And more Italian cult cinema…
Kill, Baby, Kill from Mario Bava.
A coroner arrives at a small village at the request of an inspector over a suspicious death. The villagers are all scared and want them both to leave them to their ways. People die, secrets are uncovered and the supernatural is indeed afoot in this nicely shot horror film.
If you like ghost stories this is a good one to seek out.
I think you’ve got to see this one in a good quality print to get anything out of it. My first experience was via Sinister Cinema’s faded and pan ‘n’ scanned VHS and I couldn’t see the point. It wasn’t until the DVD era that I learned to like this one. (Same with Planet of the Vampires although there the new score may have been just as much the culprit.)
Have you seen Hatchet for the Honeymoon yet? That’s one of his better ones that doesn’t seem to get as much press. Possibly due to its quasi-public domain status which kept it out of some of the higher-profile Bava DVD sets for some time. Also possibly due to its oddball nature. It starts off with this charming little voice-over:
My name is John Harrington. I’m 30 years old. I am a paranoiac. Hmph… “paranoiac”. An enchanting word. So civilized, and full of possibilities. The truth is, I am completely mad… the realization which annoyed me at first, but is now amusing to me. Quite amusing. Nobody suspects I am a madman… a dangerous murderer. Not Mildred, my wife… nor the employees of my fashion center… nor, of course, my customers.
…and it could have been a stylish little thriller somewhere between Blood and Black Lace and American Psycho. But Bava got bored with this and gave the plot a severe twist about halfway through, which I won’t spoil here…
It was a Kino DVD so it was a good print.
ETA
I will keep an eye out for it. I am just going with what is at the library for free right now.
Next up for viewing is Diabolique which has been on my lookout for list since seeing it on Trailers From Hell.
Oh, that one’s a classic.
Over the years I have seen Rocky a few times on television, but always as random scenes in a random order. My Rocky-based knowledge was greatly expanded a few years ago when “Movies,” or “Heroes and Icons” or some similar channel showed the first five Rocky movies over and over for an entire week. I have no idea why.
What I learned from this total-emersion Rocky therapy was: The first movie was good, the second was pretty good, and the third through fifth were totally absurd. But regardless of which movie was showing, it was still interesting to get drawn into a random scene and figure out how it fit into the dense web of Rocky story arcs.
But now, for the first time, I have seen Rocky all the way through from beginning to end. I almost can’t believe what a great movie it is. The script says just enough and nothing more. The acting is all very good, even from Stallone.
I’m just old enough to remember how Rocky-crazy the US became in 1976. Rocky, its music, its dialogue, and boxing in general invaded all aspects of popular culture. It largely supplanted that shark movie from the year before. And this Rocky-mania lasted about one year, until it was replaced by a similar mania for a movie named “Star Wars.”
So, now I’m thinking about maybe seeing Rocky II. Maybe. Stallone is better when someone else directs him.
…Which, unfortunately, was a box office bomb and so won’t be getting a sequel (unless the TV version of it ever materializes, which I’m putting at about the same probability as “Gavin Blair is given free rein to finish Season 4 of Reboot”).
Edit to add:
Dredd or Raid?
You just don’t know Dredd. He is the LAW!
Of course the original Rambo movie was actually called First Blood, like the novel it was based on.
It was certainly better than the others, but the ultimate message was still the crybaby veteran cliche, where the America of the '70s was supposedly being unfair and ungrateful to its former shooter boys.
It was a patriot grievance movie.
If it came out today Trump would be talking about poor misunderstood Rambo at his campaign rallies.
Demolition Man… I quite like that one though Wesley Snipes steals the movie. It is a fun film with some nice satire. I was happy paying to see it on the big screen at least.
Judge Dredd for all they got right making it look like the comic it couldn’t make up for Dredd removing his helmet and Rob Schnieder as the comic relief. If you want a good Dredd film see the 2012 one with Karl Urban. I am sad that one didn’t do well enough for a sequel.
Finally getting about to posting.
Diabolique was great. Nice little touches of conversation that keep you guessing as to who is up to what and an excellent ending.
I also got about to watching Kedi which has been on my want to see list for a bit.
Amazing footage of Istanbul, it’s kitties and wonderful commentary from the people who take care of the kitties. I liked how it was mostly old men doting over the cats.
Ian McDiarmid’s performance in this movie is so much better than in the so-called “prequels.”
Tod Browning’s and Bela Lugosi’s first sound film from way back in 1929. Probably not for most, but I thought it was so bizarre in so many ways that it reminded me of both Ed Wood and David Lynch. The plot is a creaky theatre adaptation with murders and seances, but the details hardly matter. Marvel at the disparate acting styles which simply refuse to mesh. Enjoy the subtle abandoning of conventional film grammar which makes one get lost in the film’s one room set. Thrill to the seance scenes, minutes of static pitch blackness. And don’t forget the stage waits, lovingly captured on celluloid.
I have finally found a worthy co-feature to BatPussy.
I’m watching Dune for a second time. Although I still see the problems, it makes more sense the second time.
Can anyone explain why Vladimir Harkonnen flies up to the light fixture and bathes in what appears to be motor oil?
And here’s a little music.
Lynch’s Dune was inaccurate to the story for the purpose of drama. That “flying bodyslur” was dramatic.
Well that I know.
Over-rated? Under-rated?
So here are my thoughts on having seen Dune a second time:
This movie is just so beautiful. Even the disgusting parts are beautiful. The care that went into making this movie shows in every frame.
Kyle MacLachlan has a way of taking an improbable line and making it sound real and honest.
" Frank Herbert’s Dune" might be more complete, but it can’t be more interesting.
I might have to eventually try to read the darned book.
I have suspicions that Chani might actually be a replicant.
A creepy, sleazy, bloody shocker from 1980 which did not go on to become a beloved franchise…
A cruise ship is deliberately rammed by a mysterious freighter, which politely hangs about to pick up the survivors. Little do these survivors realize that they have boarded a Nazi ghost ship!
I saw this film twice in my formative years, so probably can’t be objective about it, but I dunno I think it still holds up. Unlikely to scare anyone shirtless, it’s still nicely eerie, with its genuine rusting hulk providing a proper feeling of decay and decrep, a good cast doing good work with a nonsensical script (even the kids!), lively editing and a nice synth score.
On the other hand, featuring gratuitous references to Nazi atrocities, an extremely gratuitous extended shower scene, and George Kennedy, it’s unlikely to be accused of good taste. Supposedly the original script by Jack Hill (Spider Baby, Coffy, The Big Bird Cage) was subtler.
Now I want to see it just to learn who the hell takes a shower in the middle of an oceanic crisis.