tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10033452699844847492024-03-18T00:15:02.518-04:002,500 Movies ChallengeJoin me as I attempt to watch 2,500 movies on DVD and Blu-Ray, including films from all around the world and spanning as many genres as I can muster. Check back often...new movies are posted daily!DVD Infatuationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02986606131886453883noreply@blogger.comBlogger2980125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1003345269984484749.post-67555919690098594832024-03-16T05:00:00.029-04:002024-03-16T05:00:00.264-04:00#2,950. Don't Make Waves (1967) - Alexander Mackendrick 4-Pack<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOxvmeflk_c-w1T-bATEcqrx3OqPhUpxuItWN8DZShRWvcJUcde12KSZU_OLkvmWsj3pUSLrZAkX5vZ88etBkME_0MWy9tT5HjAxwvJh3JfybRjUADCcxUNDqviiu8Y-ruoGWfaNCReWlnDFN-VNki0SU6xREyUJIIdmWB7qHa3NJLvmc6POPj527Fi72m/s755/dontmakewaves.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOxvmeflk_c-w1T-bATEcqrx3OqPhUpxuItWN8DZShRWvcJUcde12KSZU_OLkvmWsj3pUSLrZAkX5vZ88etBkME_0MWy9tT5HjAxwvJh3JfybRjUADCcxUNDqviiu8Y-ruoGWfaNCReWlnDFN-VNki0SU6xREyUJIIdmWB7qHa3NJLvmc6POPj527Fi72m/s320/dontmakewaves.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><u>
Don’t Make Waves</u></b> gets off to a wild start, then barely slows down to take a breath.<br />
<br />
Tourist Carlo Cofield (Tony Curtis) stops along a stretch of road in Southern California to admire the ocean view. Also nearby is temperamental artist Laura Califatti (Claudia Cardinale), who, after abandoning her effort to paint a picture of the landscape, angrily hops into her car and speeds off. Unfortunately, she clipped the bumper of poor Carlo’s vehicle on the way out, sending it careening down a hill and off the side of a cliff!<br />
<br />
Stranded and with no money (his car exploded on impact, burning all of his worldly possessions), Carlo spends the night in Laura’s beach house, with the promise that she will give him her insurance information, to pay for the damages, the next morning.<br />
<br />
Things take an uncomfortable turn when Laura’s “benefactor”, Rod Prescott (Robert Webber), president of a company that installs luxury swimming pools, turns up in the middle of the night and demands that Carlo leave immediately.<br />
<br />
Forced to spend the rest of the evening on the beach, Carlo nearly drowns during high tide the next morning, but is rescued by the gorgeous Mailbu (Sharon Tate), a sexy skydiver who is dating body builder Harry (played by David Draper, at the time the reigning Mr. Universe).<br />
<br />
Realizing the true nature of Laura’s and Rod’s romance (Rod is already married, and Laura is his mistress), Carlo weasels his way into a job with Rod’s pool company, promising, in exchange for his employment, he’ll keep his mouth shut and not reveal anything about Laura or the affair to Mrs. Prescott (Joanna Barnes).<br />
<br />
Now gamefully employed, and having recently purchased both a beautiful house and a classic car for practically nothing, Carlo sets his sights on winning the heart of Malibu by forcing a wedge between she and Harry, going so far as to convince the bodybuilder, with the help of a writer / astrologer whose pen name is “Madame Lavinia” (Edgar Bergen), that sex wears the body down, and could keep him from winning the upcoming championship.<br />
<br />
Everything comes to a head during a torrential rainstorm, at which point Carlo and the others discover why his house was so inexpensive.<br />
<br />
A later entry in the Southern California beach movie craze, <b><u>Don’t Make Waves</u></b> is a breezy, lighthearted romantic comedy, with Tony Curtis giving a strong performance as the lead who, though likable, has a sinister streak a mile wide. Not only does he blackmail his way into getting a job (after first proving his talents as a salesman by talking none other than Jim Backus, who appears briefly as himself, into buying a pool), but he’s also slick and dishonest in the way he breaks up Harry and Malibu. In fact, by the time the final act rolls around, we feel a little guilty that we like Carlo as much as we do!<br />
<br />
Claudia Cardinale is beautiful as always, but also demonstrates here that she is an able comedienne (her opening scenes are a riot), while Webber, Barnes, Tate, and Bergen hold their own in supporting roles.<br />
<br />
Featuring a handful of crazy moments (including a skydiving fiasco and a pretty costly mudslide); a catchy title song (performed by The Byrds); and more than its share of bikinis, <b><u>Don’t Make Waves</u></b> flows along at a brisk pace, and manages to keep us smiling the entire time!<br />
<b><span style="color: #01ffff;">Rating: 9 out of 10</span></b></span><b><span style="color: #01ffff;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/SnHuYfRLpYI?si=pybokUYnSSIe0_el&controls=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
DVD Infatuationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02986606131886453883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1003345269984484749.post-32197227192103401782024-03-09T05:00:00.040-05:002024-03-09T05:00:00.317-05:00#2,949. Moonfall (2022) - Roland Emmerich Film Festival<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDbtIZvtnIp-MOsYn9hG7tLCenldujFAnjO3dPu4juimEWbmauaybe84Zikkp7edXSTcvAtYmwe0xAWHfqyiI2xPtlE4LnQz4Dr1CTZafiJW7vSfRKXV3epH4CDK4USos52iI8258QnuBtEIcJFIpgRQs4b-MXonE_Blj2NWoIUFpfsL2L8lNLN8CkC-0B/s1080/moonfall.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDbtIZvtnIp-MOsYn9hG7tLCenldujFAnjO3dPu4juimEWbmauaybe84Zikkp7edXSTcvAtYmwe0xAWHfqyiI2xPtlE4LnQz4Dr1CTZafiJW7vSfRKXV3epH4CDK4USos52iI8258QnuBtEIcJFIpgRQs4b-MXonE_Blj2NWoIUFpfsL2L8lNLN8CkC-0B/s320/moonfall.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">
Neil deGrasse Tyson is one very, <i><b>very</b></i> smart dude. Having studied at Harvard, Columbia, and Princeton, he is the world’s foremost Astrophysicist. He’s penned a number of books, researched everything from cosmology to stellar evolution, and holds well over 20 honorary degrees. In 2001 President George W. Bush even appointed Tyson to a Commission tasked with laying out the future of the United States Aerospace Industry<br />
<br />
In short, the guy knows his stuff, especially when it comes to physics and outer space. So, when Neil deGrasse Tyson appeared on <i><u>The Late Show</u></i> with Stephen Colbert in October of 2023 and said Roland Emmerich’s <b><u>Moonfall</u></b> violated more laws of physics per minute than any other science fiction movie he’d ever seen, you can <b><i>bet</i></b> it’s the truth.<br />
<br />
But then, Roland Emmerich also made <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2014/07/1416-day-after-tomorrow-2004.html" target="_blank">The Day After Tomorrow</a></u></b> and <b><u>2012</u></b>, neither of which are known for their scientific accuracy. And let’s face it: a movie about the moon breaking orbit and hurtling towards earth is gonna require more than the usual “suspension of disbelief”.<br />
<br />
Neil DeGrasse Tyson is a man of science. Roland Emmerich is a showman, and <b><u>Moonfall</u></b>, as insane and unscientific as it may be, is, first and foremost, entertainment. On that level, it is at least somewhat successful.<br />
<br />
That said, there are characters and scenes scattered throughout <b><u>Moonfall</u></b> that had me longing for the subtlety of <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2014/07/1416-day-after-tomorrow-2004.html" target="_blank">The Day After Tomorrow</a></u></b>!<br />
<br />
Eleven years after an accident in space was blamed on his “human error”, former astronaut Brian Harper (Patrick Wilson) has been struggling to make ends meet. Divorced from his wife Brenda (Carolina Bartczak) and estranged from his son (Charlie Plummer), Harper continues to insist he did nothing wrong that fateful day aboard the Space Shuttle. Unfortunately, nobody believes him. Not even his former friend and colleague, Jocinda Fowler (Halle Berry), who is now the Deputy Director of NASA.<br />
<br />
Then something incredible happens: conspiracy theorist K.C. Houseman (John Bradley), leader of a small group that’s convinced the moon is not a planetary body but an alien-built megastructure, determines that the moon has changed its orbit, and is moving closer to earth.<br />
<br />
Initially dismissing Houseman as a crackpot, Harper is stunned to discover NASA has also noticed the orbital discrepancies. What’s more, there’s a strong possibility the trouble is being caused by alien technology, which has altered the moon’s trajectory and put it on a collision course with earth!<br />
<br />
As with most of his movies, Emmerich generates some genuine excitement and impressive destruction throughout <b><u>Moonfall</u></b>, with tidal shifts flooding out coastal towns and loose fragments from the approaching moon crashing to earth, leveling entire cities. There is also a plot twist in the last half hour or so that leaves little doubt what we’re watching (and what Emmerich intended) is straight-up science fiction, with no footing in reality whatsoever.<br />
<br />
As for the characters, I did enjoy John Bradley’s turn as Houseman, a guy who hasn’t achieved much in life and is struggling to care for his mother (Kathleen Fee), who suffers from Alzheimer’s. As for Wilson and Berry, <b><u>Moonfall</u></b> is far from their finest hour. Wilson isn’t particularly likable through much of the film, with his Harper coming off as moody and kind of arrogant; while Berry doesn’t seem to be putting her heart into it at all. A few supporting players, including Michael Pena as Brenda’s new husband and Kelly Yu as Michelle, an exchange student acting as nanny for Fowler’s son Jimmy (Zayn Maloney), fare better than the main stars.<br />
<br />
Yet the <b><i>real</i></b> stinker in <b><u>Moonfall</u></b> is its script, written by Emmerich, Harald Kloser, and Spenser Cohen. Along with its plethora of far-fetched situations, the dialogue is obvious and trite, and somne of the secondary characters are as one-dimensional as they come (worst of all being NASA Director Albert Hutchings, played by Stephen Bogaert, who is the typical “movie” official, i.e. – unreasonable, deceitful, and cowardly).<br />
<br />
Bottom line: I didn’t go into <b><u>Moonfall</u></b> expecting to learn anything about space or science. I wanted a fun disaster movie, with decent special effects and a whole lot of destruction.<br />
<br />
And it’s a good thing that’s all I wanted, because that’s all I got! If it was intriguing dialogue or believable characters I was after, I would have been as disappointed as Neil deGrasse Tyson!<br />
<b><span style="color: #01ffff;">Rating: 5 out of 10
</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/ivIwdQBlS10?si=TogBS0zUcZ2LEXRN&controls=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
DVD Infatuationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02986606131886453883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1003345269984484749.post-4439822052033002372024-03-02T05:00:00.022-05:002024-03-02T05:00:00.129-05:00#2,948. Bitter Moon (1992) - Erotic '90s<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZZY_Re0xomLj_lPCcEmI8McQ-MPiyJvYOXcYvqR4tb3AtV1u_3qYnl4IEiEzrJG_bill_HROjWwz-C7oyqdtqaPrbuiKW2BVCH611UQzn0Ip4eu18p0LQ4WvcLTj0iaqimoHpFA5Uonm1fd4_i3XkGTm-5_fNOjPtlc4sq7SbFPwh5gTTs8KSqHk5Lnx/s1512/bittermoon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZZY_Re0xomLj_lPCcEmI8McQ-MPiyJvYOXcYvqR4tb3AtV1u_3qYnl4IEiEzrJG_bill_HROjWwz-C7oyqdtqaPrbuiKW2BVCH611UQzn0Ip4eu18p0LQ4WvcLTj0iaqimoHpFA5Uonm1fd4_i3XkGTm-5_fNOjPtlc4sq7SbFPwh5gTTs8KSqHk5Lnx/s320/bittermoon.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">
Nigel Dobson (Hugh Grant) and his wife of seven years, Fiona (Kristin Scott Thomas), are on a Mediterranean cruise. Shortly after boarding the ship, they meet French beauty Mimi (Emmanuelle Seigner) and, later, her wheelchair-bound American husband Oscar (Peter Coyote).<br />
<br />
An unpublished writer, the cynical Oscar invites Nigel back to his room on several occasions, regaling the young man with the entire story of his romantic past with Mimi, from the moment their eyes first met aboard a Paris bus through to their more recent history, when the two have come to despise one another.<br />
<br />
Realizing that Nigel is smitten with his estranged wife, Oscar, who is paralyzed from the waist down, uses these meetings as a way to enflame Nigel’s passion, promising him that, once his tale is over, he is free to do as he wishes with Mimi.<br />
<br />
But is that really why Oscar is revealing his deepest, most personal secrets to Nigel, or does he have another motive altogether?<br />
<br />
The bulk of Roman Polanski’s <b><u>Bitter Moon</u></b> is told in flashback, with scenes of Oscar’s and Mimi’s tumultuous affair as related by Oscar himself, thus making him the narrator of these sequences. There are plenty of steamy moments during said flashbacks, everything from implied oral sex to roleplay and even bondage. “<i>Have you ever truly idolized a woman?</i>”, Oscar asks Nigel at one point. “<i>Nothing can be obscene in such love. Everything that occurs between it becomes a sacrament</i>”.<br />
<br />
Polanski does not shy away from the early passion that drives Oscar and Mimi, nor does he hold back when the relationship sours, with first Oscar humiliating Mimi on a regular basis (and he is cruel as hell, criticizing her hair and make-up at a party while romancing two other women at once), then forcing her to have an abortion when she announces she is with child. Oscar even agrees to take Mimi on vacation to the Caribbean, then hops off the plane just before it takes off, convinced he has finally rid himself of her.<br />
<br />
Even with him acting as narrator, we despise Oscar in these moments. So, when Mimi returns a few years later, as Oscar is recovering in hospital from being struck by a car, she begins to treat her now-crippled former lover in much the same way he treated her. These scenes are just as difficult to sit through, yet we can’t help but feel that Oscar deserves it.<br />
<br />
Tying the flashbacks together are the scenes involving Nigel and Fiona. Nigel can barely conceal his attraction to Mimi, and a wounded Fiona, in response, flirts openly with a young man (Luca Vellani) she meets in the bar. Having witnessed the collapse of the relationship between Oscar and Mimi, we now watch as another is on the brink of destruction, and Polanski ensures that we the audience side with the ladies in both instances, even if their behavior does also, occasionally, cross the line.<br />
<br />
The performances are spot-on, with Coyote standing out as the oft-loathsome Oscar; and Polanski (who also co-wrote the screenplay) shines a light throughout <b><u>Bitter Moon</u></b> on some very difficult subject matter as it pertains to relationships, presenting it all in such a way that even the most perverse sequences (whether described by Oscar or shown in detail) come across as honest.<br />
<br />
A sweltering erotic drama that crosses into thriller territory (especially in the final act), <b><u>Bitter Moon</u></b> is a fascinating study of the destructive side of romance, and how it can not only wound, but destroy lovers.<br />
<b><span style="color: #01ffff;">Rating: 8.5 out of 10
</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/hGynIx4Dd3c?si=j3elHilbU8Hgz6VZ&controls=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
DVD Infatuationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02986606131886453883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1003345269984484749.post-74666175264675606032024-02-24T05:00:00.014-05:002024-02-24T05:00:00.340-05:00#2,947. Blood on the Moon (1948) - The Films of Robert Wise<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTsB9WwWkGHV5O4NpfXXH1w_EcFpeq6YaSUZTLD1wsqc4NoJHr_f85OgDakjnGP_BC0LP2Dler9iFbNWR2i0IzbIPbMMd_FjHdnrI_s2hiMpC2rZVxU-j5RYK20yUdjCbRo7SxHTVHeK4lZbfJXArGyW_yIPp2ZhL9u_ubPWRaeV3DiHGHBLVh59EUnBU/s1536/bloodonmoon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTsB9WwWkGHV5O4NpfXXH1w_EcFpeq6YaSUZTLD1wsqc4NoJHr_f85OgDakjnGP_BC0LP2Dler9iFbNWR2i0IzbIPbMMd_FjHdnrI_s2hiMpC2rZVxU-j5RYK20yUdjCbRo7SxHTVHeK4lZbfJXArGyW_yIPp2ZhL9u_ubPWRaeV3DiHGHBLVh59EUnBU/s320/bloodonmoon.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">
Director Robert Wise infuses his 1948 western <b><u>Blood on the Moon</u></b> with a film noir sensibility, giving us a hero we barely know who sometimes does things that are less than heroic.<br />
<br />
Invited by his old friend Tate Riling (Robert Preston), gunman Jim Garry (Robert Mitchum) rides into town. Riling has come up with a scheme to cheat a local cattle owner, John Lufton (Tom Tully), by purchasing his herd for a fraction of what it’s worth. With the help of government agent Jake Pindalest (Frank Faylen), and Garry’s gun backing him up, Riling believes his dastardly plan will go off without a hitch<br />
<br />
But Garry is none too pleased to be involved, and when he falls for Lufton’s daughter Amy (Barbara Bel Geddes), he figures he may be on the wrong side of this conflict.<br />
<br />
Mitchum is perfectly subtle as Jim Garry, a guy we’re not too sure about at first. The fact that he’s friends with a scoundrel like Riling is enough to raise doubts about his character. But Mitchum plays Garry so close to the vest that, whether he’s helping Riling or working against him, we’re never quite sure what he’s thinking, or what he will do next.<br />
<br />
Preston, on the other hand, plays his character with gusto to spare, and brimming with personality. Even when Riling is up to no good, including romancing Lufton’s other daughter Carol (Phyllis Thaxter) to get the upper hand on the cattleman, we can’t help but like the guy. It’s an interesting correlation: a hero we can never pin down and a villain we occasionally admire, and director Wise handles the dynamic between the two wonderfully, building to a tense showdown between the former pals that caps the story off in dramatic fashion.<br />
<br />
Also good in support are Del Geddes as the tomboyish Amy and the great Walter Brennan as farmer Kris Barden, who also signs on to help Riling but has a change of heart.<br />
<br />
Crisply directed by Wise and with the incredible cinematography of Nicholas Musuraca, who makes great use of the western landscape (including a handful of scenes shot in John Ford’s old stomping grounds: Utah’s Monument Valley), <b><u>Blood on the Moon</u></b> proves an entertaining blend of action and film noir, and features what may be one of Robert Mitchum’s most underappreciated performances. That alone makes it worth your time.<br />
<b><span style="color: #01ffff;">Rating: 9 out of 10
</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/oLlnt0P3QmY?si=OYUcTla_LRBWa1r1&controls=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
DVD Infatuationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02986606131886453883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1003345269984484749.post-27653660437758529842024-01-27T05:00:00.030-05:002024-01-27T05:00:00.140-05:00#2,946. Frank and Jesse (1994) - The Wild West<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3QgfeO3gHYQ0sQP8v8Mw7cuNi-ngyn9xp8XKfo-TBOukM2FukuaSuBV9MGkxpkG7r8aRgvtwBsB6BAJgkNCVZY-dazK3RqKLzZL1uXpfwFMmu_kzhyQbKCHZHGwS3MtjHTDO0H8nRKrZIYVXwnA_H5mDlgrNoYaPkWCSnoXMo2fw2iD3yfYhyphenhyphen5h0dwEyI/s1431/frankjesse.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1431" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3QgfeO3gHYQ0sQP8v8Mw7cuNi-ngyn9xp8XKfo-TBOukM2FukuaSuBV9MGkxpkG7r8aRgvtwBsB6BAJgkNCVZY-dazK3RqKLzZL1uXpfwFMmu_kzhyQbKCHZHGwS3MtjHTDO0H8nRKrZIYVXwnA_H5mDlgrNoYaPkWCSnoXMo2fw2iD3yfYhyphenhyphen5h0dwEyI/s320/frankjesse.jpg" width="224" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">
Jesse James has been the subject of a number of films over the years. From director Henry King’s 1939 biopic <b><u>Jesse James</u></b> to Walter Hill’s superb <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2011/09/404-long-riders-1980.html" target="_blank">The Long Riders</a></u></b>, the exploits of the American West’s most notorious outlaw have been brought to life time and again on the silver screen.<br />
<br />
Released in 1994, writer / director Robert Boris’s <b><u>Frank and Jesse</u></b> might not be the most spectacular of the Jesse James sagas, but with a strong cast and a handful of explosive scenes, it manages to leave its mark all the same.<br />
<br />
The American Civil War is over, and the James Brothers, Frank (Bill Paxton) and Jesse (Rob Lowe), who fought for the south under Quantrill, have returned home to Missouri. When their kid brother is murdered by one of the railroad’s hired guns (Luke Askew), the James boys join forces with the Younger brothers, Cole (Randy Travis) and Bob (Todd Field), as well as former compatriots Clell Miller (John Pyper-Ferguson) and Arch Clements (Nicholas Sadler), and turn to a life of crime, robbing banks and Northern railroad trains by the dozen.<br />
<br />
Their back against the wall, the railroad hires Allan Pinkerton (William Atherton) and his detective agency to apprehend the James / Younger gang. Pinkerton knows he is facing an uphill battle; the locals, as well as the press, have turned Jesse James and the others into folk heroes, which makes tracking them down damn near impossible. But when Pinkerton’s own nephew is shot dead, he vows to bring Jesse James to justice, dead or alive.<br />
<br />
Rob Lowe is solid as Jesse James, an outlaw who sometimes lets his temper get the better of him (he murders a banker during their first hold-up, despite having promised Frank there would be no bloodshed), but it’s Bill Paxton as the more reflective Frank who delivers the film’s finest performance. Frank does his best to reign in Jesse, which occasionally puts him at odds with his brother. Yet Frank himself isn’t a man to be trifled with (he’s a much better gunman than Jesse). Also good in support are Randy Travis as Cole Younger and William Atherton as Allan Pinkerton, a man who will stop at nothing, including murder, to get his man.<br />
<br />
Shot on-location in Arkansas, <b><u>Frank and Jesse</u></b> boasts a number of memorable scenes, chief among them the infamous Northfield Minnesota bank robbery, and while the film doesn’t bring much new to the table, the final act changes things up in a unique way, handling Jesse’s last moments in a manner I had not seen before.<br />
<br />
When it comes to movies about Jesse James, my personal favorites are <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2011/09/404-long-riders-1980.html" target="_blank">The Long Riders</a></u></b> and 2007’s <b><u>The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford</u></b>. But <b><u>Frank and Jesse</u></b> proved an entertaining entry in the outlaw’s filmography, and is well worth checking out.<br />
<b><span style="color: #01ffff;">Rating: 7.5 out of 10</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/weifF8XXjoI?si=oBdwquUkUoDxHj99&controls=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
DVD Infatuationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02986606131886453883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1003345269984484749.post-74766847449485798082024-01-24T05:00:00.042-05:002024-01-24T05:00:00.155-05:00#2,945. National Lampoon's Movie Madness (1982) - 80s Comedies<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvbBjFHsMLifqx15PAziee7-GpX8CeChHivupyN07nYVVtl_eSXR2ogWufQwypXSScYXRYzvULSGwM5wd7BrSpj076xgNdX1zYQHICx8FzopD2yF1pIkFgl9njoP5ZJcK0BV4rtaxRagSazeprE7QySadGTigyWZykADzGFwOz8zMxNH4VUtMl0_x3V2Hv/s1527/moviemadness.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1527" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvbBjFHsMLifqx15PAziee7-GpX8CeChHivupyN07nYVVtl_eSXR2ogWufQwypXSScYXRYzvULSGwM5wd7BrSpj076xgNdX1zYQHICx8FzopD2yF1pIkFgl9njoP5ZJcK0BV4rtaxRagSazeprE7QySadGTigyWZykADzGFwOz8zMxNH4VUtMl0_x3V2Hv/s320/moviemadness.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">
In his book <i><u>A Futile and Stupid Gesture</u></i> (a biography of National Lampoon founder Doug Kenney), author Josh Karp called 1982’s <b><u>Movie Madness</u></b> “<i>A cocaine-fueled fiasco</i>”, adding “<i>nobody had a sense of structure or how to write a screenplay</i>”.<br />
<br />
He let this movie off easy.<br />
<br />
As much as I love National Lampoon’s first movie, <b><u>Animal House</u></b>, which I rank as one of the all-time great comedies, <b><i>that</i></b> is how much I <b><i>dislike</i></b> <b><u>Movie Madness</u></b>. This is a film devoid of laughs. An anthology featuring three movie “spoofs”, I smiled twice, and kind of chuckled once. And all during the same segment.<br />
<br />
The first entry, titled <u>Growing Yourself</u>, is a spoof of such divorce-themed weepies as <b><u>Kramer vs. Kramer</u></b> and <b><u>An Unmarried Woman</u></b>. It stars Peter Riegert as Jason Cooper, a husband and father of four who convinces his wife (Candy Clark) that she needs to leave him, and explore her full potential. Now a single father, Cooper embarks on several new career paths, losing track of his kids along the way and entering into affairs with a series of women, including a 14-year-old high school sophomore (Diane Ladd) and a flighty opportunist (Teresa Ganzel).<br />
<br />
Next up is <u>Success Wanters</u>, which takes a few jabs at daytime soap operas. Recent college graduate Dominique Corsaire (Ann Dusenberry) moves to Los Angeles, hoping to make a name for herself. Landing a job as a stripper, she is assaulted by a group of butter executives, and looks to take her revenge by rising to the top of the cut-throat margarine industry. In a matter of days, Dominique manages to seduce a margarine executive (Robert Culp), a Greek Tycoon (Titos Vandis), and the President of the United States (Fred Willard).<br />
<br />
The third and final segment is <u>Municipalians</u>, a parody of TV cop dramas. Naïve rookie policeman Brent Falcone (Robby Benson) wants to make a difference, much to the chagrin of his experienced partner Stan Nagurski (Richard Widmark), who refuses to so much as lift a finger in support. While searching for a serial killer (Christopher Lloyd) who leaves a copy of his drivers license on every victim, Officers Falcone and Nagurski encounter a number of lowlifes and degenerates, all of whom slowly chip away at Falcone’s cheery disposition.<br />
<br />
Let me say up-front that the lone sequence I reacted to was the third, <u>Municipalians</u>, and the reason why was the performance of Robby Benson, who here portrays the kind of happy-go-lucky character he played in movies like <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2022/09/2809-jeremy-1973-robby-benson-in-1970s.html" target="_blank">Jeremy</a></u></b> and <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2012/01/524-end-1978.html" target="_blank">The End</a></u></b>. Watching Benson’s cop deal with all the trials and tribulations thrown his way (including getting shot… which happens to him maybe a half dozen times) was mildly entertaining. Yet aside from a few chuckles, even <u>Municipalians</u> was mostly devoid of laughs. Damn near every joke misses the mark, including the running gag of a killer who leaves his I.D. on his victims, yet is not considered a viable suspect.<br />
<br />
Still, as unfunny as this third segment was, it pales in comparison to the pathetic <u>Growing Yourself</u> (I <b><i>dare</i></b> you not to cringe when Riegert’s character romances a teenage Diane Ladd) and <u>Success Wanters</u> (Dusenberry is likable as the lead, but there isn’t a laugh to be found in this misfire).<br />
<br />
As quoted in <i><u>A Futile and Stupid Gesture</u></i>, Shary Flenniken, one of five writers who penned <b><u>Movie Madness</u></b>, said of the movie “<i>We cut stuff and boiled it down. It lost its purpose and just became a bunch of crazy crap</i>”.<br />
<br />
I half agree. A bit of focused “crazy” could have actually helped this disaster. But it is <b><i>definitely</i></b> “crap”.<br />
<b><span style="color: #01ffff;">Rating: 2.5 out of 10
</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/uT3CquvnTuo?si=5MPkB5OWqEQfTeuY&controls=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
DVD Infatuationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02986606131886453883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1003345269984484749.post-26024213449993082662024-01-20T05:00:00.026-05:002024-01-20T05:00:00.131-05:00#2,944. Josie and the Pussycats (2001) - Films of the First Decade of the 2000s<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsVZzgX8QxrJBdFyVL57MwmWfvDXHx8BqRBE1oOorYE_QBLP5gvLG62hPfxCOVB1f3xJtV2_KwfLS8b2jx3Js2V-bQksjCwz0ywbhnRYreMBzIbC5FxgXhW16OgbfNLV4kbpw-NASYG-zT4mGkWhGgHqqXQ1SAeHjvl7IxDZQz-VRIk1vUys8Jro6VfpgS/s1485/josiepussycats.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1485" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsVZzgX8QxrJBdFyVL57MwmWfvDXHx8BqRBE1oOorYE_QBLP5gvLG62hPfxCOVB1f3xJtV2_KwfLS8b2jx3Js2V-bQksjCwz0ywbhnRYreMBzIbC5FxgXhW16OgbfNLV4kbpw-NASYG-zT4mGkWhGgHqqXQ1SAeHjvl7IxDZQz-VRIk1vUys8Jro6VfpgS/s320/josiepussycats.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">
I never read the comic, and I doubt I saw a single episode of the cartoon series from start to finish, but man oh man did I have fun with 2001’s <b><u>Josie and the Pussycats</u></b>!<br />
<br />
It is every bit a comic book movie, a film pitched at the level of a cartoon, and yet there are aspects that rise above these over-the-top inspirations, resulting in a musical / comedy that I absolutely adore.<br />
<br />
Following the “inexplicable” disappearance of popular boy band DuJour, producer Wyatt Frame (Alan Cummings) of MegaRecords is on the lookout for the label’s next superstars. As luck would have it, he stumbles upon Riverdale’s most underappreciated band, The Pussycats. All at once, lead singer Josie (Rachael Leigh Cook), bassist Valerie (Rosario Dawson), and drummer Melody (Tara Ried) go from who-the-hell-are-they to rock sensations.<br />
<br />
But there’s more to their meteoric rise than meets the eye, and if MegaRecords chief executive Fiona (Parker Posey) has her way, the band, now billed as Josie and the Pussycats, will not only rake in millions, but also help her label control every aspect of American pop culture. The question is: to what end?<br />
<br />
<b><u>Josie and the Pussycats</u></b> establishes its over-the-top, comic-book mentality during the pre-title sequence, where we’re introduced to boy band DuJoir (Donal Faison, Seth Green, Brecklin Meyer and Alexander Martin). After performing for their fans at the airport, DuJour hops aboard a private jet, arguing with one another the whole time, much to the chagrin of manager Wyatt (superbly played by Alan Cumming). This gets the film off to a fun start, yet what grounds the movie, keeping it from becoming a total cartoon, is the camaraderie of the three main characters, so well-portrayed by Cook, Dawson, and Ried. As everything around them spirals out of control, Josie and Valerie remain grounded, while Melody, the flightiest of the trio, is blissfully ignorant of the unbelievable events that led to the band’s overnight success. The chemistry between the three is what gives <b><u>Josie and the Pussycats</u></b> its heart, and we root for the trio every step of the way. In a world of product placement and subliminal messages, the Pussycats remain the film’s focal point, musicians enjoying a success they realize is unlikely, and maybe even a little scary.<br />
<br />
Another great feature of <b><u>Josie and the Pussycats</u></b> is the music, almost all of which was written for the film. From the opening tune by DuJour (“<i>DuJour Around the World</i>”) to the Pussycats’ “<i>Three Small Words</i>”, which they first perform at Riverdale’s local bowling palace, the music is catchy and entertaining. Not a single tune falls flat. In addition to the original numbers, there’s a great use of Meatloaf’s mega-hit “<i>Paradise by the Dashboard Light</i>”, which plays briefly during a pivotal scene.<br />
<br />
Cummings and Posey are at their manic best as the baddies (and kudos to writers / directors Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont for actually making us care a little about <b><i>them</i></b> before the credits roll), but it’s Cook, Dawson, Ried, and the music that make <b><u>Josie and the Pussycats</u></b> such a wonderful surprise. This movie was off my radar for years, and I feel like a fool for not having seen it sooner.<br />
<b><span style="color: #01ffff;">Rating: 9 out of 10 </span></b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/LU5bOAyDbHc?si=QLiJFyxpKfPntB8H&controls=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
DVD Infatuationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02986606131886453883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1003345269984484749.post-10035096926325684592024-01-07T05:00:00.049-05:002024-01-07T05:00:00.240-05:00#2,943. Helen of Troy (1956) - Films of the 1950s<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizN1A_T19XQoyTbvbYAIZMifudJbBNyWMOz_lNb-a2l38z9dlkVNadvbYTTb9X3YeYn5W3gK2A9b4F3gJCP6UEK-O4nP4dPWdVa5rpXedaYKNrMFBJEYH2qz2bmKn6O81mg_C3YZjwl1KCbnYHhM7nVsuFa1fY8RIQ1tR9ZxAUtWU0Q687iNpH1XAiR07T/s3000/helenoftroy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2372" data-original-width="3000" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizN1A_T19XQoyTbvbYAIZMifudJbBNyWMOz_lNb-a2l38z9dlkVNadvbYTTb9X3YeYn5W3gK2A9b4F3gJCP6UEK-O4nP4dPWdVa5rpXedaYKNrMFBJEYH2qz2bmKn6O81mg_C3YZjwl1KCbnYHhM7nVsuFa1fY8RIQ1tR9ZxAUtWU0Q687iNpH1XAiR07T/s320/helenoftroy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">
Released four years before <a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2013/01/879-spartacus-1960.html" target="_blank"><b>Spartacus</b></a>, three before <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2012/07/705-ben-hur-1959.html" target="_blank">Ben-Hur</a></u></b>, and eight months prior to Cecil B. DeMille’s <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2013/05/1013-ten-commandments-1956.html" target="_blank">The Ten Commandments</a></u></b>, Warner Brothers lavish production of <b><u>Helen of Troy</u></b> features moments as grand and spectacular as any of these later classics, even if it does fall a bit short of them.<br />
<br />
Based on Homer’s <u><i>Iliad</i></u> and <i><u>Odyssey</u></i>, <b><u>Helen of Troy</u></b> carries us back to the year 1100 B.C. Paris (Jacques Sernas), a prince of the walled city of Troy, announces he will travel to Sparta to strike an agreement with King Menelaus (Niall MacGinnis) in the hopes of avoiding yet another costly war. With the blessings of his father, King Priam (Sir Cedric Hardwicke), Paris sets sail, only to be thrown from his ship during a violent storm.<br />
<br />
Washing up on the shores of Sparta, he meets Helen (Rosanna Podesta), the wife of King Menelaus and, thus, the city-state’s Queen. Mistaking her for the Goddess Aphrodite, Paris falls instantly in love with Helen, who herself develops feelings for the Trojan Prince. Anxious to leave the domineering Menelaus behind, Helen agrees to accompany Paris back to his homeland, knowing full well that doing so will ignite a war between Troy and the whole of Greece.<br />
<br />
Directed by Robert Wise (<b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2013/01/882-west-side-story-1961.html" target="_blank">West Side Story</a></u></b>), with cinematography by Harry Stradling Sr. (<b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2022/03/2731-my-fair-lady-1964-classic-musicals.html" target="_blank">My Fair Lady</a></u></b>, <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2014/08/1451-streetcar-named-desire-1951.html" target="_blank">A Streetcar Named Desire</a></u></b>) and a score by great Max Steiner (<b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2013/01/889-gone-with-wind-1939.html" target="_blank">Gone With the Wind</a></u></b>, <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2011/09/406-casablanca-1942.html" target="_blank">Casablanca</a></u></b>), <b><u>Helen of Troy</u></b> has the look and feel of a full-blown Hollywood epic. This is especially prevalent in the film’s second half, when 1,000 Greek ships land on the shores of Troy, kicking off a series of impressive battle scenes, from the initial attack on the city (which features thousands of extras and plenty of catapults and battering rams) to the mano-et-mano showdown between Paris’ brother Hector (Harry Andrews) and Greek hero Achilles (Stanley Baker). The icing on the cake, however, is the infamous Trojan Horse sequence that closes out the movie, which is staged to near perfection.<br />
<br />
While the second half of <b><u>Helen of Troy</u></b> is a rousing success, the first is a little more hit and miss. The storm at sea that tosses Paris from his ship is thrilling, as is a fight between Paris and Ajax (Maxwell Reed) set in the court of King Menelaus. Where the movie falters is the romance between Paris and Helen, with the chemistry between the two surging in one scene, then receding the next.<br />
<br />
The fault cannot be laid entirely at the feet of its two stars. Italian actress Rosanna Podesta is stunning as Helen, and delivers a stirring turn as the “face that launched a thousand ships”, while French actor Jacques Sernas, though inconsistent, makes for a likable lead. Alas, both performances were dubbed into English, with mixed results (especially weak is Geoffrey Toone’s English dub of Paris, which lacks personality).<br />
<br />
For trivia buffs, <b><u>Helen of Troy</u></b> is notable for being the first American film to feature Bridget Bardot (she briefly appears as Helen’s slave Andraste), as well as boasting a second-unit director who would go on to bigger and better things: Mr. Sergio Leone!<br />
<br />
It may not have stood the test of time like <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2013/01/879-spartacus-1960.html" target="_blank">Spartacus</a></u></b>, <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2012/07/705-ben-hur-1959.html" target="_blank">Ben-Hur</a></u></b>, and <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2013/05/1013-ten-commandments-1956.html" target="_blank">The Ten Commandments</a></u></b>, but <b><u>Helen of Troy</u></b> is an epic that fans of early Hollywood won’t want to miss, and will be damn happy they saw.<br />
<b><span style="color: #01ffff;">Rating: 8 out of 10
</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/iHi7Kcf42TQ?si=pPJZF9durwiM5CuM&controls=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
DVD Infatuationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02986606131886453883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1003345269984484749.post-492213657559051872024-01-05T05:00:00.040-05:002024-01-05T05:00:00.301-05:00#2,942. The Choirboys (1977) - Films of the 1970s<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrDAXWj5aWK0lJmON4krcmiGKph29UwWe9ABEHxYVs9ftmJnylG7WBBy8sMRclInfrFW_Mkenrfzd3qC0uZ0o4SU5auIrrxGRnaZ57m4GV_GPVqi7MpXze2yvM-jpCGXInk4m_Mqin1M4ZULY6spWw6uHl9GZdcenEkS54yrrONpNH5I4B59GHhQ3bU9C/s1500/choirboys.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="989" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrDAXWj5aWK0lJmON4krcmiGKph29UwWe9ABEHxYVs9ftmJnylG7WBBy8sMRclInfrFW_Mkenrfzd3qC0uZ0o4SU5auIrrxGRnaZ57m4GV_GPVqi7MpXze2yvM-jpCGXInk4m_Mqin1M4ZULY6spWw6uHl9GZdcenEkS54yrrONpNH5I4B59GHhQ3bU9C/s320/choirboys.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">
The first hour or so of Robert Aldrich’s <b><u>The Choirboys</u></b> has the look and feel of a made-for-TV film, but the personality of a bawdy R-rated comedy. Throwing a spotlight on a group of Los Angeles cops, the movie is pitched at a very bizarre level early on, with party scenes that spiral out of control; run-ins with the public that go very, very wrong; and morning briefings during which everyone tosses insults at one another.<br />
<br />
Yet for a movie about L.A. cops and the dangers they face (the reason they act like drunken fools during their off-time is to relieve the tension), there is an artificiality to it all; characters are so goofy and over-the-top that anyone missing the opening credits might think they were watching an extended TV pilot for an inferior <i><u>Barney Miller</u></i> spin-off.<br />
<br />
Among the officers at this particular precinct is 19-year veteran “Spermwhale” Whalen (Charles Durning), whose bad attitude may end up costing him his pension when he retires in six months. Then there’s the bigoted Roscoe Rules (Tim McIntire), a foul-tempered cop whose antics get him and his young partner Dean Proust (Randy Quaid) into plenty of sticky situations.<br />
<br />
Black officer Calvin Motts (Louis Gossett Jr.) and Asian Frank Tanaguchi (Clyde Kusatsu) are often the butt of jokes aimed at their ethnicity, while Baxter Slate (Perry King), Spencer Van Moot (Stephen Macht), Sam Lyles (Don Stroud), and Harold Bloomguard (James Woods) fumble their way through one assignment after another.<br />
<br />
At one point, officers Slate, Lyles and Bloomguard are assigned temporarily to Vice Squad under Sgt. Scuzzi (Burt Young), with disastrous results. Rules and Proust are sent in to break up a potential race riot at a tenement, only to be beaten to a pulp by damn near the entire building!<br />
<br />
Many scenes in <b><u>The Choirboys</u></b> are also set in MacArthur Park, where the buddies gather nightly to blow off a little steam, moments that are played (mostly) for laughs. Yet while the movie features a number of amazing actors, we rarely believe any of them could pass as officers of the law.<br />
<br />
Then, at right around the halfway point, <b><u>The Choirboys</u></b> starts to tackle more serious subject matters, with as much drama as comedy sprinkled into the mix. Lyles and Bloomguard are Vietnam vets who served together during the war, with Lyles especially traumatized by the experience (the film opens with an unconvincing flashback, showing the battle that scarred Lyles). There’s also a very poignant scene in which Burt Young’s Scuzzi, portrayed up the that point as a slob, has a heart-to-heart talk with a tearful homosexual teen arrested for soliciting sex from undercover cop Zoony (Vic Tayback).<br />
<br />
<b><u>The Choirboys</u></b> gets even darker in the last act, and while it maintains that made-for-TV vibe throughout (MacArthur Park never looks like anything more than a backlot set), it also adapts some of the grittiness you’d expect to find in a ‘70s cop / crime movie, with Robert Webber turning up late and stealing the show as the hyper Deputy Chief Riggs (the one character who generates genuine laughs in his handful of scenes).<br />
<br />
Does the movie <b><i>earn</i></b> this sudden switch in tone? Not really, but I welcomed it anyway. All at once, these guys seemed more like real characters than the clownish, drunken buffoons that earlier had been making a string of sexist, racist, and homophobic jokes. I found myself invested in their later situations and conflicts.<br />
<br />
Not that any of this redeems Aldrich’s movie. <b><u>The Choirboys</u></b> is just too silly for too long to be taken completely seriously at any point. But at least we catch of glimpse of the old Aldrich, the filmmaker who helmed such classics as <b><u>Kiss Me Deadly</u></b>, <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2012/02/558-what-ever-happened-to-baby-jane.html" target="_blank">What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?</a></u></b>, and <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2010/11/114-dirty-dozen-1967.html" target="_blank">The Dirty Dozen</a></u></b>.<br />
<br />
<b><u>The Choirboys</u></b> definitely pales in comparison to these three films, but with all the inane scenes in this movie, and the humor that falls flat a hell of a lot more than it connects, you’ll be happy that at least a <b><i>glimmer</i></b> of Robert Aldrich peeked through in the end.<br />
<b><span style="color: #01ffff;">Rating: A possibly far too generous 5 out of 10</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/avuA7A9ReuY?si=geCvv4oBczYpwcOM&controls=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
DVD Infatuationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02986606131886453883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1003345269984484749.post-44189489896829232332024-01-03T09:00:00.054-05:002024-01-03T09:00:00.130-05:00#2,941. The McPherson Tape (1989) - Films of the 1980s<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhceMkkD4woi87tVB3LMKFP5qQjlG6JRXNVPwoQH7MwPKWpsaq0Qg5wLBRyWV7Gf-pQqMhMhdVvfqaLDXK1fcmLg09cR7NY3xqd2rHOLsMQFmmjxmmf4zGcoH1N-SSCDR9La5d-MPYvF1JnR8PmB31I45xuKAE-RnBSrK-rx56jpZGWP7o-QrGD46mz4Ap/s1273/mcpherson.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1273" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhceMkkD4woi87tVB3LMKFP5qQjlG6JRXNVPwoQH7MwPKWpsaq0Qg5wLBRyWV7Gf-pQqMhMhdVvfqaLDXK1fcmLg09cR7NY3xqd2rHOLsMQFmmjxmmf4zGcoH1N-SSCDR9La5d-MPYvF1JnR8PmB31I45xuKAE-RnBSrK-rx56jpZGWP7o-QrGD46mz4Ap/s320/mcpherson.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />
<br />
<br />
“<span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>The uncut video footage you are about to see contains the most important evidence yet made public regarding the UFO abduction phenomenon. This footage is from the North Woods UFO CASE 77.<br />
<br />
On the evening of October 8, 1983, a young man videotaped his niece’s 5th birthday party. As the night’s strange occurrences took place he kept his camera running, recording the entire event</i>”<br />
<br />
Released originally as <b><u>U.F.O. Abduction</u></b>, <b><u>The McPherson Tape</u></b> is something of an oddity. It is a found footage-style sci-fi / horror movie from 1989, a full 10 years before <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2010/10/76-blair-witch-project-1999.html" target="_blank">The Blair Witch Project</a></u></b> would rekindle (or some might argue - and rightly so - single-handedly ignite) interest in that particular subgenre.<br />
<br />
According to writer / director Dean Alioto, <b><u>The McPherson Tape</u></b> was shot on video for around $6,500. Yet, despite its meager budget, it stands as one of the most intense, intriguing found footage movies I have seen, centered on a family that, thanks to the wonderful job of its cast, we come to care about.<br />
<br />
October 8, 1983. The Vane Hesse clan has gathered at the remote mountain cottage of their recently widowed mother (Shirly McCalla) to celebrate the 5th birthday of young Michelle (Laura Tomas), daughter of oldest son Eric (Tommy Giavocchini) and his wife Jamie (Christine Staples). Also in attendance are Eric’s younger brothers, college student Jason (Patrick Kelley) and 16-year-old Michael (played by Alioto himself) as well as Jason’s girlfriend Renee (Stacey Shulman).<br />
<br />
Michael, who just purchased a new handheld video camera, spends the evening videotaping the party (making Alioto not only the film’s writer / director and co-star, but also its cinematographer).<br />
<br />
When the lights unexpectedly go out, the three brothers head to the garage to check on the fusebox, and while outside spot a bright red light flashing across the sky. The brothers rush into the woods to investigate, and are amazed to discover that a spaceship, harboring three aliens (played by young girls Ginny Kleker, Kay Parten, and Rose Schneider), has landed nearby!<br />
<br />
When the aliens spot them, the three brothers dart back to the house to warn the rest of the family, kicking off a terrifying chain of events.<br />
<br />
During one of the DVD commentaries for the <i><u>[POV] Horror</u></i> release of <b><u>The McPherson Tape</u></b>, it was mentioned that Dean Alioto is a big fan of Steven Spielberg, and how his <b><u>E.T.</u></b> was as much about a broken family as it was an alien visitor. In turn, It is the family at the center of Alioto’s 1989 movie, inspired, no doubt, by Spielberg’s classic, that brings us to the edge of our seats.<br />
<br />
All of the performers do an amazing job of building that “family” chemistry. During the opening scenes, as they’re sitting around the table eating dinner, they are bickering with one another (both playfully and with a little passive-aggressiveness behind it) and constantly talking over each other. The relationships between the characters are not laid out at first, and it takes us a while to figure out who is who, but then why would they spoon-feed it to us? It’s supposed to be a family's home video! And director Alioto does a fine job of eventually bringing his audience up to speed.<br />
<br />
Even after the film’s pivotal event, when the brothers go into the woods, then rush home in a panic after making a startling discovery, things eventually quiet down (for a while, it looks as if nothing will come of it) and they get back to the party. The tension does mount again, of course, and doesn’t let up until the shocking finale (which is also the only moment in the film that feels contrived).<br />
<br />
Those who have a problem with shaky cam might find themselves nauseous during the forest scene with the brothers, but it’s what transpires both before and after it that makes <b><u>The McPherson Tape</u></b> a hidden gem, and a movie that fans of found footage horror will surely enjoy.<br />
<b><span style="color: #01ffff;">Rating: 8.5 out of 10
</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/OfcTlZjzEy4?si=hKbZoZHhqt0-XQNv&controls=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
DVD Infatuationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02986606131886453883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1003345269984484749.post-62197639142480487052023-12-16T05:00:00.029-05:002023-12-16T05:00:00.138-05:00#2,940. Darkroom (1989) - Thrillers of the '80s and '90s<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidh7Jz6KdWu2kmFp5tdBmSBTA2owghlYNV9ApKh9_xWlGiookeYCfWCpVOvdTto4qHXMLo2WJr27Fk3vmqNQEpg6K5SES5j8YRqNkVbzadMaJ94zBbsyKPxlz1fE4r9R6JQLQM7ptD_jDEMlpz_mlgqkqz3jKCL3ri188JZrRHB3Jrf1UY3S5HBS9BxkeI/s1528/darkroom.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1528" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidh7Jz6KdWu2kmFp5tdBmSBTA2owghlYNV9ApKh9_xWlGiookeYCfWCpVOvdTto4qHXMLo2WJr27Fk3vmqNQEpg6K5SES5j8YRqNkVbzadMaJ94zBbsyKPxlz1fE4r9R6JQLQM7ptD_jDEMlpz_mlgqkqz3jKCL3ri188JZrRHB3Jrf1UY3S5HBS9BxkeI/s320/darkroom.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">
After years away, Janet (Jill Pierce) has returned home for what she hopes will be a quiet weekend with her family. Joined eventually by her boyfriend, professional photographer Steve (Jeff Arbaugh), Janet enjoys the time she spends with her widowed mom Nora (Elizabeth Ince), her grandfather (John O’Connor), younger sister Cindy (Sara Lee Wade), and cousins Perry (Aarin Tiech) and Mark (Allen Lieberman). The only one missing from this little reunion is her sister Paula (Abigail Lenz), a free-spirit who has been dating George (Timothy Hicks), a local outcast who lives in a trailer by the river.<br />
<br />
When Paula doesn’t return home that first night, Janet, Steve, and Cindy assure a worried Nora that they will stop by George’s trailer and bring her back. Instead, they find Paula’s lifeless, blood-soaked body tied to George’s bed, kicking off a chain of events in which more than one person in this normally peaceful community will meet a grisly end.<br />
<br />
Produced by low-budget master Nico Mastorakis and directed by Terrence O’Hara, 1989’s <b><u>Darkroom</u></b> features moments that harken back to the slashers of the decade’s early years. The opening sequence, in which a young couple is butchered in their home with an ax, certainly gives off slasher vibes, and there’s a scene involving a car and a machete that would have been at home in any <u><i><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/search/label/Friday%20the%2013th" target="_blank">Friday the 13th</a></i></u> movie.<br />
<br />
Ultimately, though, <b><u>Darkroom</u></b> is more a mystery / thriller, with plenty of red herrings to keep us guessing, for the better part of an hour, as to which of its character is the actual killer. The story also crosses from time to time into dark territory, and because we grow to like Janet’s family, we feel the loss whenever something terrible happens to them.<br />
<br />
Shot primarily on a remote orange grove in Southern California, <b><u>Darkroom</u></b> also successfully conveys its characters’ feelings of isolation, especially when they are unable to report Paula’s death because the phones are out, and the nearest town is 20 miles away.<br />
<br />
The film occasionally suffers from some of the weaknesses you’re likely to find in many low-budget movies, including performances that range from very good (Jeff Arbaugh is particularly strong) to borderline terrible. And when it came time to finally reveal of the killer’s identity, I had already figured it out. Though to be fair, I only put two-and-two together about 3-4 minutes before the movie itself spilled the beans, and there were moments when I was convinced that two other characters, ultimately innocent, were committing these murders. So, as a mystery, <b><u>Darkroom</u></b> works (even if said reveal shines a light on some gaping plot holes that are never satisfied).<br />
<br />
Where <b><u>Darkroom</u></b> <b><i>really</i></b> impressed me, though, was in the last act. The movie continues a full half-hour after the killer’s identity is divulged, and these last scenes are among the film’s most intense, and most heartbreaking. So even if <b><u>Darkroom</u></b> isn’t perfect (and it certainly isn’t), it’s far from a total loss, and is worth a watch.<br />
<b><span style="color: #01ffff;">Rating: 6.5 out of 10
</span></b><br /></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/_zkX810XG14?si=Bmuan_KrGk4nenFV&controls=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
DVD Infatuationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02986606131886453883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1003345269984484749.post-41392876731583209262023-12-09T05:00:00.038-05:002024-01-26T21:30:48.657-05:00#2,939. Busting (1974) - Elliott Gould in the 1970's Triple Feature<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRI8S2lymDrsLDbLq3P9-igDQ1yHWnOG8mz-jEcAJZkY2sCisdoVWzxxh9OfK0Y2jRamh5o4IosSB-fhEemc4Fi1UlNJdXH7xdM7U2NK-WKoV5A78eAypOD20MTy71IWkCJSmAHqCrxuPRaTTDgDE_MVXUXBMSpIy3dwSyWDvYRq5HIm6BGRKDfnaBmH5S/s1500/busting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="973" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRI8S2lymDrsLDbLq3P9-igDQ1yHWnOG8mz-jEcAJZkY2sCisdoVWzxxh9OfK0Y2jRamh5o4IosSB-fhEemc4Fi1UlNJdXH7xdM7U2NK-WKoV5A78eAypOD20MTy71IWkCJSmAHqCrxuPRaTTDgDE_MVXUXBMSpIy3dwSyWDvYRq5HIm6BGRKDfnaBmH5S/s320/busting.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">
Director Peter Hyams has been on my radar for some time. It’s an admiration that stretches back to 1984, when our next-door neighbor took my brother and I to see <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2011/06/302-2010-year-we-make-contact-1984.html" target="_blank">2010: The Year We Make Contact</a></u></b>. Being kids, neither of us understood it, but our neighbor explained the complexities of <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2010/12/142-2001-space-odyssey-1968.html" target="_blank">2001: A Space Odyssey</a></u></b> and its new sequel, how both related the story of a superior alien race helping earth along its evolutionary path. He told it all in such a way that he had me jonesing to finally sit down and watch <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2010/12/142-2001-space-odyssey-1968.html" target="_blank">2001: A Space Odyssey</a></u></b> in its entirety (which I did, not long after, and I loved it).<br />
<br />
Over the next few decades, I would stumble upon more of Hyams’ movies. <b><u>Outland</u></b>. <b><u>Capricorn One</u></b>. Films I wanted to see before I even knew he had directed them. And yet, when his name flashed on the screen, I was even more excited to watch them. Not all of Hyams’ movies resonated with me. I thought 1997’s <b><u>The Relic</u></b> was interesting but flawed, as was 2005’s <b><u>The Sound of Thunder</u></b>. But he did turn out what, for me, was Jean-Claude Van Damme’s best film: <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2020/07/2510-timecop-1994.html" target="_blank">Timecop</a></u></b>.<br />
<br />
Hyams made his big-screen directorial debut with the 1974 action / crime / comedy <b><u>Busting</u></b>, about a couple of Los Angeles vice squad detectives trying to make a difference. I had never seen this movie before today, but now rank it as one of Peter Hyams’ absolute best.<br />
<br />
Also written by Hyams, <b><u>Busting</u></b> stars Elliott Gould and Robert Blake as Keneely and Farrel (respectively), two wise-ass vice detectives who, as the movie opens, are following a high-end prostitute (played by Cornelia Sharpe) as she makes her rounds. Posing as a potential John, Keneely busts her. But it turns out this hooker has some friends in very high places, and is back on the street the next day.<br />
<br />
Frustrated, the two cops launch an informal investigation, and discover that Carl Rizzo (Allen Garfield), a well-respected councilman, is actually the area’s top crime boss. Dabbling in everything from strip clubs to narcotics, and with the police in his back pocket, Rizzo feels invincible. Of course, that only makes Keneely and Farrel more anxious than ever to take him down.<br />
<br />
Gould and Blake shine as the perfectly matched detectives, two guys who are good at their job, yet never seem to take it seriously, and seldom play by the rules. While busting the prostitute played by Sharpe in her apartment, they ask for her appointment book. When she pretends not to have one, they begin a “search”, by breaking up the place, shattering lamps and pushing books onto the floor until she coughs it up. It’s a funny scene, made doubly so by the two stars, who play off each other wonderfully.<br />
<br />
More than a comedy, however, <b><u>Busting</u></b> works as a thrilling crime drama, and has some truly spectacular action sequences. While searching the residence of one of Rizzo’s known accomplices, Keneely and Farrel happen upon a drug swap. Shots are fired, and a chase ensues, which eventually makes its way to a crowded farmer’s market. As terrified patrons hide behind vegetable stands and counters, the two detectives play a game of cat and mouse with the three criminals, all five with their guns drawn, firing at anything that moves. It is a tense scene, made doubly so by Hyams’ crisp direction.<br />
<br />
Along with the two leads, Allen Garfield is at his absolute best as the slimy Rizzo, a guy so incredibly confident that you can’t help but admire him a little, and well-known character actors like Sid Haig (as Rizzo’s top henchman), Michael Lerner (as the proprietor of an adult book store / brothel), and Antonio Fargas (as a crossdresser in a gay bar) also shine in brief but memorable roles.<br />
<br />
A movie that strikes the perfect balance between comedy and drama, with plenty of thrills thrown into the mix, <b><u>Busting</u></b> is one of my favorite cinematic discoveries in years.<br />
<b><span style="color: #01ffff;">Rating: 9 out of 10</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jeTXt2Ac3og?si=a3T1wPSAnWorHIrP" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
DVD Infatuationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02986606131886453883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1003345269984484749.post-13111630788778160382023-12-02T05:00:00.035-05:002023-12-03T00:55:31.028-05:00#2,938. Get Over It (2001) - Random Musings<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJ8QlBA51pgWEVQ_29OHlX6viKIdNzsXury6wFJ_IrHBifWw1ROQnWpezojAUGBpaDGC4-AxOI404CsPoCFP6-Jn6OSX0qK0SsAR8gafTkATkEDd5QiFBHloZK5ORWOXIe5C9Y2H0RR1aKST70fytOHRE4WAo6gL-lCnkjo-thI_EwrMNcoAtALzq-yOp/s1498/getoverit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1498" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJ8QlBA51pgWEVQ_29OHlX6viKIdNzsXury6wFJ_IrHBifWw1ROQnWpezojAUGBpaDGC4-AxOI404CsPoCFP6-Jn6OSX0qK0SsAR8gafTkATkEDd5QiFBHloZK5ORWOXIe5C9Y2H0RR1aKST70fytOHRE4WAo6gL-lCnkjo-thI_EwrMNcoAtALzq-yOp/s320/getoverit.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">
High school athlete Berke Landers (Ben Foster) discovers his longtime girlfriend Allison (Melissa Sagemiller) has fallen in love with drama student Bentley Scrumfeld (Shane West). So, Berke decides to try out for the school play, hoping to land the lead in an upcoming musical production of Shakespeare’s <i><u>A Midsummer Night’s Dream</u></i>. If he succeeds, he will star opposite Allison and, if all goes well, win her back.<br />
<br />
There’s one problem, though: Berke can neither sing nor act!<br />
<br />
To help him prepare, he turns to Kelly Woods (Kirsten Dunst), the younger sister of his best friend Felix (Colin Hanks). Kelly does what she can to assist Berke, all the while harboring a secret crush on him.<br />
<br />
Will Berke win back the woman of his dreams, or should he just <b><u>Get Over It</u></b>?<br />
<br />
Director Tommy O’Haver’s <b><u>Get Over It</u></b> has an amazingly strong cast. Along with those already mentioned, there’s Martin Short, who is very funny as Dr. Desmond Forrest Oates, the frantic director of the upcoming play. Short gets some of the film’s biggest laughs (especially towards the end, while watching his opus as he sits with the audience). Swoosie Kurtz and Ed Begley Jr. are also good as Berke’s far-too-supportive parents, and future superstars Zoe Saldana, Mila Kunis, and Carmen Electra turn up in supporting roles.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Get Over It</u></b> also features real-life musicians Sisqo (as Dennis, one of Berke’s friends), Vitamin C (as herself), and Coolio (as himself).<br />
<br />
Even with such a stellar cast, Ben Foster stands out as Berke, displaying a certain charm as a romantic lead while also getting some laughs of his own. But it isn’t long before you’ll want to slap the hell out of his character for not realizing Kelly is the right girl for him, and Kirsten Dunst is the reason why.<br />
<br />
I always felt that Dunst, especially during this time period, was an underappreciated actress. She achieved a level of fame (and rightly so) playing Mary Jane in Sam Raimi’s <i><u>Spider Man</u></i> trilogy, but was also great in <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2023/07/2919-drop-dead-gorgeous-1999-random.html" target="_blank">Drop Dead Gorgeous</a></u></b>, <b><u>Dick</u></b>, <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2012/03/590-eternal-sunshine-of-spotless-mind.html" target="_blank">Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind</a></u></b>, and <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2015/03/1659-marie-antoinette-2006.html" target="_blank">Marie Antionette</a></u></b>. In <b><u>Get Over It</u></b>, her Kelly is such a sweetheart that you develop a crush on her almost immediately, and you can’t understand why Berke doesn't. Granted, it’s his best friend’s kid sister, but still…<br />
<br />
<b><u>Get Over It</u></b> is a stylishly directed romantic comedy with some great songs (Dunst herself gets in on the act, making her big-screen singing debut with “<i>Dream Of Me</i>”) and genuine laughs. But even with so many talented individuals surrounding her, it's Kirsten Dunst who steals the show.<br />
<b><span style="color: #01ffff;">Rating: 8.5 out of 10
</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/bhbGq3fxm4s?controls=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
DVD Infatuationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02986606131886453883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1003345269984484749.post-89333492959266122232023-11-25T05:00:00.066-05:002023-12-03T00:49:41.414-05:00#2,937. SpaceCamp (1986) - Random Musings<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUoQ50-KlmjtW5TXG2OCcCItoLhdCAnv-3ENJ-9GwrsSvgCxl6Syhzk72xIQIIUE6C0piVpZF_KJo1l1PHPAKHM8f2-NWsTF7Ix8k-79HtP23Yy5tORujKHBE-sKilzXl3GX2vNqoCElMYrNT8dok9cUD0lNox3wYsPtTs1JpznJlKyIR5motVYGOgJXdL/s755/spacecamp.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="494" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUoQ50-KlmjtW5TXG2OCcCItoLhdCAnv-3ENJ-9GwrsSvgCxl6Syhzk72xIQIIUE6C0piVpZF_KJo1l1PHPAKHM8f2-NWsTF7Ix8k-79HtP23Yy5tORujKHBE-sKilzXl3GX2vNqoCElMYrNT8dok9cUD0lNox3wYsPtTs1JpznJlKyIR5motVYGOgJXdL/s320/spacecamp.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">
In my review of 1987’s <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2022/12/2886-project-x-1987-jonathan-kaplan.html" target="_blank">Project X</a></u></b>, I said how the final scene of that movie was “<i>so outlandish that you could only find it in a Hollywood movie</i>”. But as I pointed out, <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2022/12/2886-project-x-1987-jonathan-kaplan.html" target="_blank">Project X</a></u></b> <b><i>was</i></b> a Hollywood movie. “<i>And because we like the characters</i>”, I continued, “<i>it wins us over, no matter how over-the-top or unlikely its grand finale might be</i>”. <br />
<br />
With 1986’s <b><u>SpaceCamp</u></b>, a family adventure directed by Harry Winer, we know after seeing the trailer that the film’s entire <b><i>premise</i></b> is going to be outlandish, unlikely, and over-the-top.<br />
<br />
And, yes, it is <b><i>also</i></b> a Hollywood movie.<br />
<br />
Still, I went in wondering if I could overlook its ridiculous story, or if I’d instead be rolling my eyes throughout <b><u>SpaceCamp</u></b>.<br />
<br />
Set at an actual facility in Huntsville, Alabama, the film is about five kids and their incredible experience during a summer at Space Camp. Wise-ass Kevin (Tate Donovan) never wanted to go to Space Camp in the first place, but agreed to do so after his dad bought him a new jeep. Kathryn (Lea Thompson) dreams of being the first female commander of a shuttle mission, and takes the training very seriously. As does Rudy (Larry B. Scott), who gets teased at school because he loves science. Tish (Kelly Preston) is your typical teenager with one exception: she has a photographic memory, and can remember everything she’s ever read; while 12-year-old Max (Joaquin Phoenix, billed here as “Leaf Phoenix”, making his big-screen debut) is a <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2012/06/662-star-wars-1977.html" target="_blank">Star Wars</a></u></b> afficionado who longs to experience space travel.<br />
<br />
Their instructor is astronaut Andie Bergstrom (Kate Capshaw), who laments the fact that, unlike her husband, NASA specialist Zach (Tom Skerritt), she has never been to outer space.<br />
<br />
Initially, the group has trouble working as a team, and young Max finds his only real friend is a malfunctioning robot named Jinx (voiced by Frank Welker), which takes everything it hears literally.<br />
<br />
One night, after being chastised by Kevin, Max runs away crying, saying to himself he wishes he could live in space. Jinx overhears this, and the next day, when all five students and Andie board the Space Shuttle to experience a test firing of the rocket boosters, Jinx arranges it with the NASA computer to force an error that will result in Max and the others being launched into space!<br />
<br />
Stuck in orbit with a group of frightened kids and cut off from NASA (because it was a test launch, long-range communications had not been installed), Andie must do her best to pilot the shuttle and bring everyone home safely.<br />
<br />
Crazy, right?<br />
<br />
Hard to swallow? Of course.<br />
<br />
To make matters worse, <b><u>SpaceCamp</u></b> was also the victim of terrible timing. It was released to theaters less than six months after the 1986 <i><u>Challenger</u></i> tragedy, when that shuttle exploded soon after lift-off, killing everyone aboard (including school teacher / observer Christa McAuliffe). With accusations that the movie was trying to capitalize on the tragedy (it was actually written and shot well before the disaster), <b><u>SpaceCamp</u></b> proved a box-office flop.<br />
<br />
But that was then. How does <b><u>SpaceCamp</u></b> hold up today?<br />
<br />
Yeah, I <b><i>did</i></b> roll my eyes a few times, and the first half of the movie, devoted to building the characters and their relationship to one another, is as routine as they come. No surprise that the five kids, with their differing personalities, worked poorly together during their training, making mistakes and constantly bickering with one another (which begs the question: why was <b><i>their</i></b> team, and not one of the other half-dozen or so, chosen to sit in on the shuttle's firing test?).<br />
<br />
Once in outer space, though, I forgot my initial “yeah, right” reaction to this amazing turn of events, and found myself actually getting into the movie! Writers Clifford Green and Casey T. Mitchell concoct a number of tense moments - from lack of oxygen to missing their window for re-entry - that keep the viewer biting their nails throughout. Yes, far-fetched things happen in space as well, but by that point I was invested, and wasn’t worrying about how preposterous it all seemed. Hell, there were times the tension was so unbearable I found myself <b><i>talking to the screen</i></b>!<br />
<br />
All this, plus another rousing score by the great John Williams, made <b><u>SpaceCamp</u></b> a lot more fun than I ever expected.<br />
<span style="color: #01ffff;"><b>Rating: 7.5 out of 10
</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/ISPHII9F1nQ?controls=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
DVD Infatuationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02986606131886453883noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1003345269984484749.post-80020910724473379652023-11-18T05:00:00.028-05:002023-11-18T05:00:00.140-05:00#2,936. Hot Pursuit (1987) - John Cusack in the '80s Triple Feature<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX9nD8zYmUYhIBb0SG6xW_PIBnoL4Y1wvji3oqLTtXjJNL6JfyH0V-IRu1b0SoVjmbQa3i7la-5K04scSPEm7PSsOTxKeojRyQjWXCMWD9MKoT9y58qJ3wpgyqCYf0kQaKSMvnE2PNWb3Axsla234dg-7g7M4uFtDvqHJLVbRu5hcEetF3SUCGh3XI41R9/s716/hotpursuit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="716" data-original-width="472" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX9nD8zYmUYhIBb0SG6xW_PIBnoL4Y1wvji3oqLTtXjJNL6JfyH0V-IRu1b0SoVjmbQa3i7la-5K04scSPEm7PSsOTxKeojRyQjWXCMWD9MKoT9y58qJ3wpgyqCYf0kQaKSMvnE2PNWb3Axsla234dg-7g7M4uFtDvqHJLVbRu5hcEetF3SUCGh3XI41R9/s320/hotpursuit.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">
It says more about me than it does the movie, but I would <b><i>love</i></b> to go on the adventure that Dan Bartlett (John Cusack) experiences in 1987’s <b><u>Hot Pursuit</u></b>!<br />
<br />
After failing his mid-term in chemistry, Dan has to tell his girlfriend Lori (Wendy Gazelle) that he’ll have to stay behind to make up the test, and won’t be able to join her and her family on the resort Island of Laguna Del Mar for Spring Break. But when the teacher (Joseph E. Foster) cuts him a break at the last minute, Dan hops in a cab and races to the airport, hoping to catch Lori, her parents (Monte Markham, Shelley Fabares), and Lori’s younger sister Ginger (Dah-ve Chodan) before their plane takes off.<br />
<br />
He misses them by a couple of minutes, tops!<br />
<br />
So, Dan books another flight to a nearby island, where he’ll catch a taxi and eventually join Lori on what will surely be a dream vacation.<br />
<br />
But fate intervenes, and Dan finds himself tagging along with a trio of helpful locals (Keith David, Paul Bates, Ursaline Bryant) before joining renegade tugboat Captain MacLaren (Robert Loggia), who, it turns out, is after the very same Yacht Lori and her family are currently cruising on… only for very different reasons than Dan’s.<br />
<br />
By 1987, John Cusack was already an established star, and while he plays Dan a bit too manic at times, he’s as likable as ever in <b><u>Hot Pursuit</u></b>. The comedy comes by way of his misadventures, though many of the tight spots that Cusack’s Dan finds himself in are of his own doing, and not the fault of those trying to help him. When their jeep gets stuck in a swamp, Dan leaves Keith David and the others to set out on his own, only to realize soon after that he would have caught up with Lori had he stayed with them.<br />
<br />
The film’s romantic aspects work just as well thanks to Cusack and Gazelle, who have good chemistry as the young lovers, and the locations featured throughout the movie are as gorgeous as they come (with Ixtapa, Mexico standing in for the Caribbean).<br />
<br />
The <b><i>real</i></b> fun of <b><u>Hot Pursuit</u></b>, though, is Dan’s adventurous journey to reach Lori. There’s never any chance that he’ll fail in his attempt. We realize early on, by the tone of the film, that this 1987 comedy isn’t the type of movie that’s going to disappoint its audience in the end. Even the sticky situation that Lori and her family get into, when they butt heads with a group of pirates (two of whom are played by real-life father and son Jerry and Ben Stiller), never feels as much of a threat as it might in another movie.<br />
<br />
So, while <b><u>Hot Pursuit</u></b> is short on genuine suspense (save one exciting sequence when Dan and Capt. MacLaren are sailing through a hurricane), it is a non-stop good time all the same, with Cusack proving yet again why he was one of the ‘80s most appealing stars.<br />
<b><span style="color: #01ffff;">Rating: 8 out of 10 </span></b><br /></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/E4jj81IsxBM?controls=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
DVD Infatuationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02986606131886453883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1003345269984484749.post-13565966135935657982023-11-11T05:00:00.044-05:002023-11-11T05:00:00.133-05:00#2,935. Better Off Dead (1985) - John Cusack in the '80s Triple Feature<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWagioTEAot7K6tbA7MPeVhvR2YptBKnz9m6xFkBTQ3g8XW_8cJHDOqWrb5SzTfxbQg6e8E9LLt6GAUZ0U21ihzzSMle10eI2MV9SPSSUxn-Jj6fM5_JNIBKJxHDCmDVMJdmRAKUht72g5DbmjJzsV-pOJ4Gx2y6Kq3aOVQf7ZGoMx3Nyy-5FZ0PfCIIwF/s2265/betteroffdead.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2265" data-original-width="1492" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWagioTEAot7K6tbA7MPeVhvR2YptBKnz9m6xFkBTQ3g8XW_8cJHDOqWrb5SzTfxbQg6e8E9LLt6GAUZ0U21ihzzSMle10eI2MV9SPSSUxn-Jj6fM5_JNIBKJxHDCmDVMJdmRAKUht72g5DbmjJzsV-pOJ4Gx2y6Kq3aOVQf7ZGoMx3Nyy-5FZ0PfCIIwF/s320/betteroffdead.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">
While director Savage Steve Holland and star John Cusack were in the process of making <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2010/08/21-one-crazy-summer-1986.html" target="_blank">One Crazy Summer</a></u></b>, which marked their second collaboration, Cusack broke away for a few hours to finally check out the <b><i>first</i></b> film they did together: 1984’s <b><u>Better Off Dead</u></b>.<br />
<br />
And the actor was not happy with what he saw. In fact, it is rumored he walked out before it was over.<br />
<br />
Worked into a frenzy, Cusack approached Holland and (according to the director) told him <b><u>Better Off Dead</u></b> “<i>was the worst thing I have ever seen</i>”. The enraged star then told Holland “<i>I will never trust you as a director ever again, so don’t speak to me</i>”.<br />
<br />
Wow!<br />
<br />
Harsh!<br />
<br />
And more than a bit unfair, because while <b><u>Better Off Dead</u></b> doesn’t always work, Holland and his team gave it their all, throwing everything at us but the kitchen sink and putting a madcap spin on what could have easily been another run-of-the-mill ‘80s romantic comedy.<br />
<br />
Lane Myers (Cusack) is crushed. Not only did he miss out on making the high school ski team, but his girlfriend of six months, Beth (Amanda Wyss), broke up with him to instead date Roy Stalin (Aaron Dozier), the obnoxious captain of that very team. Neither of Lane’s parents (David Ogden Stiers and Kim Darby) seem sympathetic to his plight, so the heartbroken teen decides to kill himself.<br />
<br />
Try as he might, though, Lane can’t finish the job. So, his good friend Charles (Curtis Armstrong) offers another possible solution: beat Roy in a downhill race on the K-12, the most dangerous slope in Northern California, and win back Beth.<br />
<br />
The only problem is… Lane never seems to win at anything! That is, until he meets Monique (Diane Franklin), the French foreign exchange student who recently moved in with his neighbor Mrs. Smith (Laura Waterbury) and her portly teenage son Ricky (Dan Schneider). With Monique’s help, Lane may have a chance to recapture Beth’s heart.<br />
<br />
That’s the main thrust of the story, but only scratches the surface as to the insanity thrown our way during <b><u>Better Off Dead</u></b>’s 97 minutes. Lane, who bought a ’67 Camaro but can’t get it running, drives the family’s station wagon to school every day, and during the trip is usually challenged to a drag race by two Japanese brothers (Yuji Okumoto and Brian Imada), one of whom speaks no English while the other only talks like his favorite sportscaster: Howard Cosell!<br />
<br />
Curtis Armstrong, so good as Booger in <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2014/01/1242-revenge-of-nerds-1984.html" target="_blank">Revenge of the Nerds</a></u></b>, has his moments as Lane’s drug-obsessed best friend, Charles. At one point, looking for the ultimate high, Charles even tries snorting snow! Also funny is the sequence where Lane, coerced by his father, gets a job at Pig Burgers, a disgusting fast-food joint. While making the burgers, Lane fantasizes that he is Dr. Frankenstein, and even brings one of the burgers to life! This leads to a very entertaining stop-motion segment, in which the “live burger” performs a song.<br />
<br />
And let’s not forget Johnny the paperboy (Demian Slade), who harasses Lane throughout the film, demanding his two-dollar fee for the newspaper subscription. I also got a kick out of the side story featuring Lane’s always-silent younger brother Badger (Scooter Stevens), who, unbeknownst to everyone, is a scientific genius. Holland keeps the energy high throughout <b><u>Better off Dead</u></b>, hitting us with one insane scene after another. <br />
<br />
Of course, along with the “hits”, there are a few misses. I thought Stiers and Darby were wasted as Lane’s oblivious parents; Dad’s “war” with the paperboy to keep his garage windows safe from flying newspapers never really goes anywhere, while Darby’s schtick as the goofy mom who can’t cook gets old quick.<br />
<br />
Also, the initial plight of Monique, the cute exchange student, came off as… creepy. Turns out Mrs. Smith only signed up to sponsor Monique so she could date her son Ricky (played by regular Holland collaborator Dan Schneider). And the minute we are introduced to Monique, we know in which direction the film’s story will go.<br />
<br />
Then there is the exaggerated Roy Stalin, who is such an over-the-top blowhard that we have no idea what Beth, or any other girl, could possibly see in him.<br />
<br />
As for Cusack, he’s good as the oft-pathetic Lane, though I wouldn’t rank it as one of his best performances. In fact, I had more fun with the film’s supporting characters than I did Lane.<br />
<br />
Cusack has softened his stance on <b><u>Better Off Dead</u></b> over the years. In a 2013 online Reddit chat, he said he didn’t hate making <b><u>Better Off Dead</u></b>, just that it could have been better, adding “<i>But I think that about all my films</i>“. He closed by saying he has “<i>nothing against the film</i>” and is glad people “<i>love it still</i>”.<br />
<br />
And despite its weaknesses, there is definitely a lot here to love!<br />
<b><span style="color: #01ffff;">Rating: 7.5 out of 10
</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/NdSavg_i_lw?controls=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
DVD Infatuationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02986606131886453883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1003345269984484749.post-89309773025130041812023-11-04T05:00:00.041-04:002023-11-04T05:00:00.143-04:00#2,934. The Sure Thing (1985) - John Cusack in the '80s Triple Feature<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX7143p_drUSCuTRB63Cqa61aK02fFT1GjHvq1rjurGxXEKf3j7nB-XUgaElzc4cJ9_BJUiChHvdbcFEhbnh29jWw6Os8VBG3WGTUffk77fSnRkIyyUG09Tsuix8JU15lxAqI31vvwRlMNO1APzGK5u0-mS9qCjSeJCqnJ09VrVGHbflah5vx1dOENV0NV/s1497/surething.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1497" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX7143p_drUSCuTRB63Cqa61aK02fFT1GjHvq1rjurGxXEKf3j7nB-XUgaElzc4cJ9_BJUiChHvdbcFEhbnh29jWw6Os8VBG3WGTUffk77fSnRkIyyUG09Tsuix8JU15lxAqI31vvwRlMNO1APzGK5u0-mS9qCjSeJCqnJ09VrVGHbflah5vx1dOENV0NV/s320/surething.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">
Rob Reiner followed up his comedic masterpiece <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2010/11/89-this-is-spinal-tap-1984.html" target="_blank">This is Spinal Tap</a></u></b> (which was also his big-screen directorial debut) with 1985’s <b><u>The Sure Thing</u></b>, a romantic comedy starring John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga.<br />
<br />
And with it, Reiner proved he was in Hollywood to stay. <b><u>The Sure Thing</u></b> is an absolute delight.<br />
<br />
College Freshman Walter “Gib” Gibson (Cusack) has lost his touch with the ladies. Even his attempt to seduce his pretty but uptight classmate, Alison (Zuniga), ends in disaster. With Christmas break approaching, things are looking bleak for poor Gib.<br />
<br />
But his luck may soon be changing. His best friend from high school, Lance (Anthony Edwards), tells Gib that he has set him up with a “Sure Thing”, a girl who loves sex as much as Gib needs it. And what’s more, she’s gorgeous (Nicolette Sheridan). All Gib has to do is make his way from New England to L.A. before this “Sure Thing” heads home for the holidays.<br />
<br />
So, Gib hitches a ride with Gary (Tim Robbins) and Mary Ann (Lisa Jane Persky), who had posted a flyer on the campus bulletin board looking for people to join them as they drive out west.<br />
<br />
To Gib’s dismay, only one other passenger will be tagging along: Alison, who is heading to UCLA to visit her boyfriend (Boyd Gaines).<br />
<br />
Still reeling from their experience together, Gib and Alison bicker the whole time, until Gary and Mary Ann have had enough, and abandon them on a deserted road in the Midwest. Left on their own, Gib and Alison must team up if they’re to have any chance of making it to Southern California. The trip will be tough, even perilous, but through it all, they find they might be able to teach each other a thing or two about life.<br />
<br />
John Cusack is hilarious as Gib, an outgoing, charismatic guy who knows how to have a good time. In fact, if <b><u>The Sure Thing</u></b> has one weakness, it’s that we don’t believe for a <b><i>second</i></b> that a guy like Cusack’s Gib would have any trouble with the ladies. Cusack oozes charisma in this part, and if we the audience see that, wouldn’t the girls at his school?<br />
<br />
No matter, though, because Cusack owns this role, and he and Zuniga - also excellent as the smart but mousy and uptight Alison - are wonderful together. And it is how Reiner and screenwriters Steve Bloom and Jonathan Roberts handle the duo’s journey to California, slowly bringing them together, that makes <b><u>The Sure Thing</u></b> an excellent romantic comedy.<br />
<br />
Reiner would follow up <b><u>The Sure Thing</u></b> with one amazing movie after another, a string of hits including <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2011/07/334-stand-by-me-1986.html" target="_blank">Stand By Me</a></u></b>, <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2012/04/621-princess-bride-1987.html" target="_blank">The Princess Bride</a></u></b>, <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2012/02/545-when-harry-met-sally-1989.html" target="_blank">When Harry Met Sally</a></u></b>, and his adaptation of Stephen King’s <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2012/10/789-misery-1990.html" target="_blank">Misery</a></u></b>. Now that’s a hell of a stretch! Quite often, <b><u>The Sure Thing</u></b> gets overlooked when people discuss Reiner’s early filmography, and that’s a shame. <b><u>The Sure Thing</u></b> deserves its place alongside all these films, and showed the world that Reiner, Cusack, and Zuniga had bright futures ahead of them.<br />
</span><b><span style="color: #01ffff;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Rating: 9 out of 10
</span><br /></span></b>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/oq5cS9-mlhQ?controls=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
DVD Infatuationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02986606131886453883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1003345269984484749.post-49020010654625719282023-10-28T05:00:00.066-04:002023-10-28T05:00:00.145-04:00#2,933. Citizen Gangster (2011) - Double Feature of Off the Beaten Path Gangster Films<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYXunrMmwd-4ut0QdVS4I4L-fRdXqUHCJ5faBP0IwCVMawY5quI_SbAaN-eNq_fTIJbEsOU55i8TQdjuGnl90zSHnLo_v4VSF38RwkpOUaTqInxuwzJcI0cIyEPvxpwZdv9bvJbRsD1NxZ9LwyNq8S0Kj3_uCOcwdWrjI-s6_EzE-HSVhbURW74CjDWxup/s2048/citizengangster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1382" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYXunrMmwd-4ut0QdVS4I4L-fRdXqUHCJ5faBP0IwCVMawY5quI_SbAaN-eNq_fTIJbEsOU55i8TQdjuGnl90zSHnLo_v4VSF38RwkpOUaTqInxuwzJcI0cIyEPvxpwZdv9bvJbRsD1NxZ9LwyNq8S0Kj3_uCOcwdWrjI-s6_EzE-HSVhbURW74CjDWxup/s320/citizengangster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">
I knew nothing about the real Edwin Boyd going into 2011’s <b><u>Citizen Gangster</u></b>. A veteran of World War II who had dreams of becoming an actor, Boyd, a Canadian, found it difficult to adjust to life after the war, and turned to robbing banks to support his wife and two children.<br />
<br />
Boyd was eventually captured and imprisoned, but joined forces with several fellow inmates and managed to escape. Once loose, Boyd and his new pals started robbing banks, and the media, anxious to give their audience a glimmer of hope in desperate times, turned Edwin Boyd and his cohorts into folk heroes.<br />
<br />
Written and directed by Nathan Morlando, who actually befriended the real Edwin Boyd, <b><u>Citizen Gangster</u></b> sets out to tell Boyd’s story, and aside from some sections that feel a bit rushed, the movie has enough going for it that it accomplishes just that.<br />
<br />
As <b><u>Citizen Gangster</u></b> opens, Edwin Boyd (Scott Speedman) iss working as a bus driver in Toronto. To make ends meet, his wife Doreen (Kelly Reilly) takes in washing while also keeping an eye on the couple’s two children. Tired of his job, and frustrated that his acting career isn’t going anywhere, Boyd abruptly quits and, painting his face with his wife’s make-up, robs his first bank.<br />
<br />
Then another... <br />
<br />
...And another.<br />
<br />
At first, he tells Doreen that he landed a lucrative acting gig, but she discovers the truth right about the same time that the police, led by ace Detective David Rhys (William Mapother), catch Boyd in the act.<br />
<br />
In prison, Boyd meets both Lenny Jackson (Kevin Durand), a fellow war veteran who lost a foot in a railway accident; and Willie (Brendan Fletcher), aka “The Clown”. Together, the three saw their way through the cell bars, climb the wall, and are met on the other side by Jackson’s buddy Val Kosak (Joseph Cross), who drives them to a safe place where they can lay low.<br />
<br />
But they don’t “lay low” for very long!<br />
<br />
Soon, Boyd and his new “gang” are back at it, robbing banks and stealing more money that any of them have ever seen before. Along with Lenny’s fiancé Ann (Melanie Scrofano) and Kozak’s mistress Mary Mitchell (Charlotte Sullivan), the “Boyd Gang” makes quite a name for itself, and all are portrayed as folk heroes in the media.<br />
<br />
Despite Doreen’s repeated requests that he give up his life of crime, Edwin Boyd presses on. But how long will he and the others stay one step ahead of the law, which is doing everything in its power to bring them to justice?<br />
<br />
Shot on-location in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, <b><u>Citizen Gangster</u></b>, with its snowy landscapes, feels every bit a Canadian film, and Morlando and company do a fine job recreating the time period (early 1950s), when Boyd and associates carried out their misdeeds. The performances are all solid, led by Speedman’s charismatic portrayal of Edwin Boyd, who robs banks with style and panache (he seems to be putting on a show with each and every heist). Reilly is also good as Boyd’s long-suffering wife, though the scenes with the two of them together, after Boyd turns to a life of crime, are my least favorite in the movie. It’s not the actors’ fault; their relationship, as portrayed on-screen, felt too predictable, hitting all the beats you would expect, to the point I stopped caring about them as a couple.<br />
<br />
Also good in support is Brian Cox, who plays Boyd’s father Glover, a retired cop! But my favorite turn in the entire film is Kevin Durand as Lenny Jackson, Boyd’s very angry associate. We recognize right away that Lenny may be a loose cannon (which proves to be the case at a key moment in the film), yet we also like the guy, who has overcome a lot of adversity and truly loves his fiancé. In one of the film’s best scenes, the gang takes off for Montreal so that Lenny and Ann can get married. Durand was so impressive that, even in those scenes when Speedman’s Boyd is nowhere to be found, his Lenny Jackson carries the movie, and we never once miss Edwin.<br />
<br />
Speedman and Durand, along with Fletcher, Cross, and Sullivan, bring a substantial energy to their scenes together, and like Arthur Penn’s <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2012/04/608-bonnie-and-clyde-1967.html" target="_blank">Bonnie and Clyde</a></u></b>, we find ourselves rooting for the bad guys, hoping they will somehow get away with it and live happily ever after.<br />
<br />
As I mentioned above, some scenes in <b><u>Citizen Gangster</u></b> feel rushed, starting with Boyd’s initial crime spree and his escape from prison, all of which play out like an accelerated “origin story”, simply to get us as quickly as possible to the scenes with Boyd’s gang. But since those later moments are my favorite in the movie, I guess I can’t complain.<br />
<br />
Despite its flaws, <b><u>Citizen Gangster</u></b> is a strong crime film that sheds light on an historical figure who, before this movie, I never even knew existed.<br />
<b><span style="color: #01ffff;">Rating: 7.5 out of 10 </span></b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/si4QnL-vuB4?controls=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
DVD Infatuationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02986606131886453883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1003345269984484749.post-89636185922494842802023-10-21T05:00:00.041-04:002023-10-21T05:00:00.153-04:00#2,932. The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960) - Double Feature of Off the Beaten Path Gangster Films<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghnSuIA_0rvh9TqF534qGFfh2Au9JnK3pDtIdhBCtkuDmZgQUi_gHjrs8wMyBXo8seqedjjKqZmuPKdoHztv2Oq9kzp_JoP551VfCdQRBLK0OfK17b27PmcmkWc649cwl2h4vr-wYx1911FTu54h_img-ghdVb4sxwzIL09JEfF4ja-iyB10-SQK4RgC5u/s1514/riseandfalllegsdiamond.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1514" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghnSuIA_0rvh9TqF534qGFfh2Au9JnK3pDtIdhBCtkuDmZgQUi_gHjrs8wMyBXo8seqedjjKqZmuPKdoHztv2Oq9kzp_JoP551VfCdQRBLK0OfK17b27PmcmkWc649cwl2h4vr-wYx1911FTu54h_img-ghdVb4sxwzIL09JEfF4ja-iyB10-SQK4RgC5u/s320/riseandfalllegsdiamond.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">
“<i>Jack ‘Legs’ Diamond was spawned in the 1920’s - <br />
An era of incredible violence</i><br />
<i>This is the way it happened</i>”.<br />
<br />
Budd Boetticher, who helmed some of the finest westerns of the 1950’s (<b><u>7 Men From Now</u></b>, <b><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2013/05/990-tall-t-1957.html" target="_blank">The Tall T</a></b>) brings his patented style to the gangster genre with 1960’s <b><u>The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond</u></b>.<br />
<br />
And what a gangster movie it is!<br />
<br />
Inspired by true events, <b><u>The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond</u></b> opens soon after its title character - a professional thief played by Ray Danton - and his sickly brother / partner-in-crime Eddie (Warren Oates) move to New York City. Their first robbery, a well-executed jewelry heist pulled off with the unwitting help of dance instructor Alice Scott (Karen Steele), lands Legs in prison.<br />
<br />
A few years later, when he’s scheduled to appear before the parole board, Legs somehow convinces Alice, still reeling from being duped years earlier, to get him a job as a dancer (being employed will give him a better chance at parole). Legs is released, and for a while he and Alice perform regularly at a New York night club.<br />
<br />
One evening, while he and Alice are dancing, Legs recognizes infamous gambler / underworld figure Arnold Rothstein (Robert Lowery) in the crowd. His mind spinning, Legs leaves Alice and, with Eddie in tow, tries to land a job as Rothstein’s new bodyguard.<br />
<br />
Thus begins Legs’ rocky climb to the top of the New York underworld, and he never lets anything, not even being shot, damper his ambitions to be the mob’s Numero Uno.<br />
<br />
Ray Danton is ruthless as hell as Jack “Legs” Diamond, a criminal who will do whatever is necessary, and step on anyone, to get what he wants. After breaking poor Alice’s heart (twice), he sets his sights on Arnold Rothstein’s main squeeze, Monica (Elaine Stewart), seducing her, then telling Rothstein all about the affair. The only person Legs truly cares about is Eddie, but even that relationship becomes a burden after a while.<br />
<br />
By the end of the film, I was convinced Danton’s Legs Diamond was among the most heartless, vindictive gangsters I had even seen portrayed on film. I put him right up there with Cagney in <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2011/10/433-public-enemy-1931.html" target="_blank">The Public Enemy</a></u></b>, Pacino in <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2011/11/449-scarface-1983.html" target="_blank">Scarface</a></u></b>, and Joe Pesci in both <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2013/05/1000-goodfellas-1990.html" target="_blank">Goodfellas</a></u></b> and <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2015/07/1785-casino-1995.html" target="_blank">Casino</a></u></b>. Also keep an eye out for a young Dyan Cannon, making her big-screen debut as Dixie, yet another moll who falls for Legs.<br />
<br />
Along with Danton’s fiery performance, <b><u>The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond</u></b> is expertly directed by Boetticher, who keeps the story moving along at a brisk pace. The film seldom slows down, and for a movie made in 1960, it is surprisingly violent.<br />
<br />
For me, Budd Boetticher was always one of the best at directing westerns. He still holds that distinction. But with <b><u>The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond</u></b>, he proved genre didn’t matter. Budd Boetticher was a great director… period!<br />
<b><span style="color: #01ffff;">Rating: 9.5 out of 10
<br /></span></b></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/2T8LLJD42Mc?controls=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
DVD Infatuationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02986606131886453883noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1003345269984484749.post-35046023905274240772023-10-14T05:00:00.035-04:002023-12-03T01:07:24.589-05:00#2,931. The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968) - Double Feature of '60s British War Films<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-xM1Ib66RmmDV5sIZmhFg6wY-4r0fps1NBCIXSs8u86t1hZbsJGaBvJc2QSPPxQ7J-Xg8e6mQEutD_uiGITw2UqcgoPjMC9kWm-9SciYZA7OOkORnndb6F_-Yl8uwmKj3aYQRChptvzlMMWZfp3YXA6K7kfOzCRMHLrOk86IDotTwkOHoifW8RSV2TSf2/s700/chargeoflightbrigade.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="700" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-xM1Ib66RmmDV5sIZmhFg6wY-4r0fps1NBCIXSs8u86t1hZbsJGaBvJc2QSPPxQ7J-Xg8e6mQEutD_uiGITw2UqcgoPjMC9kWm-9SciYZA7OOkORnndb6F_-Yl8uwmKj3aYQRChptvzlMMWZfp3YXA6K7kfOzCRMHLrOk86IDotTwkOHoifW8RSV2TSf2/s320/chargeoflightbrigade.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">
Inspired by the 1854 poem written by Alfred Lord Tennyson, which detailed a battle during the Crimean War in which the British Light Brigade was routed by Russian troops, Tony Richardson’s 1968 film is the third cinematic version of this story (the first, a silent film, was released in 1912. This was followed by Warner Bros. 1936 movie, directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Errol Flynn).<br />
<br />
With a tale so deeply rooted in the past, there are moments in ‘68s <b><u>The Charge of the Light Brigade</u></b> that feel stale. But it’s in the telling that Richardson sets his film apart, even falling back on humor occasionally to recreate what is an otherwise very somber historical event.<br />
<br />
The film opens in the days before the outbreak of the Crimean War (when Russia invaded Turkey, threatening to cut off Great Britain from its interests in India). Capt. Louis Nolan (David Hemmings) of the British Cavalry has just returned to England from abroad, and is reunited with his close friend, fellow officer Capt. William Morris (Mark Burns). He even attends Morris’ wedding to the lovely Clarissa (Vanessa Redgrave). Over the coming weeks, the three are inseparable, and as a result of their time together, Clarissa develops a crush on her new husband’s friend, amorous feelings that are returned by Nolan.<br />
<br />
But Nolan is having issues of his own with their commanding officer, Lord Cardigan (Trevor Howard), the haughty, old-school Cavalry man who distrusts Nolan and does what he can to make the Captain’s life miserable.<br />
<br />
Nolan appeals to Lord Raglan (John Gielgud), head of the Army, to intervene on his behalf, but Raglan has his hands full when news breaks that Russia has invaded Turkey. England is at war!<br />
<br />
With Lord Lucan (Harry Andrews), Lord Cardigan’s brother-in-law as well as his sworn enemy, appointed General of the Cavalry, and Cardigan himself heading up the Light Brigade, the troops set sail for the Crimea, where they hope to recapture the strategically important city of Sevastopol.<br />
<br />
Lord Raglan and his aides put together a plan of action, but it becomes obvious to Nolan, Morris, and many of the younger troops that their battle-hardened superiors are out of touch with modern warfare, and are leading them to disaster.<br />
<br />
Much of what transpires in the opening hour or so of <b><u>The Charge of the Light Brigade</u></b> is interesting but cliché. The love triangle involving Nolan, Morris, and Clarissa is nothing new, and isn’t given the time to really come alive. It feels crowbarred in, and, ultimately, unnecessary.<br />
<br />
Also standard to many movies of this ilk are the showdowns between Nolan and Lord Cardigan (played to perfection by Trevor Howard), clearly designed by Lord Cardigan to knock the smart and experienced Nolan down a peg or two (the “Black Bottle” affair with Lord Cardigan is something that really happened, though Nolan, himself an actual historical figure, was not the solider involved).<br />
<br />
That said, the second half of <b><u>The Charge of the Light Brigade</u></b> comes alive in a big, <b><i>big</i></b> way!<br />
<br />
Along with the battle scenes, which are exciting, Richardson inserts a number of animated sequences into the mix. They are in the style of old-time patriotic cartoons, designed to praise the British military and demean its enemies. We get a taste of said animation right off the bat, during the opening credits, and it starts the movie off in entertaining fashion. Yes, these cartoons are jingoistic and over-the-top, but you get the feeling they are there to make us laugh as much as move the story forward (the frequency of these animated sequences increases once the war is in full swing).<br />
<br />
Richardson and screenwriters Charles Wood and John Osborne also set their sights on the inept commanders of the British army. Gielgud plays Lord Raglan as a kindly but senile officer whose decisions rarely make sense. The night before the big battle, Raglan ignores information supplied by a Russian defector, who warned of a surprise attack the next day. Raglan's reasons for doing so? Because this “spy” is a traitor with no honor! On top of this, Lord Cardigan and Lord Lucan allow their family squabble to interfere with their military relationship, bickering even when the enemy is approaching.<br />
<br />
It all comes to a head in the film's final scene, after the battle is already lost, as the elderly Commanders sit on their horses, passing the blame for this disaster to each other. The images Richardson intersperses as the Generals argue and point fingers might make you laugh, but they more than likely will bring a tear to your eye.<br />
<br />
An historic battle told in a very ‘60s style, <b><u>The Charge of the Light Brigade</u></b>, especially in the last hour, kind of blew me away.<br />
<b><span style="color: #01ffff;">Rating: 8.5 out of 10
</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/PPTvqNuqiPY?controls=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
DVD Infatuationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02986606131886453883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1003345269984484749.post-32256265819793047312023-10-07T05:00:00.048-04:002023-12-03T01:25:59.916-05:00#2,930. How I Won the War (1967) - Double Feature of '60s British War Films<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi201I6AUFqyXJXShOGja9Qi-Fd5NEAf_eywmv1tYxwLpsGrj5D5mYkusqCEgz18q4VOIb08-l12D1HSKRYWfGDK50n-EQLq2638Y7SXACKeEsPly_9nJbPnM182ZCR1iXvSGnJv9zzbBkBrE1awemMH894kjb2dzc_K3rD8rjqHxiF6AeiXBTXAoSUuh4r/s755/howiwonthewar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="498" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi201I6AUFqyXJXShOGja9Qi-Fd5NEAf_eywmv1tYxwLpsGrj5D5mYkusqCEgz18q4VOIb08-l12D1HSKRYWfGDK50n-EQLq2638Y7SXACKeEsPly_9nJbPnM182ZCR1iXvSGnJv9zzbBkBrE1awemMH894kjb2dzc_K3rD8rjqHxiF6AeiXBTXAoSUuh4r/s320/howiwonthewar.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">
John Lennon gets second billing in the 1967 WWII comedy <b><u>How I Won the War</u></b>, which is a notable appearance for the late musician because it features him in what is his only non-musical role. Name recognition, especially in the late ‘60s, was reason enough for director Richard Lester and his team to put Lennon so high up the cast list, and almost every poster for the film (including the cover of a recent Blu-Ray release) has Lennon front and center.<br />
<br />
But Lennon’s role was not big enough to warrant his being so high up in the credits. Only the film’s star, Michael Crawford, is listed higher. Crawford plays the overly-enthusiastic, unbelievably naïve Lt. Goodbody, commanding officer of a ragtag troop sent on suicide missions first to the deserts of North Africa, then the heart of Germany.<br />
<br />
Lennon, as a soldier named Gripweed, has his moments, but personally I would have put him at maybe 5th or 6th on the cast list, certainly behind Roy Kinnear, whose Clapper is perpetually worried that his wife back home is being romanced by butchers and insurance salesmen. Lee Montague as Sgt. Transom, the unit's lone skilled soldier, also has a bigger role than Lennon. He is forever trying to clean up Goodbody’s mistakes, and seriously considers, on several occasions, shooting his commanding officer himself. <br />
<br />
As far as the comedy goes, Jack MacGowran’s insane Juniper, who first acts like a vaudeville entertainer (even attempting ventriloquism just before a key battle), then transforms into a gung-ho, war-loving General, gets the most laughs. <br />
<br />
The story is simple enough: Goodbody, fresh out of officer’s training, where he failed to impress his mentor, General Grapple (Michael Hordern), is assigned to command what might be the most inept platoon of the Second World War. Try as he might to gain their respect with pep talks and promises of glory, Goodbody only manages to alienate his men.<br />
<br />
Things go from bad to worse when they find themselves wandering the deserts of North Africa, searching for a battle they cannot find. Even the discovery of a Nazi oasis, with all the water they can drink, ends badly (after capturing the oasis via one of the film’s funniest scenes, Goodbody orders his men to build a Cricket field, then forces them to play for hours under the burning sun).<br />
<br />
But I’m getting ahead of myself here, because most of what transpires in <b><u>How I Won the War</u></b> is told in flashback. As the movie opens, Goodbody is separated from his men and captured by the Germans. He is interrogated by Nazi officer Oldebog (Karl Michael Volger), who has orders from High Command to destroy what is the last bridge over the Rhine, thus cutting Berlin off from the invading Allied forces.<br />
<br />
Goodbody develops a friendship with Oldebog, finding in him a fellow soldier with whom he can finally communicate. So, Goodbody gives his name, rank, and serial number, then proceeds to regale Oldebog with his platoon’s exploits since they entered the war!<br />
<br />
Like he did three years earlier with <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2012/11/817-hard-days-night-1964.html" target="_blank">A Hard Day’s Night</a></u></b>, director Richard Lester brings style to spare to <b><u>How I Won the War</u></b>. Characters break the fourth wall, talking directly to the audience; and stock footage of actual battle scenes are incorporated into the film’s staged skirmishes, often jarringly so (the battles themselves seldom match the selected stock footage, though I believe that was a deliberate choice made by Lester). There are times when the characters even let it slip that they know it’s all just a movie!<br />
<br />
Billed as a war / comedy, <b><u>How I Won the War</u></b> is also an effective fantasy, with settings that seldom make sense for a WWII movie (the oasis is especially strange), and characters who talk openly of their disdain for their commanding officer, and flee from battle the moment shots rings out. This was all designed, of course, by Lester and company, a grand statement of sorts on war and the effect (or <b><i>lack</i></b> of effect) it has on the common soldier.<br />
<br />
But scenes are strung together in a confusing manner. With so many jumps back and forth in the timeline, we often ask ourselves “<i>Where are we now?</i>”. Even more jarring is that, whenever one character is shot dead, they are replaced by a “Toy Soldier”, decked out entirely in green or red and with a stocking over their face. There were times when <b><u>How I Won the War</u></b> frustrated me, and my attention waned as a result.<br />
<br />
Yet there are also very effective scenes throughout, especially in the final act. Lester incorporates more intense, more realistic battle sequences into the film’s goofier skirmishes. One character, killed by a stray bullet from a dropped rifle, is also shown as dying with honor during the battle of Alamein, a correlation, no doubt, between the absurdity and the heroics of warfare. The man is just as dead in both scenarios. In one, he is a brave soldier, shot in the head, his body lying against the treads of a German tank. In the other, he is a victim of hilariously bad luck. Which is reality, and which is fantasy? We don’t know, and I’m not sure we’re <b><i>supposed</i></b> to know.<br />
<br />
In the last half hour of <b><u>How I Won the War</u></b>, Lester finally hits his stride, blending the surreal with the all-too-real while driving home his points about war, commanding officers, and enemy combatants. The confusion I felt early on gave way to a genuine admiration for the film, and I laughed a little when, during the grand finale, the title <b><u>How I Won the War</u></b> proved more than one soldier’s boastful bravado.<br />
<br />
With nods to movies such as <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2012/02/553-lawrence-of-arabia-1962.html" target="_blank">Lawrence of Arabia</a></u></b> (the theme from which plays as the troops stumble around the North African desert) and <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2012/09/762-bridge-on-river-kwai-1957.html" target="_blank">Bridge on the River Kwai</a></u></b> (a key moment from that movie is parodied to perfection during the oasis raid), <b><u>How I Won the War</u></b> both reaches for and lovingly mocks grand, sprawling war epics, all the while keeping its tongue firmly planted in its cheek.<br />
<br />
As for Lennon, he does, as I said, have his moments in the movie, and proved himself an able actor even when not strumming a guitar.<br />
<br />
But don’t let the ads fool you; there’s a lot more to <b><u>How I Won the War</u></b> than John Lennon!<br />
<b><span style="color: #01ffff;">Rating: 6.5 out of 10
</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/d8cK7Z78o8k?controls=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
DVD Infatuationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02986606131886453883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1003345269984484749.post-2117216022609436872023-09-30T05:00:00.036-04:002023-09-30T05:00:00.148-04:00#2,929. 3:15 (1986) - Random Musings<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgulLqGOEYJd96FcSsqITnYDFHpF5zNLZBF2mAxINyMn8GW-rxelNOMZuZrBxzDQWsIIar5kO1JJ9NPucYITSd_VEuGZU-iAfmpiS2XuuxV7uIvWpIgpP-05qcH56Cbc7UUZusSYFmMZ6hoUhK0oJ3lrLa-d30fCOJto6SW5inudajzzUwJL2HHupVhv0en/s1037/315.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1037" data-original-width="666" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgulLqGOEYJd96FcSsqITnYDFHpF5zNLZBF2mAxINyMn8GW-rxelNOMZuZrBxzDQWsIIar5kO1JJ9NPucYITSd_VEuGZU-iAfmpiS2XuuxV7uIvWpIgpP-05qcH56Cbc7UUZusSYFmMZ6hoUhK0oJ3lrLa-d30fCOJto6SW5inudajzzUwJL2HHupVhv0en/s320/315.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">
The title of this 1986 film is also what everything in the movie builds towards: the big showdown at 3:15 pm. And director Larry Gross manages to generate just enough tension throughout to drag us, scene by scene, to the edge of our seats until that moment the clock tells us it is finally time for shit to go down!<br />
<br />
When a street fight with a rival gang ends in tragedy, Jeff Hannah (Adam Baldwin) decides enough is enough, and tells his best friend Cinco (Danny De La Paz), leader of the Cobras, that he’s leaving the gang for good.<br />
<br />
A year passes, and Jeff has turned his life around. A star basketball player for Lincoln High, he’s also fallen in love with pretty classmate Sherry (Deborah Foreman). But the Cobras still run the school, shaking down kids for money and peddling drugs in the halls and bathrooms.<br />
<br />
In an effort to rid his school of Cinco and the other Cobras, Principal Horner (Rene Auberjonois) works closely with Detective Moran (Ed Lauter) of the local precinct to arrange a police raid, in the hopes of catching the Cobras with enough drugs on them to put them away for good.<br />
<br />
While running from the cops, Cinco asks his old pall Jeff to help him, but Jeff refuses. Arrested and dragged off to jail, an angry Cinco vows revenge on his old buddy. Jeff takes Cinco’s threats in stride, until Cinco and the other cobras are back on the streets, released due to “insufficient evidence”.<br />
<br />
Cinco is as determined as ever to make an example of his former pal, and tells Jeff to meet him on school grounds at 3:15 that afternoon. Though he promised Sherry he wouldn’t fight anymore, Jeff has no choice but to stand up to Cinco, even if doing so may cost him his life.<br />
<br />
Subtitled <i><u>The Moment of Truth</u></i>, <b><u>3:15</u></b> boasts good performances by both Baldwin (likable as the former gang thug turned jock) and Foreman (as the girl who loves him). Both are upstaged time and again, however, by De La Paz as the vindictive and violent Cinco. De La Paz may have less screen time than his co-stars, and occasionally walks a fine line between genuine intensity and over-the-top bravado (especially in the final act), but there’s no denying the movie is better when his Cinco is front and center.<br />
<br />
<b><u>3:15</u></b> also features a solid, rock-heavy soundtrack; and a few early action scenes, including the gang battle that causes the rift between Jeff and Cinco and the police raid on Lincoln High, get the audience’s adrenaline pumping right out of the gate.<br />
<br />
But like <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2012/04/605-high-noon-1952.html" target="_blank">High Noon</a></u></b> before it, what makes <b><u>3:15</u></b> so good is the build-up to the inevitable showdown between the hero and villain, a final battle that everyone in school knows is coming. Try as he might to forget Cinco is out to get him, Jeff is reminded at damn near every turn, by damn near everybody in school, including former girlfriend (and Cinco’s new squeeze) Lora (Wendy Barry); his basketball teammates Chris (Scott McGinnis) and Jim (John Scott Clough); and Principal Horner himself, who figures, one way or another, this will end Cinco’s reign of terror at Lincoln High (if Jeff wins, Cinco loses his position of power. If he kills Jeff, Cinco will finally be locked up for good). Jeff even gets some friendly advice from Whisperer (a young Mario Van Peebles), leader of a rival school gang, who is looking to take over once Cinco and the Cobras are out.<br />
<br />
Jeff has promised Sherry he will not fight, but as 3:15 pm draws closer, pretty much everyone, characters and audience alike, know it’s a promise he cannot keep. Nobody lets poor Jeff forget what will eventually go down, and by focusing so intently on his dilemma, we feel, even share his building concern, to the point that, when 3:15 finally rolls around, it’s almost a relief. The suspense is over.<br />
<br />
And what <b><i>does</i></b> go down at 3:15 was worth all the hype leading up to it!<br />
<b><span style="color: #01ffff;">Rating: 8.5 out of 10
</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/51_cRYyUwQQ?controls=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
DVD Infatuationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02986606131886453883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1003345269984484749.post-23601256796956946252023-09-23T05:00:00.042-04:002023-09-23T05:00:00.163-04:00#2,928. The Big Racket (1976) - 70s Euro Crime Triple Feature<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAnXwEV1jv6jgQRJfvMMW83w8ppXtNZN1XjXR0CuQO3OGXvxEjrwX84upjjheNWM20NaleEufMmzxLUsAfTM1U4ld0btW_A4_T1DQTrN-61IKBT0M4UjSbh-2S-x1iTRdjxNcOap_Yr-JTeIvmQd-qLS4V_a6O2RxrNgWzX9e-VnZTb1AKxiObjSBqXVTG/s597/bigracket.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="419" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAnXwEV1jv6jgQRJfvMMW83w8ppXtNZN1XjXR0CuQO3OGXvxEjrwX84upjjheNWM20NaleEufMmzxLUsAfTM1U4ld0btW_A4_T1DQTrN-61IKBT0M4UjSbh-2S-x1iTRdjxNcOap_Yr-JTeIvmQd-qLS4V_a6O2RxrNgWzX9e-VnZTb1AKxiObjSBqXVTG/s320/bigracket.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">
When writing about Enzo G. Castellari’s 1976 crime movie <b><u>The Big Racket</u></b>, Italian critic Morando Morandini said:<br />
<br />
“<i>It’s a fascist film. It’s a vile film. It’s an idiot film</i>”.<br />
<br />
A strong reaction, certainly, but then <b><u>The Big Racket</u></b> is the kind of movie that will elicit such a response.<br />
<br />
There are scenes that hit you like a ton of bricks, moments so disturbing they will stay with you for days. And the criminals in <b><u>The Big Racket</u></b> are detestable. Think of the worst gang of thugs and lowlifes in any movie you’ve seen, and chances are they won’t hold a candle to the villains in this film.<br />
<br />
And yet, despite its harsh and gritty approach, Castellari directs <b><u>The Big Racket</u></b> with gusto, and even some panache, making it a whole lot more than your run-of-the-mill violent crime flick.<br />
<br />
Gangs roam the streets of a small neighborhood in Rome, extorting “protection” money from shop owners and businessmen, often demanding sizable payments they cannot afford. If these merchants don’t cough up the cash, they are beaten and their businesses are destroyed. Detective Palmieri (Fabio Testi) has been trying to rid the area of this vermin for years, only to find that the victims are scared, and never willing to press charges.<br />
<br />
Then, restaurant owner Luigi (Renzo Palmer) decides he’s had enough, and agrees to cooperate with Palmieri. The criminals respond by kidnapping Luigi’s daughter and raping her.<br />
<br />
When his superiors, who fear he’s become too emotionally attached to the case, prevent Palmieri from getting involved any further, the disgruntled cop rounds up a few equally pissed cohorts, including Luigi; small-time crook Pepe (Vincent Gardenia); and champion sharpshooter Gianni Rossetti (Orso Maria Guerrini), whose own wife, Anna (Anna Zinnemann), also suffered the cruel abuse of the gangs. Employing their own brand of vigilante justice, they take the fight to the crooks, hoping to end this reign of terror once and for all.<br />
<br />
<b><u>The Big Racket</u></b> is a violent film. It is unflinching. The rape of Luigi’s daughter is tough to watch, but there is another scene later in the film (with Gianni and his wife) that is tougher.<br />
<br />
Castellari also borrows heavily from earlier films such as <b><u>Dirty Harry</u></b> and <b><u>Death Wish</u></b>, which favored vigilantism over law and order. Yet by the time Detective Palmieri puts his team together (making the final act of <b><u>The Big Racket</u></b> a kind of <b><u>Dirty Harry</u></b> meets Castellari’s own 1978 film <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2022/01/2688-inglorious-bastards-1978-spotlight.html" target="_blank">The Inglorious Bastards</a></u></b>), we the audience are one with their cause, and happily put our own morality on the backburner. We are cheering the vigilantes on because the criminals in this film are loathsome (a tribute to the actors and actress who play them). We hate this scum, and cannot wait to see each and every one get their just desserts.<br />
<br />
We know we <b><i>shouldn’t</i></b> feel that way, but we do. Castellari has pulled the strings perfectly, and we go where he leads us, accepting that, yes, the final showdown happens <b><i>exactly</i></b> how it needs to happen.<br />
<br />
Part of the reason Castellari pulls this off is that he infuses <b><u>The Big Racket</u></b> with tons of style. Amidst all the carnage and ugliness are some impressively staged sequences, chief among them an early encounter between Palmieri and the crooks, in which the thugs destroy Palmieri’s car while he’s still inside it, then roll it down a hill. Shooting half of this sequence from the car’s interior, we watch as Fabio Testi (doing his own stunt work) tumbles over and over again in a rolling vehicle. It is as awe-inspiring as it is terrifying. There are even a few moments of beauty, like a brief scene in which Palmieri, recovering from the wounds, strolls along a beach as the setting sun illuminates the sky.<br />
<br />
Employing these as well as slow-motion, and combining it all with convincing violence (I couldn’t count the number of squibs used during the shootouts); impressive locations (one scene is set in the Roman Forum); and an over-the-top, often comedic performance by Vincent Gardenia, whose Pepe is the sole likable crook in the entire movie, Castellari manages to make the terrible and grotesque more palpable.<br />
<br />
And when you watch <b><u>The Big Racket</u></b>, you will realize this was no small accomplishment.<br />
<b><span style="color: #01ffff;">Rating: 9 out of 10
</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/boxrwXcVB_o?controls=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
DVD Infatuationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02986606131886453883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1003345269984484749.post-69884321925699161112023-09-16T05:00:00.001-04:002023-09-18T01:35:10.623-04:00#2,927. Killer Cop (1975) - 70s Euro Crime Triple Feature<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf8DcKMBqMGPSnmzZO0Uf17tl8as6GBn3ggTI6UW0j4xrCEoHxxLTzV22R7O94EGQvrG00H3_29vtFNbfjsMaAAmqcrQBSyi9LC0pKTh7WzTuuMTTCve-8Udnb5wcSC2i6Jx92UmjhBh89jHx4xSY6io3YdpwfWYf2YSSMQmMiNfk-icGeaSL2dDhezQoo/s3534/killercop.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3534" data-original-width="2508" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf8DcKMBqMGPSnmzZO0Uf17tl8as6GBn3ggTI6UW0j4xrCEoHxxLTzV22R7O94EGQvrG00H3_29vtFNbfjsMaAAmqcrQBSyi9LC0pKTh7WzTuuMTTCve-8Udnb5wcSC2i6Jx92UmjhBh89jHx4xSY6io3YdpwfWYf2YSSMQmMiNfk-icGeaSL2dDhezQoo/s320/killercop.jpg" width="227" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">
The Italian title for Luciano Ercoli’s 1975 Euro-crime film is <i><u>La polizia ha le mani legate</u></i>, which translates in English to <i><u>The Police Have Their Hands Tied</u></i>. In my opinion, that is a lot better, and certainly a more appropriate description of the movie, than calling the film <b><u>Killer Cop</u></b>. Why they named it <b><u>Killer Cop</u></b> in America is beyond me. It is not only misleading, but also a disservice to what is a tense, intriguing crime thriller.<br />
<br />
The police do, indeed, have their hands tied throughout <b><u>Killer Cop</u></b>. While searching the hotel room of an international drug dealer, inspector Matteo Rolandi (Claudio Cassinelli) of the Milan police is caught in the middle of a terrorist attack; a bomb, hidden inside a suitcase, explodes in the hotel’s lobby.<br />
<br />
The young political activist who planted the bomb, a guy we later find out is named Franco (Bruno Zanin), tried to retrieve the suitcase before it exploded, and even warned everyone to run just before it went off. That’s because Franco realized, at the last minute, that he accidentally planted a much larger explosive than originally intended. Feeling guilty, the young man (who lost his glasses while attempting to get the suitcase back) hops a bus and rides it for a few stops.<br />
<br />
When he gets off the bus, Franco writes an apology on a newspaper and leaves it in a nearby phone booth. Unfortunately for Franco, Police Inspector Balsamo (Franco Fabrizi) was also on this bus, and, noticing the young man’s nervous disposition, retrieves the newspaper, reads it, and immediately gives chase. Franco escapes, but not before Balsami gets a good look at him.<br />
<br />
As the only person who can identify the bomber, Balsami is placed in protective custody, and takes up residence at the home of Armando Di Federico (Arthur Kennedy), the gov’t official put in charge of investigating the bombing. Unfortunately, Franco’s associates still get to Balsami, and he is gunned down.<br />
<br />
Anxious to find out who is behind both the bombing and Balsami’s assassination, Inspector Rolandi, though not assigned to the case, does a little investigating of his own, all as Franco and his associates, Rocco (Paolo Poiret) and Falena (Valeria D’Obici), are somehow staying one step ahead of the law.<br />
<br />
What Rolandi and Di Federico don’t know, however, is that there are greater forces at work, and a few individuals very close to them, government employees like themselves, might know more than they are letting on.<br />
<br />
Along with acting as a time capsule of the socio-political climate in Italy the mid-‘70s, <b><u>Killer Cop</u></b> was also inspired by true events, specifically the 1969 Piazza Fontana bombing in Milan. This brings a chilling sort of realism to the film, and sets the stage for what will prove to be an involving and very cool procedural, both from the perspectives of the law <b><i>and</i></b> the lawbreakers.<br />
<br />
We watch as Rolandi ignores protocol to get a look at some important evidence in police storage, then enlists the help of a number of opticians, figuring that Franco, who is near blind without his glasses, will try to get a new pair at some point. We also sit in with Di Federico as he wrestles with both the country’s Information bureau (who are demanding to be included in the investigation) and his own conscience (for not better protecting his star witness, Balsami).<br />
<br />
But director Ercoli also brings us into the world of the bomber, Franco, and his compatriots, who run into a little trouble of their own when they attempt to flee Milan. Ercoli and writer Gianfranco Gallgarich ensure that <b><i>both</i></b> sides of this story are given ample screen time before merging into one in the final act.<br />
<br />
I also loved how Ercoli referenced other well-known crime films throughout <b><u>Killer Cop</u></b>. The killing of Balsami, from the area where he’s gunned down to the fact he was shot in the back, felt like an homage to the shooting of Don Corleone in 1972’s <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2012/10/778-godfather-1972.html" target="_blank">The Godfather</a></u></b> (both occur while the intended victim was shopping for fruit at a streetside stand). Also, late in the film, there’s a scene where Rolandi is chasing down Papaya (Sara Sperati), an informant who purposefully misled him. Suddenly, a shot rings out. The way Ercoli frames this incident, then follows the gunman into the subway, reminded me of a similar moment (or two moments together) from William Freidkin’s award-winning <b><u><a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2010/08/16-french-connection-1971.html" target="_blank">The French Connection</a></u></b>.<br />
<br />
These cinematic tributes aside, this is a first-rate thriller with chases and gunplay aplenty, and will keep you poised on the edge of your seat.<br />
<br />
Even as you’re asking yourself why the <b><i>hell</i></b> did they call it <b><u>Killer Cop</u></b>?!?<br />
<b><span style="color: #01ffff;">Rating 8.5 out of 10
</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/5W1OdQBlI4o?controls=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
DVD Infatuationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02986606131886453883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1003345269984484749.post-26519271191667413552023-09-09T05:00:00.000-04:002023-09-09T05:00:00.148-04:00#2,926. Caliber 9 (1972) - 70s Euro Crime Triple Feature<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNLmHpyvrfQ95g3lb76Ok_zRS-qg1SmH-O-w7_kDlbaWGs6ciwfMNKQg80o6PFT1pV4pEkMF7t2cURdiLF9IrRiBBI0d7UjI9TuMS3PRniKCjXOUS6bH-CRqwkLwwdcUGRhFzJZ7n4NqLkVjeU9q-7mhIZEwL_0_z0c3GDk4tRcqQl9N896Nzl4HXHLPcA/s1500/caliber9.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNLmHpyvrfQ95g3lb76Ok_zRS-qg1SmH-O-w7_kDlbaWGs6ciwfMNKQg80o6PFT1pV4pEkMF7t2cURdiLF9IrRiBBI0d7UjI9TuMS3PRniKCjXOUS6bH-CRqwkLwwdcUGRhFzJZ7n4NqLkVjeU9q-7mhIZEwL_0_z0c3GDk4tRcqQl9N896Nzl4HXHLPcA/s320/caliber9.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">
Forget limiting it to the Euro-crime subgenre; Fernando Di Leo’s <b><u>Caliber 9</u></b> is one of the best crime films I’ve seen, period! From its sharply edited pre-title sequence, which features a money drop gone wrong, to its tense, surprise-filled finale, <b><u>Caliber 9</u></b> is a smart, edgy, highly entertaining thriller.<br />
<br />
Former Milanese gangster Ugo Piazzi (Gastone Moschin) has just been released from prison. Moments after he hits the streets, Ugo is approached by former associate Rocco (Mario Adorf), who works for a powerful American crime boss (played here by Lionel Standler). Both Rocco and “The Americano” are convinced it was Ugo who made off with the money that went missing (in the pre-title sequence), then got himself arrested to throw them off his track.<br />
<br />
Ugo claims he is innocent, though very few people believe him, including his former flame Nelly (Barbara Bouchet). Feeling the heat, Ugo asks for help from his old friend Chino (Phillippe Leroy), the sole remaining capo of the elderly Don Vincenzo (Ivo Garrini). But Chino refuses.<br />
<br />
To keep an eye on Ugo, “The Americano” brings him back into the fold and orders him to work alongside Rocco, carrying out odd jobs. Everyone believes Ugo will eventually try to retrieve the money, but he insists that he is only sticking around to clear his name, and track down the real thief.<br />
<br />
The entire cast of <b><u>Caliber 9</u></b> is nothing short of amazing. Gastone Moschin, who that same year would play the ill-fated Don Fanucci in <a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2012/10/786-godfather-part-ii-1974.html" target="_blank"><b>The Godfather Part II</b></a>, is enigmatic as hell in the role of Ugo, leaving everyone, including the audience, in the dark as to whether or not he's the one that stole the mob’s money. Mario Adorf’s Rocco is the perfect counterbalance to Moschin, a flamboyant, violent gangster who harasses Ugo every chance he gets.<br />
<br />
Also on Ugo’s back is Milan’s Police Commissioner, played by Frank Wolff, who, despite his distaste for the criminal underworld, tries to cut a deal with Ugo, offering him protection and even money in exchange for information. Rounding out the cast are the lovely Bouchet as Ugo’s go-go dancer girlfriend and Lionel Standler as the “Americano”, the most influential man in Milan.<br />
<br />
Yet what <b><i>truly</i></b> impressed me about <b><u>Caliber 9</u></b> was its pacing. DiLeo keeps the film moving along briskly, with one well-directed scene after another. This is especially true of the pre-title opening. It contains no dialogue whatsoever, and even though, at the outset, we haven’t the foggiest idea what is going on, or who the characters are, DiLeo shoots it with such precision and style that we eventually figure it out. Topping this, however, and every other great scene in this movie, is the twisting, turning final act, which features one grab-you-by-the-throat surprise after another.<br />
<br />
Take all of the above, and throw in an intelligent story (the film gets its title from a collection of short tales by Giorgio Scerbanenco), and you have one <b><i>hell</i></b> of a motion picture. <b><u>Caliber 9</u></b> is a Euro-crime masterpiece.<br />
<b><span style="color: #01ffff;">Rating: 9.5 out of 10
</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/9Nw_eRFafqs?controls=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
DVD Infatuationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02986606131886453883noreply@blogger.com0