Cold Souls

Cold Souls is playing at the local independednt theater I work at. I haven't seen the film yet, but the poster has been catching my eye whenever I am running to refill napkins or something.

And in searching for the image, I saw this and thought it was pretty funny too.

That is all.

COLD EYES OF FEAR

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Original Title: Gli occhi freddi della paura
Year: 1971
Director: Enzo G. Castellari
Writer: Leo Anchóriz (screenplay, story), Tito Carpi (screenplay, story), Enzo G. Castellari (screenplay, story)
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067511/
Genre: Giallo

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Mr. September Enzo Castellari threw his hat into the giallo ring a few years and a few lesser-known westerns later. "Giallo" may need some quotes around it in this case...

synopsis swiped from http://www.doomedmoviethon.com/reviews2/217coldeyesoffear.htm:

One night, Peter Flower (played by Gianni Garko) brings his date, Anna (Giovanna Ralli), home to his uncle’s house for some fun. His uncle is Judge Juez Flower (Fernando Rey) who is busy at the office and won’t be home until late. Peter’s plans are soon spoiled by the gun-toting Quill (Julián Mateos) who takes he and Anna hostage. They think they are saved when a cop shows up he is actually Arthur Welt (Frank Wolff), a criminal who Peter’s uncle sent to jail many years ago. Welt plans to kill Judge Flower with a well-placed explosive device but first he must find an incriminating file hidden somewhere in the house.

I'm trying to find the best way to succinctly describe my experience with Cold Eyes of Fear. I suppose it was like a coin toss. Heads you win - take away from it some impressive style and imagery as well as a great Ennio Morricone soundtrack. Tails you lose and get a turd dropped right on your nose. No matter how much you scrub, you're still going to smell it, and it's just going to taint anything positive that will follow.

Cold Eyes of Fear was a mess to me. I did not care for the characters. I found myself wandering out of the room without bothering to reach for the pause button. I don't want to say outright that it is shit because it had it's moments, and I may be becoming a Castellari apologist after all this time we have spent together. (he loves me... I know he does!)

We open the film with a little bait and switch and get really what is the only giallo moment of the entire film. The scene is standard fare for what you would see in a typical giallo, but is pretty cool regardless with nice lighting and shadows. I knew something was up when we soon see the assailant's face. Then for the next hour and 25 minutes, my face went a little sour.

Thank Jesus we got to see a little boob action right here at the beginning. What a hot little blonde she was! She had kind of a Beverly D'Angelo thing going on but hotter.

A little sidenote here: since I started writing this review I have gone to the kitchen to get some juice, peed, checked baseball scores more than once, and looked at the clock a few times to figure out if i could squeeze in a movie before I pass out. I can't even focus on this after it's over!

Let's get back on track

There we go!

Sorry...

Anyway, after the fakeout, the story that we are given is just a boring series of "tense" conversations in a living room. There were moments of real tension, but most was just nonsense I thought. Frank Wolff was actually really good in his role as Welt for the most part. This would be one of his final roles I believe as he committed suicide in Rome the year this film came out. On his wikipedia page, it says that Milano Calibro 9 (awesome film where he played a police commissioner - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067429/) and When Women Lost Their Tails were released posthumously. Mr. Wolff could sweat with the best of them it seems!

With many giallos, we go in expecting (for the most part) function following form, or style being the primary draw as opposed to super-strong plots. We should be willing to overlook some logic and holes at times when we are provided with a visual feast. It just comes with the territory.

But despite being easy on the eyes thanks to some fantastic lighting, angles, etc., we are not given an interesting plotline in the least nor are we given much reason to care what happens to any of these characters. They are ready to flake out on one another as quickly as I was ready to flake out on the film itself. I hate being bored by a film about as much as anything, and Cold Eyes of Fear was very often boring.

Really, it wasn't a true giallo in that there's not really a slasher element and the mystery is not the villain's identity but rather the villain's motivation. And the driving force here is pretty weak I must say.

The look of the film kept it together for me. The lighting was very often dark and moody. One very nice scene has a hanging fixture swinging after being bumped into which makes the light dance across our main actress' face. There are lots of nice closeups (combined with not-so-closeups, which I'm a sucker for) that really help to keep this film at least visually interesting.

Some imagery used late in the film with long, moving hallways and spinning overlays was particularly interesting despite being a little strange.

But ultimately the style is not enough to save Cold Eyes of Fear for me. Not even a nice, violent close to the film which has a brutal bludgeoning with a whiskey bottle is enough to prevent it from breaking that cardinal sin of movie-making... don't bore the audience. The characters' motives are not convincing, and the story just is not all that interesting.

And if I had to watch anymore scenes with the annoying, sleep-inducing judge, I was going to bash someone with a J&B bottle myself! Ugh, just open the goddamn door already! (You'll see what I mean)

Yes, Samurai and Willy, if you ever read this... it is J&B! Nothing but the best! (ggtmc.com!)

I would only recommend this if you want to see perhaps why Castellari only directed one giallo.

Oh, and that Morricone soundtrack...hotness!

Let's just blame this one on Leo Anchóriz. Yeah... that's it... damn you, Anchóriz!

4.5 out of 10

GO KILL AND COME BACK

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Original Title: Vado… l'ammazzo e torno
Year: 1967
Director: Enzo G. Castellari
Writer: Tito Carpi (screenplay), Giovanni Simonelli (screenplay), Enzo G. Castellari (screenplay)
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062429/
Genre: Western

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imdb synopsis:

A gang of bandits rob a train of it's one million dollar gold shipment. Once the gang's leader makes off with the pot he's pursued by a bounty hunter, a banker, and a lone bandit. Once word gets around about the missing shipment of gold mayhem ensues.

We're jumping in our Delorean and travelling from the 80s all the way back to the 60s for a much earlier Castellari film here. On the success of The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, many Italian directors started releasing copy-cat westerns to get in on a little of that bank.

Also called Any Gun Can Play here in the US, Go Kill and Come Back was Castellari's first credited Spaghetti Western. Very simply, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly - grit - cinematography + comedy = Go Kill and Come Back. It's not quite that simple, of course. In fact, it is quite entertaining. Western stereotypes (the loner, the handsome, the mexican bandito) team up with one another, double cross each other, ride, swing and punch their way into getting their share of a stolen chest containing $300,000 in gold.

This story borrows quite heavily from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (or possibly something older I don't know about?) to weave this story together. It is by no means the epic that is the Leone classic, but it was definitely enjoyable for what it was. Lots of scheming by the characters made it pretty solid story. The characters lack the grittiness and "Spaghetti Sweat" (as the hosts of The Gentlemen's Guide to Midnite Cinema have dubbed it) of more classic Spaghetti Western types, but are fun to watch regardless.

Edd Byrnes plays the handsome banker Clayton who is on the hunt for the stolen loot. George Hilton plays a handsome Eastwood Stranger type, a bounty hunter who follows his targets around and increases their bounties as they commit more crimes - pretty funny! And then we have Gilbert Roland as the Mexican John Wayne look-alike, bandido Monatero. All three play their roles very well, as they need to - their characters' interactions are the driving force of the film.

The Stranger is introduced in a fantastic opening sequence with three coffins for three wanted men. I won't say more for fear of ruining the cool little sequence, but if you don't see a pretty Eastwood when he tips back his hat, you may need to watch some Leone again!.

The characters in this movie, while borrowing from the gritty story and characters of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, were much cleaner with some well groomed facial hair and white teeth. Not quite the same feeling. Also, for better or worse, the fight scenes were over the top and with the accompanying music were comedic.

Clayton even fought in the old-timey 'put-up-your-dukes' style and uses awnings as trampolines!

In Leone's film, the characters show their wounds and cracked lips and imperfections, but here even after beating the shit out of one another, we don't even see so much as a bruise.

There's a decent soundtrack (some nice, fiting organ music in one scene) and some really cool camera shots (that I'm always a sucker for) really added to the fun of Go Kill, and Come Back.

There were some neat camera angles behind a firing pistol, and some really well lit and focused shots. You can already see Castellari's playfulness and experimentation in his direction in this film. No slow-motion yet, but the high/low angles, the working with various forms of lighting, reflections (the spilled wine is awesome!) and the camera placement on moving vehicles or simply showing two characters at once adds some style.

It was fun, but certain elements made this film start to lean toward an American style as opposed to European. The fist fighting for instance was very reminiscent of the older American Westerns. Not sure if this is exactly a complaint, but I do like my Spaghetti's moody and European!

The story gets a touch repetitive for me as it goes on, as if there are some fight scenes and such thrown in there for the sake of action. By the time I hit the bathhouse scene, I was wanting things wrapped up.

This one is worth seeing, especially if you're a fan of Spaghetti Westerns or want to see some early Castellari work. Solid story, enjoyable (comedic) fist fights, quite a bit of gun play all help out. It may not be the most original story (came out only one year after The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly), but what can you do?

6.25 out of 10

Kraftwerk - Die Roboter

This was on my youtube recommended this morning... well, the american video. But since that one oddly cannot be embedded, I am sharing this live German appearance.

So awesome!

HAMMERHEAD

Enough with this bullshit. Ugh, I'm pissed I even put Insane Clown Posse here!

Let's get back to business!!!

It's quite possible to simply review a string of Castellari/Nero films alone that would blow your panties off. But I decided to mix it up a little this time. We're switching decades and hunky leads...

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Original Title: Hammerhead

Year: 1987
Director: Enzo G. Castellari
Writer: Enzo G. Castellari
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0178546/
Genre: Action

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synopsis:
Former Vietnam-era mercenary turned Miami cop Hammer has been lying low in Miami. One day, Hammer is awakened by a phone call from his troubled former comrade Greg, who needs his help. In going to help his friend, Hammer is once again thrust into the action as a criminal plot in Jamaica begins to unfold.

Enter Mr. Daniel Greene! Playing a guy who's enough of a douchebag that he'll sport his Florida State tee (sleeveless of course) in downtown Miami no sweat!

I had only seen Daniel Greene previously in Hands of Steel where he played a cyborg, and randomly in an episode of Eastbound and Down where he was sporting a sweater vest at a party and not really saying anything. Granted, his acting ability is not phenomenal by any stretch of the imagination, but I really enjoyed his livlier character here than I did in Hands of Steel. It's a little awkward at times, particularly during his "love" scenes, but completely serviceable and at times very entertaining. He gets some very funny facial closeups (like while driving) that will surely bring a smile to your face.

But the true star of the film.... the wardrobe!

Fans of the 80s will love some of the clothing sported here. Not only do we get the sleeveless t-shirt as mentioned before, we get some hideous suits (check that white one out with another sleeveless "striped" shirt underneath), acid-washed denim, some heinous fake-Oakley sunglasses, and Greene even sports some humongous white Avia high tops. Keep an eye out because the jeans are even tucked behind the tongue at one point!

And there is one of the greatest femmullets ever put on film that I just have to throw in here!

Anyway, the other actors as usual are nothing great. Jorge Gil as Jose is our sassy sidekick, and here he is doing his best John Tuturro impersonation.

Seriously, I had to pause the movie when he first shows up to check imdb and see if he was in there! He doesn't always look like Tuturro's long lost twin, but at times they are dead-ringers.

He is entertaining but at times a little grating and obnoxious as 80s sidekicks are prone to be. And I do have a little trouble believing this guy was some badass mercenary... but maybe there is just some things we are not aware of. Demoltions expert maybe? A tunnel rat?

Deana Lund as DD is meh... there is some stiff acting mixed with some overacting, so whatever. She has a particularly annoying crying scene and she doesn't really serve much purpose in the film other than to get Hammer to move from one place to another a couple times during the story.

And to finish off the cast, there are the villains which are pretty painful overall honestly. And there are loads of extras that are pretty funny in their oversized sunglasses, but none of which speak all that much.

I suppose the acting could be better, but let's be honest... we're here to see Daniel Greene beat the shit out of people, we're here to see some car crashes and gun fights, and we are here because it is an Enzo Feckin G. Castellari film. Well, it is... but for me this did not hold the same cool touches that I had seen in Castellari's work in the 1970s.

I don't want to say that the film is bad or anything. It isn't at all, really. For me, though, it just felt more straightforward... more American I suppose than his previous work. The flourishes peek out every once in awhile (Castellari-slo-mo-cam!) but you'll have to be looking for his European style/lighting/etc. more here than in earlier work. There is a strange but interestingly shot scene with Greene smashing through a car windshield that has Enzo's fingerprints all over it.

Castellari's story is simple enough to avoid overanalyzation for the most part, but there are elements added upon elements that can feel a little overwhelming after awhile. For fear of spoiling it, it's hard to explain exactly, but at times it felt like too much exposition was needed to figure out someone's intentions.

As with most 80s action flicks, you need at least one female-in-peril, a smart-ass sidekick of some sort that doesn't possess the physical prowess of the main hero, and probably a villain with an accent.

It's all here, as is the abundant action scenes - the car chases, the gun play, the double cross, the "hot" chicks... ahem...

Castellari loads up the film with some really fun action, and that as I've said is why we're watching this strange German VHS rip in the first place, right? We run the gamut from pistols blazing to fist/breaking board/TABLE SAW (yep) fights, all the way to cars flying through the air and even riding on two wheels OUT OF NOWHERE. Roadblocks are of no consequence to drivers in Hammerhead - they will simply send their vehicle magically hurtling through the air or even sideways to avoid them!

Fuck you, reality!

Out-feckin-standing!

Oh, and listen for the fake Sweet Child O' Mine guitar riff during the first car chase!!

Despite all the fun action and 80s metal elevator music, there is one thing missing from Hammerhead...

...where are the tits?? (sorry ladies)

You gotta at least throw a shower scene in there to round it all out! Random boob shots are an 80s action staple, and there were definitely opportunities to show some skin, but it was just strangely absent.

Overall, this was a solid action flick. I felt it was more standard-fare than anything else I have seen by him so far, but I'm finding myself enjoying it more as I talk about it here than I did when I was actually watching it the first time. It has a little staying power it seems! It's not on dvd or anything, but if you run across it in your searches, it's worth a view, definitely.

5.75 out of 10

And just to show...

...that I can leave that critical eye at the door and enjoy things for what they are...

I plan on watching

(and enjoying!)

this little beauty very soon!

Crank = ICP

Sorry to interrupt Castellari month (I know all 3 of you readers will care), but I have been thinking about this one awhile...

So today I was reading through a list on Blender's website about the 50 Worst Bands In The History of Music. I know, it's from April, but I'm just coming across it now. Well, not to spoil the list or anything, but the #1 worst band as donned by Blender is The Insane Clown Posse.

Blender has this to say about this "musical" duo:

They sound even stupider than they look
Two trailer-trash types who wear face paint, pretend to be a street gang and drench cult devotees in cheap soda called Faygo, Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope are more notorious for their beef with Eminem (who pistol-whipped an ICP homey in 2001) than their ham-fisted rap-rock music. They claim that a “dark carnival” visited them one night, prophesied impending apocalypse and made them its messengers. Between this circus gospel, they find plenty of time to rap about 40-ouncers and venereal disease.

Well, it dawned on me after reading a little more about ICP that this band reminds me of why I hate the movie Crank.

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Original Title: Crank

Year: 2006
Director: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor
Writer: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070552/
Genre: Action

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Despite the admitedly sweet German poster above, and the idea for the film that really does seem good on paper, I felt that almost from the get-go this thing was a complete disaster.

Rarely does a film piss me off.

Here's my initial reaction on the Popsyndicate forums 10 minutes after finishing Crank

my review:
fuck this dumbass shit
most valuable thing:
the bird exploding. the only thing about this piece of shit that made me smile
make or break:
throwing a cab driver out into an outdoor restaurant area, yelling "al qaeda!", and ladies attack him. that about sums it up. It isn't funny. At all
2.5/10
Worst movie i have seen since Strike of the Tortured Angels. And i have seen some stinkers.
so bad it pissed me off

Well, seeing as everyone I know besides my wife inexplicably liked this film, and I didn't really give it any attention after that initial viewing, I thought I should at least explain my distaste a little better instead of just shitting on everyone else's positive reviews!

Sorry, Hans!

(check out his awesome and much better-written blog at http://thisisquietcool.blogspot.com!)

So back to the ICP comparison... I always viewed these guys as truly what was wrong with music in the late 1990s and early 2000s. They might have had an entertaining stage presence (or so I've read... is dousing your audience with 2-liters of cheap soda entertaining?), but ultimately underneath the paint were they anything more than a couple white rappers with terrible lyrics, no flow and an even worse fan base? They relied on profanity and a silly "theme" to be successful as opposed to just having good, solid music.

I really felt the same way about Crank. It is the white rapper of genre films. After years and years of action films that are enjoyed by checking your intellect at the door, we have gotten to this point. I know I am capable, there is no other explanation for my adoration of El Santo films! But for this, for whatever reason, take away the inital thrill of the action and what you have is a film I feel is way too self-aware for it's own good that sometimes borders on offensive. It just lacked a soul.

Crank is almost Scary Movie.

Minus the comedy.

I can also compare it to the style of professional wrestling that unfortunately got big in the 1990s and still carries over today. The spot-fests as they are called, where virtually no worthy story is told in a match and guys risk life and limb in a series of ridiculous stunts for the sake of the ooh's and ahh's of the audience.

Gone are the days of the heel wrestler using his chokes and illegal punches to get the audience to truly hate them. Gone are the days of working a limb and near pinfalls. They were replaced with one guy flying 30 feet through the air through a table, then the other guy returning the favor.

The NOWNOWNOW mentality of the entertainment goer has evolved so many forms of entertainment to be short bursts of thrills with little or no staying power.

Anyway, onto the feature!

Jason Statham is not so bad in the film, honestly. He doesn't go much beyond his standard fare, but some of his more comedic deliveries actually come of OK. Watching him chomp pills or chop of a hand was kind of entertaining, but not nearly enough to carry this.

Amy Smart was the complete opposite for me. I'm not sure I have liked ANYTHING I have ever seen her in, which granted isn't much, but for me she isn't much more than eye candy. She's very stiff throughout the entire film, and her character is pretty goddamn annoying, which isn't entirely her fault. We'll blame that (and most of the problems I have) on the writing and directing by two guys I have trouble believing were born before 1993.

HAHAHAHA SEE THAT?? Yeah, it wasn't funny.

The rest of the cast was forgettable or really too annoying to worry with. There was the douchebag supreme Ricky Verona who I hated simply because he sucked as opposed to him actually being a good villain. There is a weird appearance by Dwight Yokam (LOLz?) as a shady doctor who helps our hero Chev via phone then in his home. And let's not forget Chev's odd friend Kaylo who reminded me of Pedro from Napolean Dynamite (another movie I really don't like!)

Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor set out what I am told to make a video game movie. I've been reading comparisons between Crank and Grand Theft Auto. There's a big difference though. Grand Theft Auto games have well-written stories and have compelling characters to go along with the over-the-top violence and action. I've played more than my fair share.

I wished nothing but awful things on every character in Crank, and Neveldine and Taylor really gave me nothing to like or properly dislike about any of them. Chev has his moments (there are a couple fun scenes with him dealing with some "problems" while protecting the oblivious Eve at the same time), but more often than not what we get is base humor, racism (I'm sorry, but the Al Quaeda thing does not even approach humor), and dick jokes.

OF COURSE Eve likes to be humiliatingly fucked in public.

Oh, and OF COURSE Chev has a huge shlong that she has to be sure to scream out for everyone to hear.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

It is hard for me to comment now on the way the film was shot, the lighting, etc. as it has been a few months since watching it, and I really do not want to sit through that hour and a half again. I do not recall anything terrible and there were some interesting angles used with closeups of Statham's sweaty face, some first person, etc. But I can comment on the green screen special effects. BOOOOOOO!

If you don't have the budget or the know-how to properly film (animate) some of these stunts that defy reality, then please leave them out. They were at times reminiscent of the special-effects-on-a-dime of Japanese sci fi television that can take you completely out of a scene.

I don't recall any spectacular stunts, but the motorcycle ride was pretty cool though.

I will be the first to admit that maybe I just don't get this film. But from the moment the story is set into motion I just had that feeling that the creators set out to make a cult-film instead of just letting it happen like the true classics. I don't know why, but I never got a sense of love of the characters. I only got a sense of two drunk douchebags loading scene after scene to titilate hoards of other drunk douchebags.

If you are somehow a mix of these guys,

this guy,

and this guy,

then this turd may be right up your alley!

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

I love you all

But I hate this movie

In other news... UNC ALUMNI GAME!

The highlights at least.

My two sport passions are Boston Red Sox baseball and University of North Carolina Tar Heels basketball! My two teams from childhood that have stuck with me. I was lucky enough to go to UNC as a student and see some fun games while I was there. (The A. Jamison/V. Carter era)

This game looked like a lot of fun, and I am excited to see what else is in store this coming season for the 100 year anniversary.

Audio seems to be a little off-sync with the video, but what can you do?

I got a little chill when Jordan was introduced. I would like to see him play though!

Go Heels!

Profondo Rosso Trailer

I've never seen the original Italian trailer before tonight.

Thanks to vcinema for bringing it to my attention!

So

good...

HIGH CRIME

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Original Title: La polizia incrimina la legge assolve
Year: 1973
Director: Enzo G. Castellari
Writer: Maurizio Amati (story), Tito Carpi (screenplay, story), Enzo G. Castellari (writer), Gianfranco Clerici (writer), Vincenzo Mannino (writer), Leonardo Martín (writer)
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070552/
Genre: Polizia

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imdb synopsis:
An Italian police inspector matches wits with a powerful European drug ring. As he comes closer to the top of the underworld organization, his odds of survival decrease.

Castellari and Franco Nero have come together to make a real gem here in this film. It starts off action packed, but unlike other polizias I have seen, this one has some really great character roles and and interesting story around all the action.

First the characters: Nero's Belli is similar to the Betti character of Violent Naples and Violent Rome that I have reviewed recently, although with much more depth I thought. He is a hothead, but is cooler under pressure. His heated scenes with the Commissioner are very well acted, and I really liked the interactions with him and his daughter and his girlfriend. These down times feel natural and add dimension to the Belli character without getting overly sappy or awkward as they are sometimes prone to do. While it can be fun, Nero proves here you don't have to be a carboard cutout of a tough-guy to truly pull off a tough guy.

He is over the top at times (ok, ok, most of the time), but I feel like it still worked. I guess I just got lost in those blue eyes! Ahhhh..... Belli has some funny, smartass lines in there ("You have shit on your face"), and has a great look with his scarf and wide tie.

The commissioner, played by James Whitmore, was also a strong character I thought. He had a great look... Whitmore's expressive, pensive bushy eyebrows were almost a character in themselves. Like I said, his interaction with Belli are great. There is a standout scene in particular with the two of them speaking (yelling) with one another on a high look over the city. This adds an interesting little facet to their relationship beyond a standard boss-employee relationship. Belli voices his opinions, and we get the idea that the commissioner respects them, even going as far as giving Belli an arena to do so, away from other law enforcement officials at the station.

"In this business, there are no heroes. No heroes, no crusaders, just a sick society!"

As for Castellari's direction: He was spot on here. There are many great scenes of action and just nicely framed images in general. There are many little things on top of the character interactions that just gave the film a real sense of artistic style while still maintaining the grittiness and fast pace we want and expect from a film of this genre.

Castellari uses some nice scenes of slow-motion as he seems prone to do. Like Inglorious Bastards with the German potato masher crashing through a window, there is a spectacular execution scene with machine gun fire through a glass door.

There are scenes of flashback woven in and out of the present time as we (and the character) are reminded of certain things. And there are just nicely framed and shot images that just ooze cool, like a reflection in a man's sunglasses, or interesting angles that may not be all that necessary, but just add style.

There is quite a bit of handheld camera work, particularly when panning around characters who are speaking, even some scenes shot from a first-person perspective, all which pull the viewer into the story more I think.

The story stays strong throughout; it doesn't get bogged down with over-analyzation or on the other hand stay too light and just focus on the action. There is a great balance and pace. A problem with lots of films I have seen in the genre is the momentum grinding to a halt when the characters break out of their one-dimension and get serious, show affection, etc. I really did not get that from this film. Nero is great in the quiet times as well as the frenetic times.

From what I have read, this film started the polizia/eurocrime boom of the mid-70s, and I can definitely see why. I'm not sure if that is true as it is not the first of it's kind, but it surely served as a turning point.

This is one of the best genre films I have seen in awhile.

Very high recommendation from me. SEE IT!

8.5 out of 10

STACHE BATTLE

Big Willy from The Gentlemen's Guide to Midnite Cinema inspired this battle some true heavyweights.

In this corner, wearing the three piece suit and half a can of Consort hairspray for men...

legendary stache and all around genre-deity

FRANCOOOOO NEEEEEEEEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

And in this corner, dressed in a Sears jacket, Bugle Boy Jeans, and glasses taken from recycled television screens.....

The Beast from 1987......

LITTLE LOOOOOOOOOAF!

Who will possibly prevail in this epic battle?

Bruiser Brody by Emerson Murray

I saw this posted today and thought I would share it here. It's a promotional video for a new book about legendary pro-wrestler Bruiser Brody.

Bruiser Brody was not a wrestler I followed at all as a kid. He was actually someone I learned to appreciate when I got into american pro-wrestling and puroresu tape trading back in college.

He was not a technical wizard, but definitely brought his insane (hardcore) style to the forefront. His matches were quite often insane, sometimes spilling into the crowd. His style may be an acquired taste for some, but I find it fun to watch when the mood strikes.

Something of note in this video is Abdullah the Butcher's little clips. So funny hearing wrestlers talk completely out of the character you most know them as. I've heard about him driving around his Cadillac and his BBQ restaurant in GA.

Anyway, this looks pretty cool. I might have to pick it up. It's a little weird seeing a biography that is 8"x8".

You can find it at http://www.bruiserbrody.com




Also throwing a short match on here just to show the Brody style. Good times!

INGLORIOUS BASTARDS

My review today of A Special Cop in Action as well as comparing that poster with the poster from the Castellari/Nero team up Street Law, really put me in an Enzo G. Castellari mood. On the recommendations from the lovely fellows of The Gentlemen's Guide to Midnite Cinema, I am hereby declaring September ENZO MONTH ON ASSORTED LOAF!*

*or at least until I get bored of the theme, which honestly could happen in a couple days

So get ready for a vast array of even more Italian exploitation by one of the greats!

And we will start off with the Bastards!

No, no. Not BastErds!

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Original Title: Quel maledetto treno blindato
Year: 1978
Director: Enzo G. Castellari
Writer: Sandro Continenza, Sergio Grieco, Franco Marotta, Romano Migliorini, Laura Toscano
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076584/
Genre: War

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imdb synopsis:
Set in Europe during WWII, a group of American soldiers are in the process of being shipped off to military prison for a variety of infractions, ranging from desertion to murder. While they're being transported, a German artillery attack hits the convoy, killing the MPs and enabling four of the prisoners to escape. The group decides their best bet is to head to neutral Switzerland where they can avoid the fighting and prison. As they make their way to what they think will be freedom, they end up volunteering for a commando mission to steal a V2 warhead for the French Underground. Somehow, the team must sneak into the most heavily guarded base in German territory, steal the Nazi's most precious military hardware, and bring it back to the allies without getting arrested again by their own side.

Tarantino uses a type treatment in Inglorious Basterds that is very reminiscent of this title screen!

Needless to say that this film borrows from and owes much to the classic film The Dirty Dozen, but what this film does is up the fun and exploitative elements to make it in my opinion quite excellent. I'll be honest, I did not sit down and take notes on this one, but there are memorable elements and an interesting story that keep it lively and set it apart from it's older brother. It's a film I really just had fun watching and I see myself revisiting it.

The overall highlight I think for me is Castellari just having a blast behind the camera! The story is a bit silly and in part swiped from previous films as I mentioned already, but Castellari keeps it moving and mostly lighthearted and fun.

We see him utilizing slow motion a few times in this film for great effect. These types of flourishes (along with a lighthearted feel) adds a sense of style to what could have been another ho-hum war film.

In particuar, there is a fire fight between Nazis and French freedom fighters that comes off quite beautifully with bodies very slowly flying and twisting through the air with a classical score as the only sound effect. I don't think I am spoiling anything here. The opening animation is evidently pulled from this footage.

When I think about it, it's possible this scene could be viewed as extraneous - like this somewhat artistic approach can feel out of place. I looked at it instead as a place to laugh or cheer out loud. There is lots of death happening all at once, but by removing all audio aside from the music and having the slow motion exaggeratedly flying bodies, it makes what could be made into a terribly serious moment in another war story and turns it into something that still fits with the overall feel of the rest of the film.

One scene in particular that had me say out loud "COOL!" or something equally profound (roll eyes) was the slow motion shot of the German potato masher grenade smashing through a glass window. On the special edition DVD, in a conversation with Castellari, Quentin Tarantino mentions this scene as well as they talk for quite awhile about slow motion filming.

I also want to briefly mention the opening and closing credits. Behind the credits on screen with the typical drummy, horn filled military film music is a contrasty, 2 color clip of explosions, of a train rolling over, and of soldiers flying into the air. I thought this was really great, as was the title of the film itself.
Very graphic... almost comic book-like, which captures, and in a way sets the feel of the film very well right from the beginning.

The characters were all interesting and well-acted for the most part. There was nothing offensive at least. I felt like many of the roles and even the story was tongue-in-cheek as they were one-dimensional. This is completely forgiveable in this type of film, however.

Bo Svenson was a likeable lead. His German sounds good and he just has a good look for the camera and for this sort of leadership role. Fred Williamson always rules if you ask me. He chews up the scenery like he chews up the cigar that is forever present in between his teeth. You can really tell that The Hammer was having a lot of fun with this one, and he even had some impressive stuntwork especially on the train in the final act! How could you not love a silly face like that over there? That cigar looks as dry as a tunbleweed in July.

Michael Pergolani I thought was very entertaining as the cleptomaniac Nick character. His scene on the motorcycle is great, as is his scene with the random bathing beauties before Fred scares them to the point of machine gun fire.

Oh....Yes, this movie has a moment of naked chicks with machine guns. Out-feckin-standing! Sorry for the slight spoiler, but this was just too great to pass up!

On top of all this, nice stuntwork, explosions, plenty of gun play, and some really nice miniature effects at the end really make this a memorable film. It is lighter than Dirty Dozen, and in ways I like this film better. It is tighter than DD (about 1:40 as opposed to 2:30) so there is not much wasted time. The overall story is a little silly I suppose, and there are some down scenes (like at the medical station) which were take it or leave it for me, but the action and humor are woven in nicely with the more serious war elements, making this film a fantastic example of what can be done very well on a limited budget.

Definite recommendation to pick this one up! It's not perfect, but it's a load of fun.

What's the big deal, all we gotta do is steal a damn choo-choo!

7.5 out of 10