dramatic tension in the last act. Claude Bolling's rollicking score and the sharp costumes and settings keep it lively. Delon and Belmondo are both in prime form here and look dashing in their period outfits. They each command the screen in their own idiosyncratic ways with Delon's detached icy precision blending with Belmondo's more brooding magnetism.
Unfortunately, Delon and Belmondo had a falling out after the film was shot. Despite BORSALINO being a big hit in France and Europe the sequel, BORSALINO & COMPANY, was made with Delon only. It wasn't a hit.
Chopping Mall (1986)
Gleefully schlocky
Jim Wynorski's gleefully schlocky sci-fi flick mixes ROBOCOP and VALLEY GIRL (appropriate, since they both used the Sherman Oaks Galleria as a location). A group of teens spend the night in a Mall. Unbeknownst to the them, the facility has implemented extra security by way of the 101 series Protector robots. Of course, the bots malfunction and decide to exterminate the humans (the original release title for the film was KILLBOTS).
Wynorski and Steve Mitchell's script don't take things seriously. The young cast includes Kelli Maroney (NIGHT OF THE COMET - also shot at the Galleria), Tony O'Dell and Barbara Crampton (RE-ANIMATOR). Being a Roger and Julie Corman production, there are appearances by Dick Miller, Paul Bartel, Mary Woronov and Mel Welles. Bonus: Gerrit Graham & Angus Scrimm! Robert Shorts' Killbots are decent for the budget. The robots kill line? "Thank you... have a nice day!"
A remake has been rumored for years - but, what's the point? The mall era is over, as is that pipeline of low budget movies that made their cash on VHS and Cable. Just have fun and take in a matinee showing of CHOPPING MALL.
On a personal note, I get a kick outta this one since I worked with a good number of the cast & crew. Good times.
La chimera (2023)
Heightened reality fairy-tale from Alice Rohrwacher
Italian Director Alice Rohrwacher is a natural storyteller, but of a most idiosyncratic kind. As with her previous films including THE WONDERS, HAPPY AS LAZZARO and the Oscar nominated short La Pupille, she has a distinctive way of presenting her films to an audience.
LA CHIMERA's plot is fairly simple. Arthur (Josh O'Connor) is an Englishman who is returning to a small Italian village after a stint in prison. He stays with an elderly friend, Flora (Isabella Rossellini). Reluctantly, he gets together with his band of thieves called the "Tombaroli" - tomb raiders. Arthur has the power to use a divining rod not to discover water, but for locating valuable antiquities buried under the soil. Along the way, Arthur's eye is diverted by Flora's housekeeper, Italia (Carol Duarte; captivating).
As is customary with Rohrwacher, she and her co-writers let the story unfold at its own pace; allowing the viewer to piece together and discovering its meaning. The filmmaker's sister, Alba Rohrwacher, makes a welcome appearance. Rossellini is lovely as the bilingual host who has taken Arthur under her wing. The entire cast brings an authentic spirit to the landscape. Excellent cinematographer Hélène Louvart shoots on film on three different stocks to add even more layers to the atmosphere of the piece.
Rohrwacher's great gift is that she treads the line between fable and a heightened form of "reality." Her movies seem to be spun from the subconscious. The effect can, at once, be confounding and quite beautiful. Put your trust in her hands, and the reward is worth the effort.
Charley Varrick (1973)
A Siegel gem
Don Siegel's small gem adapts John Reese's novel in his typically lean and efficient manner. It's a clever variation of the 'Bank Robbery gone wrong' theme. Here, it's gone TOO well when it turns out the loot belongs to the mob.
Originally intended for Clint Eastwood (there's even an in joke), it works very well with Walter Matthau as the title character. He gives it a more believable down to earth characterization. The support cast is quite good with Andy Robinson, William Schallert and Joe Don Baker as a mean sonofabitch Hitman. The actresses, Sheree North, Jacqueline Scott and Felecia Farr, fare a bit less well, stuck in stereotypical roles.
Howard Rodman and Dean Riesner's screenplay has some nice twists and turns, but Siegel is, as always, a master at keeping it clean and clear (although Matthau supposedly found it confusing). Lalo Schiffren's score is lively and the action is well choreographed by Paul Baxley and filmed by Michael Butler.
The Manster (1959)
exotic setting sets it apart
This low budget effort stands out from B movie crowd of the time for being shot and set in Japan. An American production, shot in English, but it utilized a mostly Japanese crew. It's both a riff on Island Of Dr. Moreau as well as a precursor to the 70s efforts THE AMAZING TWO-HEADED TRANSPLANT and THE THING WITH TWO HEADS.
An American reporter, Larry Stanford (Thunderbirds voice actor Peter Dynely) interviews a Japanese scientist, Dr. Suzuki (MOTHRA's Tetsu Nakamura). Unwittingly, Stanford becomes his next experiment! Next thing you know, Stanford has an eye growing out of his shoulder and he goes on a monstrous rampage.
THE MANSTER is nothing great, but, it has the exotic backdrop and some atmosphere. Co-Directed by George Breakston and Kenneth Crane, it has just enough mood to carry it through the less convincing segments. It's main release in the U. S. was in 1962 as the supporting half of a double bill with Georg Franju's superb EYES WITHOUT A FACE (retitled Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus). THE MANSTER also has been seen under the alternate title SPLIT.
Challengers (2024)
Stylish and fun, if a bit lite
To say that CHALLENGERS is overheated is a bit superfluous since it's a Luca Guadagnino film. What the movie lacks certainly isn't style. Justin Kuritzkes' screenplay sets up a love triangle with tennis as a backdrop. Told largely in flashbacks, it covers 13 years in the lives of its protagonists, Art Donaldson (Mike Faist), Patrick Zweig (Josh O'Connor) and Tashi Donaldson (Zendaya). The trio meet when they are up and coming amateur tennis players - the men each vying for the attention of the woman.
Shot on 35mm film by the fine cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, it's gorgeous to look at. Propulsively scored by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and flashily edited (Marco Costa), the movie certainly never bores, even if it's overlong. The trio of actors bring chemistry which helps with the mostly mundane dialogue.
The most interesting theme - Tashi's competitive zeal being her singular focus isn't truly explored save in a sexual manner (and even then, rather timidly). That's the crux of the issue here, all of Guadagnino's pyrotechnics may be entertaining in and of themselves, but it's gets wearying long before The Big Match (the score also overwhelms at times). The storyline is simply too skimpy to truly ignite, even if there are some beautifully done moments and sequences (the midnight rendezvous in particular). It lacks edge. We are told that they feel passionately about each other -- and tennis, but, it's never convincingly portrayed. One never feels any true danger or, most damningingly for a movie which dangles a threesome in front of the audience - sexual thrills. It's R-rated because of some incidental nudity by bit players and some language, but, it's PG-13 at its core. They trio may be playing 30-somethings by the end, but, it feels aimed more at teens and young adults. Unsurprisingly, the early scenes are the most captivating.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
Glenne Headley MVP
Michael Caine. Steve Martin. Caper film. French locations. Should have been perfect, but, it's just okay. Caine is well cast as Martin COULD have been. Unfortunately, the filmmakers decided to mold Martin's character in his 'wild & crazy' persona. By the late 80s, Martin had shown he could be much more in films like PLANES TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES, ALL OF ME and ROXANNE. Yes, he was funny in THE JERK mode, but it doesn't really mesh well with the semi-sophisticate satire the story requires.
Fortunately, once the delightful Glenne Headly shows up, the Frank Oz' film mostly rights itself. The screenplay by a trio of writers is based on 1962's BEDTIME STORY, but it takes a sillier route (the score does not help). There are some good supporting bits but its really the triangle between the three stars that makes it work, if only slightly. Headly is SO sweet, that it's kind of easy to see where its headed even if one isn't familiar with the original (haven't seen it myself).
Batman: The Movie (1966)
Superhero films can be fun, too!
"Why So Serious?" - Heath Ledger, THE DARK KNIGHT.
The more weighty Batman movies have their place and the Nolan films are pretty darn good, but Comic Book movies can be fun, too!
In 1966, Batman-mania took over the nation when the famed TV series hit the air, resulting in this big screen adventure which gathered together the main villains of the show to battle Adam West's Batman and Burt Ward's Robin: Cesar Romero (Joker), Burgess Meredith (Penguin), Frank Gorshin (Riddler) and Lee Meriwether as Catwoman. Alan Napier, Madge Blake, Stafford Repp and Neil Hamilton carry over their roles from the series.
The plot is almost beside the point with the quartet of baddies holding the world hostage as they threaten to unleash the ultimate weapon: a human dehydrator! For the feature film, writer Lorenzo Semple Jr. Was able to add some new gadgets such as the Bat-Boat, Bat-Copter and the Bat-Cycle with the increased budget.
It's a goofy lark with the four baddies having a ball chewing the scenery (although, Julie Newmar is missed). The Shark gag (complete with Shark Repellent spray can) is so phony, even Adam West couldn't help but laugh. And, then there's the classic line as West struggles to get rid of an explosive: "Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb!"
BATMAN: THE MOVIE isn't great, but, it's lite and amusing nostalgia. Cue up the Neil Hefti theme! I was fortunate to have worked with Frank Gorshin (he even did his Boris Karloff impression for me!) and I attended a screening of this movie with Burgess Meredith there to introduce.
The Brain Machine (1972)
Not great, but more interesting than given credit for
THE BRAIN MACHINE (1972) This isn't really a 'good' movie, but, it's a pretty decent Southern regional film (Mississippi) with some actual ideas behind it. Yes, it's very low budget in many aspects with an overactive score and loud sound FX to beef it up, but the acting is much better than expected. Veteran performers James Best (Dukes Of Hazzard), Stuart Lancaster (Faster Pussycat Kill! Kill!) and Gerald McCraney (Simon & Simon) bring professionalism here.
The story is said to have been inspired by the infamous Stanford Prison Experiments, but its equally inspired by the Government's various mind-control experiments over the decades. The film ties in neatly with the Paranoid Conspiracy Theory movies of the 70s (The Conversation, Parallax View). With a better budget and a more polished screenplay, this could really have been something. It muddles things unnecessarily, but the storyline is pretty easy to put together. The low budget shows up the most in the early scenes laying out what is going on. They simply aren't convincing, but, once inside the lab things pick up and it becomes more credible.
THE BRAIN MACHINE is pretty obscure and doesn't have a good rep, but, it's much more interesting and better than that. It has some chilling moments and it gets duly intense at times.
Surfin' Shorts (1960)
Entertaining trio of shorts from Bruce Brown
SURFIN' SHORTS is a entertaining collection of three short films featuring the terrific cinematography of Bruce Brown: Hanging With Bruce, The Wet Set and America's Newest Sport.
The first is a TV interview with Brown and includes footage shot for, but deleted from his classic feature ENDLESS SUMMER. The second is a promo film for Hobie sports goods and the last is a segment on skateboarding.
Brown narrates as well and his laid back style combined with his knowledge of surfing makes for an enjoyable trip back to the 60s (the 1960 date here is incorrect as we see footage of one of Japan's buildings for the 1964 Olympics).
Das Lehrerzimmer (2023)
Compelling Oscar Nominee
Oscar Nominee Best International Film.
Carla (Leonie Benesch) is a bright, energetic new teacher at a German middle school. When a student gets accused of a rules violation, she stands up for his rights to her fellow administrators and faculty. As fate would have it, Carla herself soon finds herself at the center of a new controversy involving the staff.
Director and Co-Writer Ilker Catak's screenplay builds up a series of seemingly small individual events until it erupts into a full-scale feud (Johannes Duncker is the co-writer). Much of the movie's effectiveness is dependent on Benesch's (THE WHITE RIBBON) performance. She's clear eyed and full of integrity, but, she also betrays her callowness and inexperience. She is also prone to vocal rages. It's a balancing act that the actress carries off well.
Public schools worldwide have maybe never been more a reflection and symbol of society ills as today. The rights of the accused, free speech and privacy are all at play here. What Catak reveals in the movie is that it's not only saying the wrong thing at the wrong time which can cause turmoil - but even expressing the right thing can lead to unintended consequences. In the end, TEACHER'S LOUNGE is a bit too narrowly focused to truly elevate to something exceptional, but Benesch and the film's themes weave a compelling picture.
Love Lies Bleeding (2024)
Neo-Noir with great style and a very good Ed Harris
The desert. Sex, drugs & violence. A truly intimidating femme fatale.
Set in 1989, Rose Glass' (SAINT MAUD) latest has the makings of a neo-noir. Lou (Kristen Stewart) is working at a gym when a female body-builder, Jackie (Katy O'Brian), catches her eye. It's not long after Lou sets up the woman with some PED's that a sizzling romance commences. Considering the genre, it's unsurprising that some truly dark proceedings enter the picture by way of Lou's brother-in law, JJ (Dave Franco) and Lou Sr. (a menacing Ed Harris as her father). It's a sharp looking and sounding movie with Ben Fordesman's crisp cinematography and Clint Mansell's pulsating score.
Glass co-wrote with Weronika Tofilska and it's, in many ways, it's a pretty standard crime drama even with the gender twists. Anna Baryshnikov and Jenna Malone are good in significant support roles. Stewart's low key demeanor works. The consummate actor, Harris, knows how to deliver the goods while outwardly appearing as if he is doing very little. O'Brian makes a positive impression here, showing that there's much more to her roided up She-Hulk than meets the eye.
The movie has style to burn - a bit too much at times. Noir landscapes often invite such excess, but it's what has made the sub-genre so attractive for so long and still an inspiration for current filmmakers. For those willing to take the ride, the last few bits are kooky over the top fun.
Kaibutsu (2023)
Poignant tale by Koreeda
Superb Japanese Director Hirokazu Koreeda's latest concerns two school boys who have emotional issues aggravated by their treatment at the hands of their fellow students - and their elders. Each are being brought up by single parents, Minato (Soya Kurokawa) by his mother Saori (Sakura Ando) and Yori (Hinata Hiiragi) by his father Kiyotaka (Shido Nakamura).
The first section of the script (written by Yuji Sakamoto) is done in a fairly straight-forward manner as it fills in the characters, which include a teacher, Hori (Eita Nagayama), who disciplines the two boys. The parents are deemed to be 'overreacting' and the school officials seem to be singularly ineffectual.
There are other complications as the story-telling begins to shift and the screenplay becomes more elliptical - with flashbacks and depictions of what 'really happened'. It takes a while for the movie to gain its footing, not only because of the non-linear structure, but because the tonal shifts don't always work. Once the focus turns more squarely on the relationship between Minato and Yori, it becomes more involving and poignant in its relative simplicity. It's in those scenes that Koreeda's gentle touch truly shines and makes for a satisfying whole.
The movie is dedicated to composer Ryuichi Sakamoto who passed away last March. Sakamoto wrote some affecting original music specifically for the film, while other sections are scored with existing pieces. RIP.
The Time Travelers (1964)
Fun B-movie ride with gonzo finale
Ib Melchior's low budget sci-fi film is a perfect Saturday afternoon matinee flick for the undemanding. Mutants, Androids, the Future, Centerfolds, Armageddon and Time Travel - what else could a young space cadet want at the movies?!
Two scientists (Preston Foster, Philip Carey) and their assistants (Merry Anders, Steve Franken) head off into the future world of 2071 via a telescreen (Irwin Allen's TV show The Time Tunnel certainly seems to have been influenced). There they find a small society of surviving humans who are fending off mutated creatures and a looming disaster. They created robots to assist them. Their leader Varno (John Hoyt) welcomes them and tries to get them back to their 'present'. Along the way, Danny (Franken) falls for a pretty technician named Reena (any similarity to THE TIME MACHINE's Weena was, I'm sure, purely coincidental!!). Reena is played by Delores Wells - Playboy's Miss June, 1960. To further amuse the fanboys, Reena joins the future females in a nude sun tanning salon.
It's mostly pretty tame and some of the lab scenes do go on a bit. Famous Monsters founder Forest J. Ackerman has a bit part and there's a neat magician's trick where an Android is beheaded and then 're-headed' without any cuts or edits. Oscar Winning Cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond* (CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE 3RD KIND) and Art Director Ray Storey do what they can to make the film look as good as they can with meager means. There are a few decent bits.
The best is saved for last. A mind-bending, rapidly edited twist that still is an effective finale**. It's the kind of capper that makes the film more memorable than it otherwise would have been. Is THE TIME TRAVELERS any kind of classic? Perhaps, not, but, it's fun. And, that is about all that Melchior and co-writer David Hewitt (who also did the VFX and remade the film as JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF TIME just 3 years later) could have wished for.
* Zsigmond's camera operator was Laszlo Kovacs who would go on to photography EASY RIDER and GHOSTBUSTERS among many others.
** Oddly, the MST3K episode version on Netflix uses an alternate, and much less effective, ending. Make sure you check out the original.
The Tomb of Ligeia (1964)
Early Towne script. One of the better Corman Poe films
The 8th and final of Roger Corman's Edgar Allen Poe adaptations, and also one of his best. It features a solid screenplay by the late Robert Towne and Vincent Price's performance as Verden, a man possessed by the spirit of his deceased wife Ligeia. Ligeia's vengeance comes in the form of both a new woman in his life, Rowena (Elizabeth Shepherd) and an evil cat.
Shot in England, Corman and Cinematographer Arthur Grant make good use of the locations opening it up more than the mostly stage-bound earlier Poe pictures (Daniel Haller worked uncredited as the Art Director along with Colin Southcott). Corman and Towne both thought Price was too old for the role but AIP insisted on his casting for box office reasons. Still, Price's performance is quite good and the intelligent screenplay pastes over some of those issues. It's artfully done and one of the filmmaker's more lauded works in retrospect (Corman's office prominently displayed a poster with an image from the film. RIP).
God Told Me To (1976)
Strange horror/crime/scifi mind bender
Even for Larry Cohen, GOD TOLD ME TO is a bizarre hybrid. Part-crime thriller, part Demon possession film, part-Sci-fi alien abduction flick it certainly doesn't lack for twists and turns. Toss in an early Andy Kaufman performance as a wacked out cop and this is one bizarre feature.
Tony LoBianco plays an NYPD policeman who starts off on the trail of a sniper and ends up encountering a series of strange murders with the only common denominator that the perpetrator claims that "God Told Me To". Cohen's script includes cults, knife wielding mothers, gangsters, the World's Fair -- and, that doesn't even touch upon the weirdest part!
With such a mix of themes and twists, it's no wonder the film didn't do well upon release leading to the title switch (it didn't help). Even if it's only semi-coherent, Cohen does manage some suspense and thrills. LoBianco (who was a last minute substitute for Robert Forster, who quit) does his usual fine work and he keeps the audience with him. The supporting cast includes Sylvia Sidney, Sandy Dennis, Deborah Raffin and the always gripping Richard Lynch.
Bernard Herrmann was set to do the score, but passed on before he could do so (Frank Cordell replaced him after Miklos Rozsa turned it down). Cohen dedicated the film to Herrmann. Fans of Space:1999 should keep their eyes peeled for a surprise.
Brats (2024)
Half Nostalgia Half Therapy Session
Andrew McCarthy's doc is half-nostalgia, half-therapy session. McCarthy has never gotten over being tagged as a member of the Brat Pack, and blames that label as the primary reason his career stalled. McCarthy sets out to interview the other acknowledged Pack members and see how they have been doing the past three and a half decades and if they similarly feel stung by the moniker (he notes that he hasn't been in contact with many of them over those many years).
It's a strange, not to mention, awkward, set-up, but it has interest for anybody interested in 80s mainstream cinema. One of the issues that McCarthy has to address is exactly who qualifies as a full Brat Pack member? The original magazine article by David Blum is focused really on only three: Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe and Judd Nelson . Ironically, McCarthy himself is only mentioned once. Assumed Brat Packers Ally Sheedy and Molly Ringwald aren't mentioned at all, and Demi Moore is simply cited as a girlfriend. McCarthy stretches the circle and interviews Jon Cryer, Timothy Hutton and Lea Thompson. Two members of the Pack don't give on camera interviews although McCarthy acknowledges that they at least called him back. What becomes clear is that the term never really had any meaning save for an easy catch-all for the media and the Hollywood publicity machine to exploit.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the interviews aren't too challenging and the other actors seem to have put it all behind them more than McCarthy himself. Usually, Much more so. Sheedy and Moore are the warmest to his plight and he's visibly moved by their words. Other interviewees include Producer Lauren Shuler Donner, Agent Loree Rodin and Director Howard Deutch who give first person accounts of how they handled the hoopla and the actors themselves. Some of the best footage come from Authors Brett Easton Ellis and Malcolm Gladwell who put the era in context.
The grand finale as where McCarthy confronts head to head the movie's boogeyman - Blum. To his credit, the author doesn't back down from his word; instead, he tries to put it all in context, including the fact that he was only a few years older than his subjects at the time - he wasn't some middle-aged fuddy-duddy wagging his finger at youths.
BRATS isn't a full success. It does go on a bit, and some of McCarthy's directing touches are more distracting than interesting. While it's only 92 minutes in length, one does feel that it devolves into self-pity more than once (McCarthy has also written a book on the subject - I guess that didn't sufficiently get it out of his system). Those who grew up watching John Hughes' films (BREAKFAST CLUB in particular), ST. ELMO'S FIRE etc. Will likely be interested in wading through the run-time.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
First and best remake of the classic tale
In tribute to the passing of the great Donald Sutherland...
Philip Kaufman's remake of the Don Siegel classic is a terrific example of how to both be respectful to the original while also taking its own course and direction. W. D. Richter's (BUCKAROO BANZAI) screenplay updates the Jack Finney novel to the Bay area during the late 70s. Wisely, Richter and Kaufman completely re-thought out the basic kernel of an idea and take into account the many social, sexual and moral changes that occurred over the more than two decades since its 50s inspiration(s).
Donald Sutherland heads an extremely talented cast which also includes Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright and Leonard Nimoy in a perfectly chosen role as Dr. Kibner. Robert Duvall has a brief cameo as does Kaufman himself (actually two) along with the original star Kevin McCarthy and Director Siegel (talk about getting your film blessed!). The McCarthy appearance may be my favorite of its type in any film. It's as if he's running from one movie to the new one across time!
Michael Chapman's cinematography is eerie as are Ben Burtt's sound effects. Denny Zeitlin's offbeat experimental score keeps the viewer consistently off-balance (remarkably, it's his only soundtrack). My only quibbles is that I never quite believed that all of San Francisco was under the Snatchers' control (tiny Santa Mira was more believable) and the pods' arrival and dissemination is too obvious too soon. Minor qualms considering how good the film is. Donald Sutherland is very good as Bennell, giving the character believability no matter how fantastic the circumstances. A fine actor. RIP.
Darbareye Elly (2009)
Brilliant, enigmatic tale
Director Asghar Farhadi's 2009 film finally saw stateside release in 2015 - and, it was well worth the wait. One one level, it's just a story of a young woman who goes missing, but, this is one of the scripts where every scene, every character, every line and every nuance works together. Like the layers of an onion, as one layer peels away, another is revealed. The mysterious Elly (a luminous Taraneh Alidoosti) is a kindergarten teacher who joins some friends for a fateful outing. Enigmatic and utterly breathtaking.
Farhadi is simply one of the the finest storytellers in the cinema right now (A SEPARATION, SALESMAN).
Monkey Man (2024)
Doesn't quite hit but Dev Patel shows promise
Dev Patel's passion project melds action and Indian mythology, if not seamlessly. A buffed up Patel himself plays Bobby a street fighter who battles under the banner of the 'Monkey Man' complete with a simian mask. It's in tribute to the legend of Hanuman (aka The Monkey Man).
Bobby uses his hustling skills to work his way into the employ of Queenie (Ashwini Kalsekar) who runs a glitzy, sleazy establishment which caters to the rich and powerful. It soon becomes obvious that Bobby's target is Rana Singh, the local police chief.
Patel (who also co-wrote and co-produced) is clearly concerned with depicting India's oppressed underclass and how they have to clutch to ancient superstitions to get by. As a director he's also seemingly inhaled every action cliche over the past couple of decades (John Wick is name-checked). The stunt work is flashy and exuberant at times.
The two halves never really convincingly join together. On one hand, it purports to be all about spirituality and the common man, but, at its heart, it's still a revenge flick. A brutal, downbeat and nasty one at that. The exoticism of the project will be enough for many to lift this above the action film pack. It certainly has more of an offbeat heart to it than standard, but a little more care with the the screenplay could truly have made this one special.
P. S. The movie was originally purchased by Netflix for distribution, but they chickened out fearing that its frequent criticism of Indian society would rub officials there the wrong way. On that score, Patel certainly hit a nerve. (it is a Universal release)
Pit and the Pendulum (1961)
Entertaining Poe adaptation from Corman, Matheson & Price
Roger Corman's second in his series of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations is more fun than the first (HOUSE OF USHER) while still keeping the creepiness factor. This one again feature Vincent Price as a bad brother in law who takes to extravagent means to take it out on the unfortunate Francis (John Kerr) including the title sequence.
The supporting cast includes cult faves Barbara Steele, Luana Anders and Corman regular Anthony Carbone. Richard Matheson again wrote the screenplay adaptation, while Cinematographer Floyd Crosby and Art Director Daniel Haller stretched the AIP budget making the film look better than dollars alone could achieve. Les Baxter wrote the score. The movie made a great turnaround on investment and the edict from Samuel Z. Arkoff and James H. Nicholson was clear: More Poe please!
Hit Man (2023)
Canny liteweight caper
HIT MAN (2024). Netflix Richard Linklater's pleasant dramatic comedy is about an unassuming college professor, Gary (Glen Powell), who moonlights as an undercover New Orleans cop. His specialty is becoming "Ron" a hit man who helps the police catch would be murder for hire suspects. Gary becomes incredibly good at his job and assumes many disguises for "Ron". He slips up one day and falls for a gorgeous (of course) would be murder conspirator, Maddy (Adria Arjona).
Loosely based on the true story of Gary Johnson, Linklater and Powell's script keeps things light for the most part (the screenplay is based on a Skip Hollandsworth article). The lead performers are well supported by Austin Amelio, Retta, Sanjay Rao and Gralen Bryant Banks as the fellow law enforcement officers Gary works with. The script makes the most of the serio-comic situations. Of course, being a Linklater film, HIT MAN isn't really just about the plot, per se. Gary starts to like how "Ron" has more swagger and ease, and the two characters begin to merge. Powell is good, but, he slips a little too easily into "Ron" at times. A bit more bite could have made the switch more convincing. Arjona more successfully informs her performance with a pinch of darkness and duplicity. Linklater cleverly frames the story as very much a "Hollywood" version of a crime thriller, which makes it go down easier.
Linklater also adapted a Hollandsworth true crime story into his 2012 movie BERNIE, which again was enjoyable enough, but a little too lightweight to really nail the tone he's going for. Fortunately, the performances and wit in HIT MAN is enough to make for an agreeable lark.
Perfect Days (2023)
A lovely contemplative idyll
Hirayama (an excellent Koji Yahusho) lives an ordinary solitary life. He gets up before dawn, grabs his morning beverage from a vending machine and dutifully goes to work. He has dinner at a plain little restaurant and then retires to his small flat where he reads old books, listens to music on cassette tapes and takes photographs on an old fashioned film camera. An analog man living in a 21st century digital world. Occasionally, he visits an old school dive bar. Cinematographer Franz Lustig even frames things in the traditional 1:33 aspect ratio.
Director Wim Wenders's screenplay (with Takuma Takasaki) doles out Hirayama's details deliberately. The only real background we learn are when a wayward niece unexpectedly comes to stay with him for a few days. Typically, Hirayama doesn't make a big deal out it and takes it all in stride. His job is hardly glamorous as he cleans toilets for Tokyo's rather elaborate public bathrooms. He's diligent and exemplifies the dignity of work.
PERFECT DAYS is about the small moments and interactions of life. Yahusho's (SHALL WE DANCE?, BABEL) performance exemplifies Zen. He's quiet, but speaks loudly in his discipline (as does Wenders' filmmaking). Other than music (some choice cuts by Patti Smith, Van Morrison and, Lou Reed) and reading, Hirayama's only other hobby is photography. He loves to focus on trees (at one point, a character calls them Hirayama's "friend"). The one true directing flourish Wenders adds are in depicting Hirayama's dreams. In keeping with the film's themes, his night visions are simple and kaleidoscopic (they were done by Wenders' wife Donata).
In the end, this is a tale of a man who experiences his life, his way. He simply wants to stop and smell the roses (or trees, as it were). If one gets on the movie's wavelength, you might even agree that they are truly Perfect Days.
The Monolith Monsters (1957)
Everybody must get stoned
This programmer has a unique monster that brings it up a notch from the its contemporary creature feature movie crowd. Shiny rocks from outer space descend upon a small town. When mixed with water they grow and become deadly to the human touch (Hmm. Did M. Night Shyamalan see this?).
Based upon a story co-written by Jack Arnold, Jack Sherwood's film was one of a series of sci-fi films from Universal's B unit and shares the isolated locale setting of others such as IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE and TARANTULA (each directed by Arnold). MONOLITH was largely shot near Lone Pine, California.
The veteran cast includes Grant Williams, Lola Albright and Les Tremayne with brief roles for William Schallert, Troy Donahue, Eddie Parker and narration by Paul Frees. The compilation soundtrack includes library music from Henry Mancini, Herman Stein and Irving Gertz. The special effects by Clifford Stein are quite good considering.
Everybody now, how about a chorus of Bob Dylan's Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" (sometimes referred to erroneously as "Everybody Must Get Stoned") !
La passion de Dodin Bouffant (2023)
A lovely dual love story
TASTE OF THINGS (aka POT-AU-FEU ) 2023. The original French title POT-AU-FEU ("Pot On Fire") is much more apropos as 'Taste of Things' makes it sound like the name for a generic cooking show. Based on a novel by Marcel Rouff, Anh Hung Tran's movie (for which he also wrote the adaptation) is about a famed Chef, Dodin (Benoit Magimel), who runs a manor with his Chef Eugenie (Juliette Binoche) and their assistant Violette (Galatea Bellugi). Along the way, a precocious young girl named Pauline (Bonnie Chagneau-Ravoire) enters the scene eager to learn all about the culinary arts from a master. Eugenie has lived in the home for years, sharing more than meals.
The plot isn't very complex - by design. It's fairly easy to discern what direction it's moving it. No matter. Like with cooking, it's all in the details. Tran is a sensualist as he displayed in his debut feature SCENT OF GREEN PAPAYA. One will be quite hungry as Jonathan Ricquebourg's camera seemingly lingers on each and every ingredient as it's prepared and savored. It's a movie about the process of not only cooking, but of living.
TASTE OF THINGS is a dual romance with the love of food inter-twined with the relationship between the couple. The sexiest scene in the movie is one where Dodin simply cooks for Eugenie and he sits and watches her enjoy her meal. The storyline yields few genuine surprises, but, as with the finest meals, it's all about the payoff. Tran and his talented cast carry it off heartily.