The House of the Dead (1978).

Review #2438: The House of the Dead (1978).

Cast: 

John Ericson (Talmudge), Ivor Francis (The Mortician / A Good Feller), Leslie Paxton (Marie), John King (Marie's Husband)

First segment: Judith Novgrod (Miss Sibiler)

Second segment: Burr DeBenning (Growski), Elizabeth MacRae (Mrs. Lumquist), Linda Gibboney (Julie), 

Third segment: Charles Aidman (Detective Malcolm Toliver), Bernard Fox (Inspector McDowal)

Fourth segment: Richard Gates (Cantwell)

Directed by Sharron Miller.

Review: 

Okay, I do have a curiosity for anthology movies. This is one of the movies that popped up when searching for stuff that have a few stories to make up a movie...and it does so with probably the thinnest of premises. A man gets lost in a rainstorm and winds up in a mortician's place with a bunch of caskets with people embalmed due to a strange death. Four of them, in fact. It may interest you to know this is actually the only movie directed by Sharron Miller. She was born and raised in Oklahoma and started directing and writing short films from a young age. She went to both Oklahoma State University and Northwestern University to study in theater and film and soon became a director in Hollywood with work on the TV show The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams in 1976. Miller continued to direct for television and short films into the early 2000s, which included a few Emmy Awards for her work, most notably for "ABC Afterschool Special: The Woman Who Willed a Miracle" (1983). Apparently, the movie was shot in Oklahoma with a budget of barely over $650,000 that had non-unionized broadcasting students from Oklahoma State University. The movie was almost known as "Alien Zone" for some weird reason. At least the movie has had a restored release on home video.

 

The song that plays at the start of the song is probably the highlight. So, let's judge the four segments with the bodies one by one. The first segment involves a woman coming home from her school that has a disdain for children. She comes home and tries to relax by herself only to encounter strange noises. Take a guess what seems to be the problem. It isn't even worth wondering how children can just maul an adult to death. The second segment involves a guy who has a thing for cameras and photography. Okay, and killing women in front of the camera, since he is seen being escorted from court. You see the killing of three women because, well, guy, camera, woman, yea. The segment doesn't even show his execution, the mortician is the one who tells us this, as if saying that the killer was rejected in asking for his execution to be captured on film is ironic. I suppose one is supposed to be unsettled by the segment, but we already know the character is dead from the moment we see him, you couldn't find an ironic way for him to die (what, a camera falls on him making him blindly fall into a fireplace?) rather than just have it be court-ordered execution? The third segment is the best one, mostly because it actually has two people talking to each other. It involves two egotistical detectives trying to assert their status as the great criminologist. One gets a note telling him that someone he knows will die in three days. Technically this is an interesting little duel of the minds, because at least there is something worthwhile in seeing Aidman try to assert himself against Fox in detective work. Of course, since the story only has two characters, I think you can tell what is going to go down for the climax to a point, but at least this one sounds like it could've been its own movie. The fourth segment flat out doesn't even bother to figure things out, since it is just about some rude guy getting trapped in a building that suffers anguish mentally and physically and he only has beer to drink. Then he gets out, sees a person headed towards the building (who insults him just like he did to some hobo...minutes ago, because none of these stories are particularly long to remember anyway) and...later dies of a rotted liver. I guess taking a shower and refreshing oneself after getting out of a "mysterious" building was out of the question, time to start the road to die of alcoholism, I guess. Not explaining what's up with the building in being trapped is one thing, having a guy die off-screen is beyond lame. These stories (as written by David O'Malley) seem more like a collection of short ideas that needed a second draft more than anything, but at least the movie has easy to see action rather than looking like a bad 60s cheapie.

The movie starts and ends with Ericson, who is depicted to be an adulterer. He confronts the fact that there is a fifth coffin and the fact that the four coffins depict people who were victims of their own frail foibles. Yea man, a guy dying of alcoholism after escaping a weird building, really frailty thing right there. The adulterer refuses to believe it is for him, runs off...and is shot by the cuckold. Real open and shut thing, just like the rest of the movie. And then the mortician is seen in the ambulance because ooooh. I think you can tell what I think of the movie: it stinks. Anthology movies do have a problem with having consistent quality within story to story, but this movie manages to sink down to the lousy zone early and never lets up for 80 minutes. You could say there are a few moments here and there when it comes to staging the idea of a scare (or, well, the third segment for an actual pairing), but for the most part, it just comes off as disjointed and not really that interesting to actually see play out. In a sea of horror movies, anthology or otherwise, you probably could do better than this one, but you at least won't hate the whole experience.

Overall, I give it 4 out of 10 stars.

Laserblast.

Review #2316: Laserblast.

Cast: 

Kim Milford (Billy Duncan), Cheryl Smith (Kathy Farley), Gianni Russo (Tony Craig), Roddy McDowall (Dr. Mellon), Keenan Wynn (Colonel Farley), Dennis Burkley (Deputy Pete Ungar), Barry Cutler (Deputy Jesse Jeep), Mike Bobenko (Chuck Boran), Eddie Deezen (Froggy), and Ron Masak (Sheriff) Directed by Michael Rae.

Review: 

Admittedly, willingly watching this movie is low-hanging fruit on the levels of say, Trog (1970). But you have to have a palate cleanser when it comes to wondering what kind of crap exists for sci-fi, so here's one for the books. You might wonder about the director of the film in Michael Rae. Well, there isn't much to really say, because it is the most notable movie he directed. However, it is a production produced by Charles Band (son of Albert Band, who himself had directed movies such as I Bury the Living), who at least some people know for a variety of low-budget films directed and produced over the years, which started with Last Foxtrot in Burbank (1973); his brother Richard even worked on the music for the film (alongside Joel Goldsmith). The movie had alien effects from David W. Allen, who did a variety of movie effects that spanned from Equinox (1970) to puppet/effects work in Young Sherlock Holmes (1985; he received an Academy Award nomination) to several Band productions prior to his death in 1999. Franne Schacht and Frank Ray Perilli wrote the movie, and the latter (also a writer on that Burbank film) actually did manage to write something better in that he was a co-writer with John Sayles on...Alligator (1980). 

Admittedly, I do check around to see how certain movies are rated when it comes to picking out ones with reputations in the tank. With this one...eh, I don't get it, the movie is merely just a hokey dud that is pretty strange to try and sit through for 80 minutes. One minute you'll see a bit featuring an old pro getting a quick buck in Wynn and then if you turn around for a bit you'll see "Character Actor Pro" Burkley playing a silly cop before you see the guy from The Godfather and a young (if there ever was a time to say that) Eddie Deezen. All of this goes with an amusing looking laser device, a not quite-so thought-out outline and effects that only work best when looking at aliens only. The fact that the film has a sequence where one is seen blasting a Star Wars sign is probably the biggest chuckle the film has to offer (intentionally or not), since I assumed the film was too cheap to afford a Close Encounters of the Third Kind sign. Milford had appeared in the theatre from a young age, later appearing in the original Broadway productions of Hair and The Rocky Horror Show. This was the first of his three most prominent film appearances in 1978, where he appeared in Corvette Summer and Bloodbrothers. Sadly, Milford suffered with heart defects throughout his life that saw him die at the age of 37 in 1988. The movie doesn't give him the plight one would expect from a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde knockoff to, well, actually drive drama to where it needs to go for meaningful tragedy (he may have a girl but sticking his hand up the silly weapon so he can use his other hand to fire it is clearly worth more because....). One just sees the routine of making him look like a ghoul and just sighs. The best part might as well being the pot-smoking cops played by Burkley and Cutler (folks might recognize the former as having voiced Principal Moss in King of the Hill), since they merely are shooting the breeze in a way that inspires chuckles more than quizzical stares; naturally, the film has to let one of them get lasered, so of course it has to be done when taking a bathroom break. Russo merely inspires a chuckle in trying to play the agent type for a film that barely has any cohesive structure when it comes to "pursuit", particularly when you have Wynn there to briefly exchange words about totally relevant stuff. Smith has nothing of presence to actually say, which is funny for a film where McDowall is given the bare minimum to do for what I'm sure what was a lark. The fact that Deezen is playing a nerd that actually gets in on bullying the lead is actually more amusing than the performance itself that came out before I Wanna Hold Your Hand and Grease. The movie has little to really offer beyond a few moments spent with the aliens (which naturally works out to set up a convenient ending), which seem more at home for the film than some of the actors. The movie ends just as weirdly as it starts, featuring convenience to wrap itself just as amusingly as it had set itself (aliens blasting people and stuff). The movie is dopey but a curiosity that I could at least see had something worth looking into beyond calling it one made on liquor and stupidity. In that regard, it might be worth a sit to gawk at the results.

Overall, I give it 4 out of 10 stars.

Next up: For Thanksgiving, have a lump of coal with Uwe Boll and BloodRayne.

Piranha (1978).

Review #2270: Piranha (1978).

Cast: 

Bradford Dillman (Paul Grogan), Heather Menzies (Maggie McKeown), Kevin McCarthy (Dr. Robert Hoak), Keenan Wynn (Jack), Dick Miller (Buck Gardner), Barbara Steele (Dr. Mengers), Belinda Balaski (Betsy), Melody Thomas Scott (Laura Dickinson), Bruce Gordon (Colonel Waxman), Barry Brown (Trooper), Paul Bartel (Dumont), and Shannon Collins (Suzie Grogan) Directed by Joe Dante (#007 - Looney Tunes: Back in Action, #096 - Gremlins, #097 - Small Soldiers, #1494 - Gremlins 2: The New Batch, #1744 - The Howling, #2026 - Twilight Zone: The Movie)

Review: 

"We got a lot of bad comments about Piranha because we killed off all those summer campers and it wasn’t even the end of the movie, which was black humor then and kind of shocking. Today, I don’t think that would shock anybody. I think you are now dealing with an audience that is so much more sophisticated and aware of the cliches and tricks and tropes of the genre and you have to be on your toes in order to keep their interest."

Sure, any big film can inspire a few homages, and who better to get that through the line with Roger Corman? New World Pictures? Among other things, this was filmed around the same time as. Avalanche. Apparently, the budget for Piranha was reduced by $200,000 (essentially making it a production made for roughly under $700,000) prior to production in order to help give more resources to the disaster film Avalanche (which ended up being forgotten by audiences). The film had two credited writers: Richard Robinson and John Sayles. Sayles was brought in to re-write the film for its perceived failings as a script (according to one Dante interview, the original script showed a problem in getting people to actually get in the water). It was the first feature credit for Sayles, who had graduated from Williams College in the 1970s and quickly went to work writing articles and his own novel in Pride of the Bimbos before finding work with New World Pictures (one year after the release of this film, funds used from Corman paying Sayles to write scripts saw him direct/write Return of the Secaucus 7 on his way to a further career as writer/director, which included Dante's The Howling (1981). This was the second feature effort for director Joe Dante, who had gone from editing trailers for New World to co-directing Hollywood Boulevard (1976) with Allan Arkush. He went for the film when offered it as opposed to Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979), since Arkush expressed passion for wanting to do that. Dante would also co-edit Piranha, which he described as being extensive in his dedication to editing. The movie was released in August of 1978, nearly two months after Jaws 2. Apparently, Universal Pictures tried to file an injunction against the release of the film, but they dropped it when Steven Spielberg stated his approval of the film, one that he called "the best of the Jaws rip-offs". While the film was a relative success, Corman did not express interest in doing a sequel, but he sold the rights to people who were interested in doing so, which resulted in the 1982 US-Italian production of Piranha II: The Spawning, which had a young James Cameron for a film with only a hint of a cult audience. The original film has been remade twice, once for television in 1995 and the other with Piranha 3D, released in 2010 (which in turned had a sequel two years later).

There had been plenty of horror films involving killer creatures of the sea before, whether they tried to call themselves parodies such as Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961) or ecological threats such as Frogs (1972) or "Jaws ripoffs" such as Orca (coincidentally, Wynn was in that film, released in 1977). But Piranha makes its own mark in delight. It straddles the line between horror and amusement without straining itself in overwrought expression that can be credited to Dante and the company he had with him that wanted to make it more than just a "nature gone wild" movie. You don't really see that much of the piranhas in the film, but it has enthusiasm from a director who clearly grew up on Corman and monster movies and wanted to make one with as much fun as those (complete with name actor enjoyment from McCarthy, Wynn, and the always-on-point Miller). Dillman and Menzies prove to make an interesting pair together. I particularly like the haggard expressions that come from Dillman (amusingly, Dillman was picked because Peter Fonda rejected it because he wouldn't do the film unless it had good effects and it was taking too long). He just has the confidence to just roll with the lines given out involving little killer fish and being thrust into a conspiracy where maybe the real monsters are on the surface. Gordon and Steele provide quality presence in terms of scuzzy behavior on and off the surface, although Miller amuses the most in scuzzy nature for such a brief amount of screentime. The creature effects were done with a mix of mostly rubber piranhas (and some with a few metal teeth, as done by Phil Tippett, while Chris Walas and Rob Short did prosthetic limbs for biting. The movie could've just been a silly one with little commitment from its actors in creature features, but instead they managed to have one with energy, where even a little scene involving a stop motion creature (not a piranha) shows curiosity. The terror involving piranhas (who in real life have a varied diet beyond rare attacks on humans) is handled patiently for 95 minutes (I especially like the sound of the piranhas in their attacks) in carefully executed carnage and danger. The film serves as a representation of just what Dante has to offer in directing and moving around scenes with real belief present. It is a warm fun movie for the movie-lover in all of us that appreciate horror wherever they can find it.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Coming up in the next few days: Terrifier, 50s stuff, 70s stuff, 10s stuff...

Convoy (1978).

Review #2252: Convoy (1978).

Cast: 

Kris Kristofferson (Martin "Rubber Duck" Penwald), Ali MacGraw (Melissa), Ernest Borgnine (Sheriff Lyle "Cottonmouth" Wallace), Burt Young ("Love Machine" / "Pig Pen"), Madge Sinclair (Widow Woman), Franklyn Ajaye (Spider Mike), Brian Davies (Chuck Arnoldi), Seymour Cassel (Governor Jerry Haskins), Cassie Yates (Violet), Walter Kelley (Federal Agent Hamilton), Billy Hughes (Pack Rat), and Jorge Russek (Texas Sheriff Tiny Alvarez) Directed by Sam Peckinpah (#590 - Ride the High Country, #591 - The Wild Bunch, #944 - Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, #1439 - Straw Dogs, #1685 - The Deadly Companions, #1936 - The Getaway)

Review: 

Sure, one might think of Smokey and the Bandit (1977) first when they wonder about Convoy. But actually, there is a tiny bit of things to think about beforehand. Bill Fries Jr was interested in music but more so in commercial art, which eventually lead to Bozell & Jacobs for art direction. In the 1970s, a character called "C. W. McCall" was created to aid in advertising for...bread, which because of the nature of transporting it through trucks, well, why not making a truck-themed ad and character. The ads (played by Jim Finlayson) were a hit, and Fries used it as a way to come up with a song, which he wrote with Chip Davis (with Donald Sears as producer). Played over the winter of 1975 and early 1976 to interested airwaves, the song (an ode to renegade truckers) was a hit to people in an era where CB radio and trucking were a thing to talk about (McCall wasn't exactly a one-hit wonder, he merely just found other things to do besides singing songs for long, which actually included being mayor of Ouray, Colorado for six years; he died in 2022 at the age of 93). I think you can understand how it might've made sense for United Artists to go out for a film based on the truck stuff. The film was written by B. W. L. Norton, who had wrote/directed Cisco Pike [1972], the somewhat noted cult classic that had starred Kristofferson in his first go at being an actor. Sam Peckinpah had directed these three films before this one: Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974), The Killer Elite (1975), and Cross of Iron (1977). Suffice to say, he needed a hit, and he went with it while fiddling where he could in the script that found a bit of time to cast someone like Ajaye in an apparent attempt to add some social commentary. Apparently, he used James Coburn not so much just for second unit work but also to direct certain sequences due to his furthering addiction to drugs and alcohol. Evidently, the original cut of the film was over three hours long, but editing resulted in a 114-minute film, complete with a new rendition of McCall's "Convoy". The production of the film resulted in a commercial hit, but he did not direct for a while (doing second unit work on Jinxed! [1981] before his final film with The Osterman Weekend [1983]).

Admittedly, you could probably say the film sure smells like it has a substance in its body with how it actually makes one appreciate the fine art of enjoying a dumb-as-hell movie. You thought Smokey was hokum? You haven't seen anything yet. It is the staging of chaos like you have probably seen before, but it is kinetic enjoyment (complete with stunts you can't quite tell are staged or just part of the "go with it" show) that I can't help but admire even in average enjoyment. Besides, the casual average qualities of his prior 70s work such as Straw Dogs and The Getaway make one appreciate the pedal-to-the-medal ridiculousness that looks like if a Western was deep-fried (what else could one say about a line in which Kristofferson refers to him and Borgnine as being part of the "there ain't many of us left" department). Kristofferson drifts in and out as the inadvertent hero for the people that you probably have seen before, but there is a lean confidence in his charm that you can practically have a beer with. MacGraw may have been fine for Peckinpah's Getaway, but she doesn't really have anything of note to do in this film (cut because of the edits or not, you decide)., particularly when one focuses more on the goofy dynamic between Kristofferson and Borgnine anyway,. There is something delightfully enjoyable about Borgnine in how he cuts through the film in terms of smarmy authority that is the kind of played-out entertainment worth sticking around for as the film gets further absurd with the introduction of a Governor character that really believes a convoy of truckers (comprised of a chunk of folks who probably don't even know why they are going along with it all) can be the key to reaching "the people", which is pretty amusing. Rounding out the interest is Ajaye and Young, who make quality character presences in the salt-of-the-earth nature that comes from people wrapped up in essentially the grind of their lives (the off-screen assault of the former in particular sticks out). The ending is probably easy to see coming when it comes to "man of the people!", but it does ring amusement in the actual reveal and lasting laugh, so that works out. The film is clearly not any better than the fried ridiculousness that arose in low-budget / B-movie enjoyment in its wake, but Peckinpah and company managed to grind out a curious movie filled with chaotic engagement anyways. It wouldn't be the first one to recommend in the work of Peckinpah, but it sure would garner curiosity for those who love to see vintage 1970s entertainment with the staging of real-scale effects and stunts to go with a catchy song.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

I Wanna Hold Your Hand.

Review #2229: I Wanna Hold Your Hand.

Cast: 

Nancy Allen (Pam Mitchell), Bobby Di Cicco (Tony Smerko), Marc McClure (Larry Dubois), Susan Kendall Newman (Janis Goldman), Theresa Saldana (Grace Corrigan), Wendie Jo Sperber (Rosie Petrofsky), Eddie Deezen (Richard "Ringo" Klaus), Christian Juttner (Peter Plimpton), Will Jordan (Ed Sullivan), Read Morgan (Peter's Father), Claude Earl Jones (Al), and James Houghton (Eddie) Directed by Robert Zemeckis (#317 - The Polar Express, #352 - Who Framed Roger Rabbit, #581 - Forrest Gump, #648 - Beowulf, #701 - Back to the Future, #747 - Back to the Future Part II, #748 - Back to the Future Part III, #1527 - Cast Away)

Review: 

Sure, there have been a few Beatles-related films here and there. But this is one that its creators often referred to as "a cross between American Graffiti and Ben-Hur" that somehow makes sense (for the latter film, one never sees a certain face...). Robert Zemeckis spent a decade studying and working prior to this film. Robert Zemeckis spent a decade studying and working prior to this film. This included meeting Bob Gale at USC Film School that shared his interest in making "Hollywood movies". Zemeckis directed a short film called "A Field of Honor" that saw him awarded a Student Academy Award in 1975 that attracted the attention of Steven Spielberg because, well, Zemeckis barged into Spielberg's office one day to show it to him. This got Spielberg to be a mentor to Zemeckis that would see him tabbed to direct his first feature film at Universal Pictures, which was this film. Apparently, the original idea was basically the question of if one could make a movie just about waiting in line that eventually spiraled from there. 1978 was an interesting idea for Beatles-adjacent films, with this (loosely sharing the title of The Beatles song "I Want"-oh you already know) being the middle of a group that included the TV mockumentary All You Need Is Cash and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (the jukebox musical with plenty of Beatles songs...as mostly covered by Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees). The resulting film (as written by Zemeckis and Gale as their first filmed screenplay) was not a hit despite warm reviews (preview and beyond) but Zemeckis and Gale kept busy, with the two's script for 1941 being filmed (by Spielberg) and released in 1979 before Zemeckis directed his next film with Used Cars (1980).

It is a pretty madcap film (98 minutes) about the nature of a moment crystalized in time, specifically February of 1964. It is a warmhearted film about people who just get swept up in the mayhem of Beatlemania for a film that lives it to the fullest in a way that manages to ride on charm without needing to show a Beatle up close (which goes with a main group where 28-year-old Allen was the most experienced on film). It is a neatly constructed ensemble film that doesn't have (or really need) an all-encompassing narrative to just roll with people that all manage to evoke a certain time and type (which even features Murray the K, who really referred to himself as a "fifth Beatle") that one can resonate with amid all of the nostalgia that doesn't cloy for a return of the old days but instead just rides the wave of hysteria. One does not wince at seeing the hysteria that arises from these folks, such as saying "Well, his wife could die" when presented with the fact that one of the Beatles being married or just the fact that people could go gaga for something that just happened be in the stomping ground of a Beatle. There is a key balance among the four leading stories that shows a guiding touch of humor within self-realization (small or not), starting with Allen, who has such worthwhile timing when it comes to finding that nerves really do wash away when faced with let's just say is euphoria with a guitar (as opposed to just being a reluctant pal-to-be-wife). Sperber is probably the one that draws the most amusement, because she is paired a good chunk of the time with Deezen and his particular type of energy (perhaps not surprisingly, he has called himself the "world's biggest" Beatles fan) as devotes fans that really makes one consider just how wrapped up a "fan" can be. The rest of the cast does pretty well in drawing amusement in the exhibition of teenage impulse (you know the usual, such as pushing folk music, wannabee saboteur, or wavering fixations), which probably works best with the sequence involving Newman, Di Cicco and Juttner that sees them abscond with tickets with some silly movements and lines that they sell just as well as any other time in the film. The Sullivan sequence involving shots that cut from seeing the group (amid a crowd of other fans) and then, well, parts of that Beatles performance (with stand-ins obviously that were coordinated by a Beatles superfan when it came to movements) is the cherry on top of a worthwhile journey with a pride for the time it aims to capture without stuttering at any real moment. Sure, it is a familiar film in its comedy, but it is a comforting type of film that shows talent among its young cast and crew in terms of execution and overall charm.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow.

Review #2074: Snake in the Eagle's Shadow.

Cast: 

Jackie Chan (Chien Fu), Hwang Jang-lee (Sheng Kuan), Yuen Siu-tien (Pai Chang-tien), Dean Shek (Teacher Li), Fung Hak-on (Master Chao Chi-chih), Tino Wong (Ah-Wu), Peter Chan (Teacher Lian), Hsu Hsia (Su Chen), Charlie Chan (Master Hung), and Roy Horan (Missionary/Russian) Directed by Yuen Woo-ping.

Review: 

I suppose, inadvertently or not, this month has found itself dedicating time not merely to spotlighting films from different countries around the world but also to spotlight faces not always seen in the usual scheme of watching films for entertainment. By sheer coincidence, 2023 is the 45th anniversary of this film and Drunken Master, for which both share a common bond: they each share the same main trio of actors (Jackie Chan, Yuen Siu-tien, Hwang Jang-lee) along with the same director in Yuen Woo-ping, and the success of both (mostly in the case of Master, released in the fall of 1978) firmly established Chan as a star within his style of kung fu and slapstick. Obviously, this was not the first film to feature Chan as an actor. He had appeared in a handful of films as a youth in the 1960s, but his first key film was in the stunt department for Fist of Fury (1972), the second feature hit starring Bruce Lee. The first feature film with Chan as the lead actor was Little Tiger of Canton (1973), albeit one that was given little release until, well, later in the 1970s. He also was a lead actor in other films such as New Fist of Fury (1976), which, was an attempt by Lo Wei to mold Chan as the successor to Bruce Lee (the web of Fist of Fury follow-ups is a potentially fascinating web to decipher another time). The result of the two films involving Yuen and Chan put Chan on a path to eventual international stardom with his capabilities in stunt work alongside doing his own path in directing. Of course, Yuen can't be forgotten in all of this, as he is still a regular presence within directing but more importantly in stunt choreography, which has spanned from working with various noted action stars such as Donnie Yen to being asked to choreograph the martial arts in The Matrix (1999). Interestingly, recent releases feature options to listen to the film in three forms in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English, since, well, Hong Kong cinema in the old days was not merely constrained to one version for releasing films during the British rule era, and if you listen closely (read: listen to music for any 20-minute stretch), you will hear familiar music from other films utilized; one has not lived until they are surprised to hear a John Williams piece cribbed for kung fu.

Oh sure, it is a cobbled film of cliches, but who's counting? Underdog stories, or ones with an unlikely pair of collaborators are a dime a dozen, but the fun ones know how to compose themselves with engaging the audience in caring about what goes on without just passing through. The antics grab more attention than the drama, but there is a worthy soul in what is being shown with the bond of student and sifu (teacher, although he refuses to be referred to as such for a good chunk of it). The kung-fu is the highlight of the film when it comes to useful choreography that makes you appreciate the effort taken to show people trying to act in the art of kicking each other with skillful precision (or not always, as evidenced by the fact that Chan lost a tooth and had his arm slashed during production). It is the kind of corny fun that you could expect from a film that has a select amount of sound effects to go along with the action at times (cat sounds?), which is welcome when the going isn't derailing itself. You don't usually get to see sons direct their fathers, but here we are with Yuen directing Yuen. The elder Yuen actually had appeared in a handful of films over the years, with a handful involving kung fu, but it was his roles in films such as this and most notably with Drunken Master (1978) that garnered him lasting notice before his death in 1979 at the age of 66. He and Chan make a charming little pair, endearing in the typical underdog-mentor stuff without turning it into hogwash. Hwang and the other side adversaries (bullies or not) fill the rest generally well, which namely involves a bit of cheese and pairing of decent stunts for Chan to make into something more. Any time you have a climax relying on folks not liking to drink something at a certain time to go with new fighting styles based on a cat fighting a snake is a good one. As a whole, what we have is a neat kung-fu film in consistent charm that manages to show the promise of Chan in charm and stature of movement to go hand in hand with a serviceable director and crew around everything for a useful recommendation for those with the hankering of kung-fu (and light comedy) in their world cinema.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Next up: Buñuel is back for Spain.

Movie Movie.

Review #2059: Movie Movie.

Cast: 

"Dynamite Hands"

George C. Scott ("Gloves" Malloy), Trish Van Devere (Betsy McGuire), Red Buttons ("Peanuts"). Eli Wallach (Vince Marlow / Pop), Harry Hamlin (Joey Popchik), Ann Reinking ("Troubles" Moran), Jocelyn Brando (Mama Popchik), Michael Kidd (Pop Popchik), Kathleen Beller (Angie Popchik), Art Carney (Dr. Blaine / Dr. Bowers), and Barry Bostwick (Johnny Danko)

"Baxter's Beauties of 1933"

George C. Scott ("Spats" Baxter), Barbara Harris (Trixie Lane), Barry Bostwick (Dick Cummings), Trish Van Devere (Isobel Stuart), Red Buttons ("Jinks" Murphy), Eli Wallach (Pop), Rebecca York (Kitty), Art Carney (Dr. Bowers), Maidie Norman (Gussie), Jocelyn Brando (Mrs. Updike), and Charles Lane (Mr. Pennington)

Produced and Directed by Stanley Donen (#137 - Bedazzled (1967), #227 - Singin' in the Rain, #346 - On the Town, #1029 - Charade, and #1194 - Saturn 3)

Cast:

So, here we are with a package deal: two films in one for 105 minutes, which features "Dynamite Hands", a boxing drama and morality tale presented in black-and-white and "Baxter's Beauties of 1933", a musical comedy presented in color. The opening features George Burns in an introduction to the double feature, while in the middle of the two films features a trailer for "Zero Hour", a flying ace short. Both of the main features have a few actors playing roles in both films, with Scott being the main star of both with varying support from traditional names and newer names. For example, Van Devere, Buttons and Wallach are present around a newcomer in both Hamlin and Reinking (each making their screen debut). In the second one, Scott is the star with a mix of familiar names (Harris, who despite being a Tony Award-nominated actress, doesn't sing) with a few newcomers in Bostwick (well, actually he was in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, but does that really count?) and York. The film was written by Larry Gelbart and Sheldon Keller. Older viewers might know the first name as the writer for television such as for Sid Caesar or his part in the creation in the TV show M*A*S*H or his work on Broadway with A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. For film, though, he had just finished work with Oh God! (1977) but was later the co-collaborator for Tootsie (1982). Keller was also a writer for Caesar and M*A*S*H for a time, but this was the third of three film credits (the one before was Cleopatra Jones). They wrote the initial script in six weeks after months spent by Gelbart proposing the idea to studios. To serve as the production company was Lew Grade and his ITC Entertainment for distribution by Warner Bros., while Stanley Donen was tapped to direct. Donen did work in various genres besides the musical he is perhaps most famous for directing with Singin' in the Rain (1952). This was his second-to-last feature film as a director for features, for which he closed out his career with noted features (read: me being nice) in Saturn 3 (1980) and Blame it on Rio (1984). Plans for a sequel were thought of early because of Grade's liking of the material that would have seen Gelbert and Donen return, but the lack of audience returns (blamed on distribution) scuttled those plans.

Within its structure is attempts to make light of two (technically three) genres big in the old days. The first one would probably be right at home for folks already familiar with boxing films of yesteryear such as Golden Boy (1939), Two-Fisted Gentleman (1936), or, well, The Champ (1931). It goes okay, but it is only the bare minimum when it comes to boxing, because, well, it tries to be a silly morality play with a hodgepodge of cheap jokes. How seriously can you take a film that ends with a boxer seeing his manager get shot and immediately study as hard as possible in law school so they could serve as the prosecutor of said murderer? Scott apparently stated about the script that "Gelbart is such a good writer and the picture was so much fun I was almost ashamed to take the money." This could apply as both a sign of goodwill from Scott but also a possible sign of things to come with acting that is hit-and-miss, specifically with the first segment. Somehow, he seems more at home with the second segment in impending death rather than the middling spry manager played here. Hamlin does okay with the material, but one can only handle the mix of moments meant to played for boxing cliches and cliches about falling in and out of the influence of fame so far. By the time he gets to do corny lines for the climax, it almost seems like a punchline of an outstretched TV episode. At least Wallach leans into the hammy nature required from corrupt-doers, but I'm sure there was meant to be something more to having Van Devere (an established actor who happened to be a spouse to Scott) in both segments beyond making me wish to see them in other things with more time such as The Day of the Dolphin (1973). As for the musical, one perhaps thinks of 42nd Street (1933), which also happens to involve a director trying to make a big hit under the pressure of health (in a case of total coincidence, two years after the release of the film, the director behind the Broadway adaptation of 42nd Street would die on the day the show premiered). It is perhaps more musical in song rather than big, choreographed numbers, but it ends up just fine in light entertaining neatness, as evidenced by the free spirit in Bostwick, with him and York making a passable duo. One can only wonder if Harris not being involved in songs or dance was meant to play against type given her Tony Award-nominated background, but whatever. As a whole, you will get a few chuckles from what was meant as an "affectionate satire", one packed with plenty of familiar beats and a decent closer to overcome a few bumpy moments that is handled with the usual qualities presented by Donen and company for a decent recommendation.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Good Guys Wear Black.

Review #2045: Good Guys Wear Black.

Cast: 

Chuck Norris (Major John T. Booker, The Black Tigers), Anne Archer (Margaret), James Franciscus (Senator Conrad Morgan), Lloyd Haynes (Murray Saunders), Dana Andrews (Edgar Harolds), Jim Backus (Albert, The Apartment Doorman), Lawrence P. Casey (Mike Potter, The Black Tigers), Anthony Mannino (Gordie Jones, The Black Tigers), and Soon-Tek Oh (Major Mhin Van Thieu, The Black Tigers) Directed by Ted Post (#518 - Hang 'Em High, #662 - Beneath the Planet of the Apes, and #1135 - Magnum Force)

Review: 

Hell, there really is no way to start watching a Chuck Norris film. Born in Oklahoma, Norris served in the United States Air Force Security Forces that saw him serve in South Korea and California. It was here that he trained in Tang Soo Do that lead to a black belt in that form along with him developing his own form. He participated in martial arts competitions and eventually proved quite successful. The first feature film that Norris had a credited role was The Way of the Dragon (1972), a martial arts action comedy that was made by Bruce Lee (star and director) that featured a fight sequence between him and Lee. Steve McQueen, who was a student of Norris, encouraged him to take acting classes around this time. His next prominent role was Yellow Faced Tiger (1974), a Lo Wei-directed film. Norris got his chance to star in his very own film with Breaker! Breaker! (1977), as directed by Don Hulette that was shot in just under two weeks. It ended up being a fair hit on its low budget. It was his next film, however, that he considered his breakthrough, with Norris stating that he had the faith to be as big in the movies as he was in the karate industry. This isn't to forget the directing contribution of Ted Post, of course. Post had served in the U.S. Army in their Special Service division in Italy before his return to the States saw him become a dependable name to hire for television, as signified by the many credits for shows such as Peyton Place, Gunsmoke, and several others. His most noted films either involved Clint Eastwood (two films) or certain cult classics such as The Baby (1973) and Go Tell the Spartans (1978). The screenplay was done by Bruce Cohn and Mark Medoff while the story was done by Joseph Fraley.

I will say this much, it technically is entertaining as a film despite being an obvious case of overblown hooey. Maybe it is just because it is my first experience watching Norris on a big screen (in the early parts of the career), but I think I can sum up his acting in a couple of words: he talks like an instructional guidebook for using a power tool, which is almost sort of amusing when he is meant to be presented as the serious man of a conspiracy thriller that we know is going to eventually have to do some kicking. Even at 96 minutes, the runtime is perhaps a bit too drawn out to actually merit anything other than bemusement for its paranoia despite not having enough there to really make a grand film. Simply put, it does not have enough action to back up its ambition nor is it effective enough in its convictions to get out of the quicksand despite having a cynical bent. Maybe it is a bit silly to compare, but think back to something released later on such as Above the Law (1988), which featured an American karate name starring in a film playing an ex-CIA guy thrust back into the world of danger that has a villain all about using people for their own means without caring about the consequences (of course, the hero in one of them is a cop and the other is a college professor, so there's that). Sometimes you just need a bit more. I will say though, that the film at least has a few distinct names, whether that involves Haynes (most known for Room 222), Andrews (hey, he was a noir lead for the 1940s and a dependable character presence), or Archer (in an early moment), or with Franciscus (a regular television presence and a few films). Of these folks, it might be Andrews who steals the show when it comes to chewing the scenery in one-note effectiveness (read: exposition), although Haynes is dependable. Archer and Norris don't fare particularly great together, but it is more than can be said for Franciscus, who only gets to show the scuzzy side in the opening and closing. It isn't particularly thrilling to be interesting, and it isn't particularly active to be dependable entertainment beyond the scale of mediocrity. Norris and company obviously know how to stage a good stunt, but it takes a bit more to really make a useful winner, but one never knows with a different film in the future.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.

Hooper.

Review #2011: Hooper.

Cast: 

Burt Reynolds (Sonny Hooper), Sally Field (Gwen Doyle), Jan-Michael Vincent (Delmore "Ski" Shidski), Brian Keith (Jocko Doyle), Robert Klein (Roger Deal), John Marley (Max Berns), James Best (Cully), Alfie Wise (Tony), Adam West (himself), and Terry Bradshaw (Brawler) Directed by Hal Needham (#033 - Smokey and the Bandit, #034 - The Cannonball Run, and #945 - Smokey and the Bandit II)

Review: 

The stuntman does not get enough respect, if you think about it. They work hard in a profession where the danger can be apparent for any type of stunt, especially in the old days (Shark (1969) saw a stuntman get attacked and killed by a great white shark and then the producers put the footage in the film and change the title to reflect that...and that film had Reynolds as star). Yakima Canutt was the first stuntman to win an Academy Award, you know, being awarded an honorary one in 1967; it was he who performed the famous drop stunt in Stagecoach (1939). Of course, I mention this because of the fact that I am talking about a movie made by a former stuntman in Hal Needham with a star in Reynolds that was known for doing his own stunts. It was the second film in the career of Needham, who I'm sure we all know and well from Smokey and the Bandit, released one year prior to this film in 1977. The original basis for the film was set in 1975 with Lamont Johnson (best known for TV productions more than his films, which included The Last American Hero (1973)) slated to direct it for Warner Bros., but delays related to the dispute over the original title (The Stuntman) eventually led to Needham becoming involved (incidentally, that film that caused the name dispute, named The Stunt Man, was released in 1980). The screenplay was done by Thomas Rickman and Bill Kerby, while the story was done by Walt Green and Walter S. Herndon. This was the second film with Needham and Reynolds, who were such good friends with each other that it served as one of the inspirations for the dynamic in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019). After the film, Needham would direct seven further feature films (with a handful of TV productions, but we are only talking about his run that ended with Rad in 1986), four of which had Reynolds as a star, albeit with mixed returns.

The following organizations are listed in the credits: the Stuntmen’s Association of Motion Pictures, Inc., Black Stuntmen’s Association of Hollywood, Stuntwomen’s Association, Society of Professional Stuntwomen and Stunts Unlimited. It is definitely a movie made by someone that wants to show perspective in the stuntman in all of the strange ways possible: fun, if not painful when handled incorrectly. At his best, Reynolds had the charisma to make whatever he said come off with wonderful timing, and for the most part, it is true here in a film that is probably more charming than funny, a good ole' boy movie that one is already familiar with if they like stuff such as W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings (1975) or Smokey and the Bandit. But beneath the humor is a movie that has one thing stick out among the stunts: everything is but a fleeting moment, and it always helps to take care of oneself when something of us (whether that involves a profession of risk-taking or say, being a teacher) reaches its end. So yes, it is a movie that hones what Needham seems to like most in filmmaking when it comes to staging crashes in quality spectacle while having the backdrop of moviemaking drama that would be right at home with something like, say, Souls for Sale (1923). Reynolds is self-deprecating and self-aware enough to make charm count double more than if it was a random actor told to play the role to generic macho levels. Inside the freewheeling spirit of a man who cracks jokes with a younger presence meant to take the place of guys like him is someone who has to grasp with just what he is going to do at the moment where everything he cares about goes in a flash being more than just "away in the distance". So yes, beyond the timely instances of people playing games on the highway and having goofball barfights to go with rocket cars is a movie that has the semblance of caring about the stunt person with some sort of heart on its sleeve. Reynolds, who would know more than anyone about having to learn for years what it really meant to be an presence in demand, handles things in the purest sense of charm, is what I am saying. Sure, the dynamic between him and Field is probably not as involving as their last pair-up in a film (the aforementioned Bandit), but they are still ideal in the winning sense of looking like people you would believe could share a room together without straining for words. Vincent is not so much a hotshot newcomer as an inevitability, one who seems totally fine with the idea of seeking the thrill of stunt performance to make himself a name in a town that will use him as they please until the end (if you think about it, Reynolds trying to make his mark with Vincent as basically living the last part of his dream through him seems familiar to those who like to live their fantasy through an actor they see in film). Evidently, the character Klein plays is based on Peter Bogdanovich, who directed Reynolds in At Long Last Love (1975) and Nickelodeon (1976), and Needham worked on the latter film as a stunt double for Reynolds. There is a story that Needham told once about a planned stunt where he would fall through a tree and Bogdanovich asked if he could go any higher, with Needham responding with "I can go as high as you like. You just have to keep adding zeroes to the number on that cheque." Needless to say, it is evident where Klein is coming from as the heel, and he does fine with it. Keith and his old rascal persona makes for engaging support when it comes to seeing how age treats the old hellraisers, while Best (a regular presence in television and film for a handful of decades) provides an amiable dynamic in parts with Reynolds. The film labors itself to relative familiarity by the time you are at the end of its 99 minute runtime, but there are plenty of familiar films that turn out pretty good because of the showmanship displayed in making it seem fitting to watch without waving away what you could see coming (in other words, a punch in the face is only as fun as how much it seems earned to watch play out). If the aforementioned Bandit film was like a deep-fried entree, Hooper is basically dessert, one that has a suitable conviction of showmanship to go with a few charming moments for classic Reynolds fun, which means one's enjoyment of it will basically ride on how much they roll with the stunts that Needham and company wish to pull off.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Killer of Sheep.

Review #1975: Killer of Sheep.

Cast: 

Henry G. Sanders (Stan), Kaycee Moore (Stan's wife), Charles Bracy (Bracy), Angela Burnett (Stan's daughter), Eugene Cherry (Eugene), and Jack Drummond (Stan's son) Directed, Written, and Produced by Charles Burnett.

Review: 

"What people are really struggling for is to endure, to survive, to become adults and maintain some sort of moral compass."

The story of Charles Burnett when it comes to looking at filmmakers beyond the usual names comes with finding how one got themselves to become a director. Burnett was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi in the early 1940s, but the family (a nurse's aide and a military father) moved to Watts, a neighborhood in the southern region of Los Angeles, California; his experiences in Watts, which included transplants from the South just like him, influenced him deeply. He first studied electrical engineering at Los Angeles City College before taking a class in writing that convinced him to explore ambitions in that field. He went off to study at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1967, where he studied writing and languages before moving onto the university's film school. One of his instructors and a key influence on him was documentarian Basil Wright, who lent "a certain humanism to my way of seeing things." Burnett first shot films in 1969 with his Super 8 graduation film for UCLA in "Several Friends". The movie was shot in 1972 and 1973 that Burnett shot as his Master of Fine Arts thesis, although the film was not screened for the public until 1978. In addition to serving as director, writer, and producer, he also shot and edited the film, which was shot with friends and colleagues for a cast with a handheld camera. It premiered at the Whitney Museum of American Art in late 1978, and while the movie did ride the festival circuit for a time, there was no general release of the film until 2007 due to Burnett not being able to secure rights to the music (which included music from famous names such as Dinah Washington) that was present in the film. Hell, the Library of Congress preserved the film in their United States National Film Registry over a decade before anyone could see it on home video. Finally, in 2007, the music rights were purchased to help clear the way for the film, which had a limited release and DVD release that year thanks to the help of people such as Ross Lipman (preservationist at UCLA Film & Television Archive) and Steven Soderbergh, who made a considerable donation with the effort to turn 16mm prints into 35mm restored prints that could be on DVD. A fierce independent filmmaker, he has completed over a half-century of filmmaking with varying levels of attention, which has included films such as To Sleep with Anger (1990) and Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation (2007).

In a way, the details of what the film is in a nutshell is both a blessing and curse. If one is here for escapism in their film, one should look elsewhere, because the plot of the film is best described as "nothing happens if you only look on the most basic levels". But, if one really is into films that remind them of their times spent in the neighborhood or are connoisseurs of movies that remind them of Italian neorealism, this may very well be the movie right up your alley. To look further into a movie filmed and set in Watts, California with little vignettes that are loosely connected with one other is to find life in the most cut-and-dry sense. That could be haunting in bleakness or joyful depending on what one sees in the film, which never seems ultra-cheap or exploitative, because you are too busy focusing on the seams that tie these people together rather than cheap seams. It is a movie about a man who is trying to keep his dignity while his sensitivity is slowly slipping away from him, which reflects upon the family around him (since Burnett got his sense that the most important thing was to survive from his experiences in the community). You see this through the eyes of Sanders, an Army veteran-turned-actor (in his first major role in a career filled with character roles) that we see the movie from when it comes to the depiction of life. His anguish (such as his degrading sense of self from the long hours as, well, a "killer of sheep") is our anguish and his attempts to see joy in the small things is our joy, which works out to generally interesting moments in the human condition. Moore is no slouch of course, because she braces him and the withering sense of self that comes from trying to maintain order is not a one-way street, which results in dutiful timing. The movie wanders wherever it feels the need to go, whether that involves kids being kids (read: unpredictable in cruelty or other emotions) or vignettes such as trying to carry a heavy part to a location that goes about how one expects it to go. The movie begins and ends essentially at the same place: adrift without easy resolutions or ideas but always ready with questions. As a whole, it isn't the easiest sit at 80 minutes, but it is a worthwhile film that manages to hit most of the marks it wants to accomplish in telling a story with Black Americans that should merit at least one conversation about why it still means so much to those who saw it or lived through what the film wants to show.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Next Time: She's Gotta Have It.

The Deer Hunter.

Review #1458: The Deer Hunter.

Cast: 
Robert De Niro (SSG Michael "Mike" Vronsky), Christopher Walken (Cpl. Nikanor "Nick" Chevotarevich), John Savage (Cpl. Steven Pushkov), John Cazale (Stan), Meryl Streep (Linda), George Dzundza (John Welsh), Pierre Segui (Julien Grinda), Shirley Stoler (Steven's mother), Chuck Aspegren (Peter "Axel" Axelrod), and Rutanya Alda (Angela Ludhjduravic-Pushkov) Directed by Michael Cimino.

Review: 
"I don't make movies intellectually, I don't make movies to make a point, I make movies to tell stories about people."

War can lead to plenty of actions, and films revolving around (or about) the war is one of them. Vietnam was no different, although it certainly reflected differently than other film revolving about war, whether involving the war or coming home from it, and there certainly are differences from films such as The Green Berets (1968) when compared to this, Go Tell the Spartans, or Coming Home (all 1978) or later ones like Apocalypse Now (1979) and Platoon (1986). It should only figure that a film like this would come from an unknown in Michael Cimino, who was certainly an eccentric when it came to a rise to stardom that was as quick as his fall in a varied career of seven films. He was a graduate of Michigan State University in graphic arts in 1959 along with subsequent study at Yale for art that was followed by work in advertising and commercials during the 1960s (with a stint in the Army reserves for six months). He decided to take on screenwriting in 1971, with his first script being Silent Running (1972) with Deric Washburn and Steven Bochco. He helped write Magnum Force (1973) with John Milius before writing Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974), which was liked enough by Clint Eastwood to have Cimino make his feature directorial debut. He would ultimately win two Academy Awards for his involvement with this film, which he also co-produced and co-wrote (winning for direction and for Best Picture), but his next film Heaven's Gate (1980) turned out to be such a tremendous failure (with far more budgetary overruns than this and numerous edits that has a complicated legacy) that led to a curtailed career.

It isn't too surprising that the film went through plenty of turmoil in production. The budget rose from eight to fourteen million dollars in budget, and Cimino's perfectionism seems to really come out during its wedding sequence (which makes one really feel like they are stuck in a wedding), with cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond once describing him as being "difficult to deal with...very stubborn...He wanted it the way he wanted it." There are four different writers credited for the film: Deric Washburn wrote the screenplay while co-writing the story with Cimino (also co-producer), Louis Garfinkle, and Quinn K. Redeker (the original idea was done by the latter two about Russian roulette in Las Vegas) There is certainly an allegorical feel to this film, albeit not without its own controversy about where it tries to go with its depiction of war (the Russian roulette sequences with POWs is most prominent in that discussion). The basic nature of this film is a portrait of three steelworkers having their lives changed after fighting in the Vietnam War, and it is De Niro and Walken who help to steady a film wracked with plenty of show and say about itself and the nature of change that goes in a man when seeing war, which makes for a curiously decent (if not tremendously flawed) experience for 184 minutes, a mixing of commonplace and agony. De Niro (who had apparently prepped for the role by hanging around with steelworkers in bars and visited their homes as one of them) proves quite compelling with strength that we see come out during the film even as it gets darker and darker. Walken proves just as devastating, rolling along with the agony of war and chance that makes for a soulfully fascinating watch whenever he is present, whether involving roulette or writhing in bed, and the sequence between him and De Niro at the end with roulette (the second time, with the first being just as tense) being the best part of the film in seeing the degree of madness one can do in the company of others. Savage makes the last piece of the veteran trio count just fine, an involving performance that goes along with the others that accompany some interesting moments with Cazale (in his final role before his death) and Aspegren (an actual foreman at a steelworks) that share clear contrast of bonding from the first to the last half of the film. Streep rounds out the cast with grace for a role that could've faded in the background with a less talented actress but here is done with care.

On the whole, the one feeling I had with this film was a sense that I should have liked it more than I did. I acknowledge that the film works fairly well as a tragic look on the nature of friends changed by their experience in war, but its attempts at building a detailed story that borders on excess for a ultimate three hour length nearly overwhelms the whole experience into chaos. The Vietnam sequences are the best part of the film, in part because I really seem to remember them better (because one needs authenticity, it was actually filmed with rats and mosquitoes) than the events that transpired before them, although the parts after coming back from the war do work in cultivating heartbreaking curiosity. Whether there is enough or too much setup to make this story truly work, the film does turn out to be worth a watch in the achievements that it does do in its acting and some of its riveting somber moments, which make up for its tests of patience that have made it a masterpiece in some eyes and tedious in others, and I find myself firmly in the middle. I didn't love what I saw, but I sure didn't hate it either.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Eyes of Laura Mars.

Review #1457: Eyes of Laura Mars.

Cast: 
Faye Dunaway (Laura Mars), Tommy Lee Jones (Lieutenant John Neville), Brad Dourif (Tommy Ludlow), René Auberjonois (Donald Phelps), Raúl Juliá (Michael Reisler), Frank Adonis (Sal Volpe), Lisa Taylor (Michelle), and Darlanne Fluegel (Lulu) Directed by Irvin Kershner (#002 - RoboCop 2, #114 - The Empire Strikes Back, and #595 - Never Say Never Again)

Review:
"The thing what you learn in directing is that no matter how complex the shooting, you have to remain sensitive to the people around you or the machine will ultimately take over. If you don't keep in mind the essential humanity of it all, technique will dominate."

This is a film where you can think about what could have been in different hands. John Carpenter had originally written a spec script called "Eyes", which attracted producer-distributor Jack H. Harris (collaborator on Dark Star) to potentially make a film with Roberta Collins as the lead. However, Jon Peters soon caught wind of the script and found it intriguing to potentially do with his then-partner Barbra Streisand as the lead. She ended up not doing the film because of its violent nature (Dunaway being there instead of Streisand is the better choice at least), but she did end up doing the title song for the film. In any case, the film would have script re-writes by David Zelag Goodman (co-writer of Straw Dogs and Logan's Run); Carpenter later described the whole thing as an unpleasant experience, although he would obtain lasting success with Halloween (1978) just two months after the release of his film. Even the director picked wasn't the initial choice: Lindsay Anderson and Michael Miller both passed on the project before Irvin Kershner signed on. Kershner had plenty of study in music and art before becoming a director. He studied at the Tyler School of Fine Arts, the Art Center College of Design, and finally at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, where he taught photography and took cinema courses. A subsequent still photographer job at the State Department led to further opportunities around the world before he returned back to the United States, where he would start work in television in 1955. He made his feature debut with Stakeout on Dope Street (1958) which happened to be financed by Roger Corman, and this happened to be his 12th film in a fifteen film and 32 year career (who stated that while he believed the initial idea of the film, he did not believe the requirements put on him during production).

One can certainly give plenty of credit to the selection of the cast for this film, which has five tremendous presences headlined by Dunaway, who was quite popular at the time for her dedicated performances in films such as Chinatown (1974) and Network (1976). The one paired with her is Jones, who had cultivated his career in the 1970s with film and television (such as with One Life to Live and Jackson County Jail). If I told you there was a film with tremendous character presence in Dourif, Auberjonois, and Julia, one might really seem like you are in for a really great thrill. Technically one will get a thrill out of the film, but maybe not as much as it really could have been. We are talking about a film that has a character who gets real-time visions of a person who is taking out her friends and colleagues one by one through their eyes, after all (the reason for why she suddenly has these visions are not explained, probably for good reason since I imagine they didn't have a good idea either). It certainly seems promising, since the provocative set-ups for the fashion shoots are inspired by the works of Helmut Newton; there is no bad performance among the core five, either. It just so happens that the film doesn't really have that much mystery going on to it, where eccentricity and style seem to rule the day over making a mystery that seems out of Night Gallery (at least the mediocre episodes, anyway) than anything. It has been argued to be an American version of the giallo genre (Italian films with mystery elements in thriller-horror), although I imagine that if I actually had been familiar with giallo films that this would only seem a pale imitator. Dunaway balances out with dedication and vulnerability that keeps one on their toes for good reason, with a few moments of terror mixed in with a sudden romance with the capably straight-laced Jones. Auberjonois has a few campy moments that seem worthwhile, and Dourif is quite capable in being evasive without being too obvious about it (Julia however doesn't have as much time for ridiculousness). For 104 minutes, we have just four possible people that really could be the killer, and for some it may very well be obvious who it is by the halfway mark, so the only real interest is to see where it may go with its climax. And...it doesn't stick at all. Naturally, the killer just happens to sprinkle a few words before they go to attack the lead about why they are doing it (multiple personalities wasn't my first guess either), and then they haphazardly try to lumber at Dunaway before he tells her to kill him if she loves him. Honestly, I don't know to what to think with this film in a positive light, there just isn't anything here to really make me care about goes on with a premise so obvious and yet so empty in really scaring or captivating anyone that isn't just here for style or casting. I can why some may go for it and see through the flaws to make a cult classic, but for me I just see a half-baked misfire that takes its cast for a house of mediocre mysteries that isn't worth the trouble.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.

Message from Space.

Review #1215: Message from Space.

Cast: 
Vic Morrow (General Garuda), Sonny Chiba (Hans), Philip Casnoff (Aaron), Peggy Lee Brennan (Meia), Etsuko Shihomi (Emeralida), Tetsuro Tamba (Noguchi), Mikio Narita (Rockseia XII), Makoto Satō (Urocco), Hiroyuki Sanada (Shiro), and Isamu Shimizu (Robot Beba-2) Directed by Kinji Fukasaku.

Review: 
Undeniably, Star Wars (1977) looms over this film, much in the same way that one sees with other "inspirations", like Starcrash (1978) or Battle Beyond the Stars (1980), only this time with an attempt at making some spectacle, having a budget of over $5 million (roughly half of the amount from Star Wars) while having a big blend of castmates and ideas, some of which that go well and some of which that go ridiculously. It has something for everybody, or more specifically it has all of the things someone can use to pick it apart, such as magic walnuts, ridiculous young leads, semi-passable effects, metal-skinned villains and their mom and so on. I should expect no less from a film with four writers (Hiro Matusda for the screenplay, and a listing of Kinji Fukasaku, Shotaro Ishinomori, and Masahiro Noda for the story), a grand total of eight producers, and seven special effects members. This was made and distributed by Toei Company (with American distribution by United Artists in the fall).

This is a mess of a movie, but it sure is perfect to make light of with the execution of its story and effects. The highlights are seeing Morrow and Chiba, seemingly in it for the money (which seems really obvious for the former) but at least interesting to be around when they try to sell this material. Casnoff and Sanada, playing a hotshot spacerider duo, do not fare as well. They come off as too silly to be the kind of character to become heroes; one amusing sequence involves the characters recieving their magic walnuts after throwing them out earlier (while getting bad dreams that make them feel bad) - which takes a bit of time for one of them, who pouts for a moment. Brennan is cheery but pretty forgettable. No one really stands out too much, mostly because of the goofiness that the film shows in full, such as when some of the characters go out in space without helmets. It does seem like an ambitious film at least, clearly looking at the current big thing and making a big effort to make something weird and epic. It may need to be hold enough for me to really give this a positive note, but at least it made an effort. No sci-fi movie is complete unless you have a big goofy villain, and this one is no different, with a big silver faced, big horned weirdo like this. I especially like how he is guided by his mother Empress, played by an actor in drag of all things. Narita tries his best with this material, no doubt wondering how long he'll have to put up with such oddness. At 105 minutes, it might prove just fine for people looking for something a bit familiar with their space stuff but with a bunch of weird flair packed into things, where scenes involving playing chicken with space ships can roll right along with others about a robot being chosen alongside the other walnuts seed things. Whatever is your fancy, this film may have the weird thing for you.

May the 4th be with you.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.

Dawn of the Dead (1978).

Review #1155: Dawn of the Dead.

Cast: 
David Emge (Stephen "Flyboy" Andrews), Ken Foree (Peter Washington), Scott Reiniger (Roger "Trooper" DeMarco), Gaylen Ross (Francine "Fran" Parker), David Crawford (Dr. James Foster), David Early (Mr. Sidney Berman), Richard France (Dr. Millard Rausch), Howard Smith (TV Commentator), Daniel Dietrich (Mr. Dan Givens), Joseph Pilato (Head Officer at Police Dock), Tom Savini (Blades/Mechanic Zombie shot through glass/Zombie hit by truck), and Taso Stavrakis (Sledge/Fountain Zombie/Sailor Zombie/Chestburst Zombie) Directed by George A. Romero (#738 - Night of the Living Dead)

Review: 
Night of the Living Dead (1968) was a great horror film upon its release, shocking audiences with its gore effects in crisp black-and-white photography that resonates in the despair and terror it showcases in its main enemy - us, as members of the dead brought back to life that eat flesh handily written by George A. Romero and John Russo. It wasn't the first zombie film, but it certainly holds an impact now for the zombie horror genre in the half century since its release. In the ten years that followed its release, Romero certainly kept busy with film-making, directing films such as The Crazies (1973) and Martin (1978), both of which are now considered cult classics. Romero got the idea to write the script from a friend's suggestion about surviving in a mall in the event of an emergency through hidden parts of the mall. This time around, the budget is slightly bigger (over $1 million as compared to the $114,000 of the original), and Romero also serves as editor again. One key help in raising funds was Dario Argento (famed Italian director of films such as Suspiria (1977)), who helped secure money to make the movie in exchange for international rights, and he (alongside a band called Goblin) would contribute the music. Subsequently, there exists different versions of the film besides Romero's final cut (which lasts 127 minutes), due to re-cuts and re-edits that Argento could make for international foreign language releases, such as a 119 minute version that takes out a few scenes with exposition and a faster pace with a bit more dialogue and gore, which was released in Italy on September 1, 1978 as Zombi: L’alba dei Morti Viventi, months before Romero released his cut in America in 1979.

In a span of roughly four months, Romero and his crew filmed most of the movie at the Monroeville Mall in the city of the same name in Pennsylvania, which they did for the time the mall was closed (11PM-7AM). The decision to have the film primarily be set in a mall proves to be a brilliant one, with several places for the characters to hide out and deal with the dead that perhaps don't seem too different from conventional shoppers, a subtle bit of satire that works pretty handy with the rest of the film, which has its bits of terror along with humor, which balances out pretty well. The main quartet of Emge-Foree-Reiniger-Ross prove to be a entertaining group to follow along with, with my particular favorite being Foree, probably the most confident of the group much like Ben from the original. Reiniger is also pretty amusing, especially when he goes down on an escalator slide. Emge and Ross are okay. Like before, the film shows the terror that would arise from an influx of the undead and what that would mean for society, from the arguments in a TV studio to conflicts in housing projects that are grim yet effective in setting up the premise without having too much exposition. There's also a bit of conflict and struggle in the fight to survive that we see from the group, particularly in the opening half, but as they warm to each other we grow to really follow these characters and enjoy their pursuits in the mall - which seems to be more than just a haven for stuff or safety. The scenes where they enjoy the mall are pretty amusing at times, and the sequence with the bikers is also handled pretty well, complete with an amusing use of pies.

Undeniably, the highlight of the film is the gore effects, done so by Tom Savini, with the undead being bluish-grey with bright red blood that contrasts with the previous film that looks pretty good in his own right. The gore may not be for everyone's taste, but I found it thoroughly enjoyable, having a gruesome nature and effective feel that goes along an enemy that still manages to invoke terror. I enjoy the beginning parts and the climax better than the middle, but the film doesn't drag or feel too long - although if you want more there also exists an extended version that lasts 139 minutes, which Romero had quickly assembled to show at the Cannes Film Festival. The next film in the Living Dead series came out seven years later with Day of the Dead; all three films have had remakes, with Zack Snyder serving as director for his version released in 2004, with a few cameos from members of the original cast. It lives up to the original film not by being something completely different or going by the same beats as before, but by doing something fresh and compelling that makes this not just a great sequel but also a great horror film in general.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.