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Wuchakk
My All-Time Favorite Movies: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070122364/
Film Axioms:
- No genre is beyond redemption or above contempt.
- Just because a movie's good doesn't mean you'll like it; just because you like it doesn't mean it's good.
- Italians have been making the worst movies for a hundred years.
- Howard Hawks supplied the simplest definition of a good movie: "Three great scenes. No bad scenes."
- Nine out of ten times when there's a bar scene in a movie there's a fight.
- Every great auteur/actor has a bad or dubious film; but, remember, even God created the cockroach.
- People who go overboard with criticism -- e.g. "This is the worst film ever!" or "I'd give this 0/10 if I could!" -- lose credibility as reviewers. The same goes with overrating a movie.
- Honest reviewers must resist the influence of mass hype when a popular film debuts. Separating it from the initial epidemic fervor is mandatory in determining it's true worth. (Remember when Roger Ebert gave Peter Jackson's "King Kong" a perfect rating of 4/4 Stars? Why sure!).
- Movies are life with the boring bits taken out.
- A movie can be technically well-made, but void of depth. The reverse is also true: A movie can be technically deficient (usually due to low-budget), but thematically wealthy. Whereas the ideal is to have both, sometimes a movie's budget doesn't allow for top-notch filmmaking, but it can still soar in the realm of worthy mindfood. Some excellent examples from my reviews include "From Within," "Billy Jack" and "Tribes." Many episodes of the original Star Trek TV series are great examples as well, such as "Space Seed," "The Naked Time" or "The City on the Edge of Forever."
- Movies must be critiqued and graded according to what they are and aspire to achieve. For instance, 1998's "Godzilla" is a colossal-creature movie and should therefore be reviewed on that level. Compared to the original "Apocalypse Now" it's dreck, but how does it stack-up to other gigantic-monster movies?
- Reviewers who intentionally say false things about a film reveal a personal vendetta against it and lose all credibility as reviewers. Don't even give these types of "reviewers" and their "reviews" the time of day.
- Movies are the modern-day campfire tales of centuries past. They entertain, amuse, inspire and mentor. Generally speaking, they provide the mythology that helps the modern world cope with reality.
- I see a lot of reviewers giving movies 10/10 Stars or 1/10 Stars when, the reality is, most movies fall between 5/10 Stars and 7/10 Stars.
- Disregarding profits, the main purpose of a movie is to entertain; the secondary purpose is to convey a message. The better the entertainment and message, the better the movie. The reverse is also true.
- In 99 out of 100 movies, if something doesn't happen by the end of the first reel, nothing's gonna happen (at least nothing compelling, effective, original or inspiring).
- Popularity at the box office is very important for people who's opinion of an artistic work needs validated by others (rolling my eyes).
- A movie that doesn't do well at the box office isn't always an indicator that it's bad; it could mean something interesting is going on that's too far out of the norm for mass consumption. "Watchmen" and (believe it or not) "The Wizard of Oz" are good examples ("Wizard" bombed when it debuted in 1939).
- Watching a movie is like seeing someone else's hallucination. You have to be willing to enter into the film's 'world' to appreciate it. If you can't, you won't.
- The rating of a movie is irrelevant (G, PG, PG-13, R). Does more gore, more nudity, more cussing, more overt sexual situations determine the worthiness of a film? Maybe for 13 year-olds. Is "The Wizard of OZ" a lousy film because it's rated G? How about the original "Planet of the Apes"?
- While good movies can be made with big budgets, big names, big stunts and incredible F/X, they can also be made with small budgets, creative writers & directors and no-name-but-quality actors.
- No one sets out to make a bad movie.
- It's always preferable to watch an entertaining mess over a competent bore-fest.
- Art (including film) is not meant to be an imitation of reality, but rather an interpretation of it.
- Never watch a movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme.
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RATING GUIDE:
10/10 Stars: A+ (Top-of-the-line)
9/10 Stars: A (Excellent)
8/10 Stars: A- (Breaks the threshold of greatness)
7/10 Stars: B+ or B (Very good or, at least, good)
6/10 Stars: B or B- (Marginal "thumbs up")
5/10 Stars: C+ or C (Too flawed to recommend, but some worthwhile aspects)
4/10 Stars: C or C- (Severely mediocre or flawed)
3/10 Stars: D+ or D (Cinematic flotsam)
2/10 Stars: D or D- ("Brain and brain, what is brain?")
1/10 Star: F (Worthless garbage for one important reason or another)
Note: Like everyone else, I tend to watch movies I think I might like, which explains my numerous positive ratings.
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Favorite Film of All Time:
Apocalypse Now
TV Axiom:
- Every ten years or so a TV show comes along that doesn't suck.
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Lists
An error has ocurred. Please try againThis list includes films from all three types of sword & sandal movies: 1. historical or realistic, 2. fantasy ones that typically have an element of magic/sorcery (i.e. "sword & sorcery") and 3. biblical, which is arguably one-and-the-same as the first type.
Write me at: dltoes@msn.com
Please note that this list refers to women "Present & Past," so there are several females who have passed away or are well beyond their physical prime. Carol Lynley is a good example. This is why I cite specific movies or TV shows in which to view these lovely ladies at their physical best.
Others have suggested several women that I should add to the list. I appreciate this and I may add them at some point when I eventually view them in a movie or show (Sofia Vergara and Sophia Loren are good examples); but some of them I'm well familiar with and -- even though they're beautiful women one way or another, perhaps even stunning -- they lack the qualities necessary to make my list (Raquel Welch, Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Alba come to mind) (some of these almost made my list, like Jessica Biel).
It was also suggested that I should add several Victoria Secrets women, but this list is limited to women who appear in movies & TV shows, even if a few of them are more singers than actresses.
Someone else criticized the list for not including "women of color," but look closely and you'll observe a sprinkling of such lasses, like Vida Guerra, Bingbing Fan, Yolanda Pecoraro, Demi Lovato, Mariah Carey, Salma Hayek, Sonia Braga and more. The obvious reason there aren't more "women of color" is because I'm a white dude (with some Abenaki blood) and, gee, I guess I tend to prefer women with lighter skin. This has nothing to do with racism; it's just personal preference and, besides, this is a subjective list.
Some heralded Westerns aren't on the list because either 1. I'm not a fan (e.g. "The Searchers") or 2. I generally like them, but not enough to make my favorites list (e.g. "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" & "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"). In some cases, I might have yet to see the film (e.g. "The Great Silence").
There are other Westerns that I remember liking and they may make my list in the future, but I have to give 'em a fresh viewing because I haven't seen them for so long.
Feel free to give your feedback, thanks!
Since this list contains movies from all production levels, film snobs who only favor flicks with blockbuster-level budgets are encouraged to skip it.
For questions, comments or rebukes, write me at: dltoes@msn.com
Most cult movie lists curiously contain utterly horrid flicks, like "Pink Flamingos" (Seriously?) and "Plan 9 from Outer Space" (get real) or fruity wannabe hip crapolla like "Rocky Horror," which explains the title of my list. While numerous of the films on this list are loathed by the masses they're actually worthwhile movies for various significant reasons. My commentaries provide evidence.
I'm not including widely-known movies that you'll often see on cult movie lists, like "The Wizard of Oz," "King Kong," "Apocalypse Now" and "Pulp Fiction," because -- although I wholly agree that they deserve their devotees -- they're just so popular that they're not really cult films.
Some definitive cult flicks, like "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" and "Mad Max," aren't on this list simply because -- while certainly worth seeing -- they're just not entertaining enough to make my list; and entertainment (one way or another) is the name of the game.
Lastly, any cult movie list that includes every Tarantino flick -- or practically all of them -- should be rejected out of hand. (Pick one or two that best represent his repertoire and be done with it).
WARNING: Some of my comments contain SPOILERS.
(More to come)
In no certain order.
For questions, comments or rebukes, write me at: dltoes@msn.com
Reviews
California Dreaming (1979)
The Southern California beach scene in the late 70s
A nerdy guy from Chicago (Dennis Christopher) moves to the coast of SoCal where he makes friends with the owner of a local hangout (Seymour Cassel) and gets to stay at his house, but this annoys his college-age daughter (Glynnis O'Connor). In the meantime, the youth tries to fit in with the 'hip' surfers (John Calvin, John Fain and Jimmy Van Patten).
Shot in October, 1977, but not released until early 1979, "California Dreaming" is a coming-of-age dramedy that takes Sam Elliott's "Lifeguard" from a few years earlier and adds comedic touches. I wouldn't relate this to those goofy 60's beach flicks because it's more realistic. People forget that the originator of the "beach party film" genre was 1959's "Gidget" (the movie with Sandra Dee, not the TV series with Sally Field), which was a beach drama with moving depth and not zany at all. Sure, this one features a little amusing goofiness, but it's mostly a believable story.
Dorothy Tristan has a significant role as Duke's ex-wife, Fay. She was director John Hancock's wife from 1975 until her death in 2023. Speaking of John, he helmed the artistic "Let's Scare Jessica to Death" from the early 70s, so he wasn't exactly a slouch.
This obviously influenced one of the greatest coming-of-age flicks, "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," released a few years later. It's not as good, but not far off either. It's superior to the overrated "Back to the Beach" (1987).
While the movie has a warm, amusing heart underneath it all, there's some top nudity and sexual talk/situations corresponding to the milieu. So stay away if that offends you.
It runs 1 hour, 32 minutes, and was shot at Avila Beach, California, which is 195 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Other nearby locations include: Morro Bay to the north and the theater in San Luis Obispo, which is just southeast of Morro Bay; meanwhile studio work was done in Los Angeles.
GRADE: B-/B.
Tender Mercies (1983)
A broken-down Country musician seeks a new life in Texas
A single mother (Tess Harper) runs a motel & gas station in the lonely plains between Dallas and Austin. She hires an alcoholic man who couldn't pay what he owed (Robert Duvall) and discovers that he's an ex-Country star.
"Tender Mercies" (1983) is a lowkey drama set in rural Texas, reminiscent of "Resurrection" (1980) mixed with "Coal Miner's Daughter" and the later "The Apostle." While it's better than "Resurrection," it's not quite as good as the other two. However, if you like subdued storytelling, like "Places in the Heart," you might prefer it. The film was reimagined as "Crazy Heart" 26 years later with Jeff Bridges, which also features Duvall.
On the female front, Tess is winsome in a humble way while Betty Buckley is great as the ex-wife and country entertainer, Dixie. Whenever she performs, the movie perks up. Lastly, Ellen Barkin is notable as the beautiful 18 years-old daughter. She was 28 during shooting, but easily fit the role. By contrast, both Tess and Robert were slightly long-in-the-tooth for the ages of their characters (if you do the math), but that's a minor cavil.
There's a welcome spirituality to the proceedings and the movie doesn't skimp out on addressing tough theological questions in its understated way.
The flick runs 1 hour, 32 minutes, and was shot in Palmer, Texas, which is a half hour drive south of Dallas.
GRADE: B/B-
Rambling Rose (1991)
Sexcapades in the Deep South during the Depression
In 1935, a young woman with a dubious past (Laura Dern) moves in with a family in a small town in Georgia, but her extraordinary sexuality causes complications for the patriarch (Robert Duvall) and his precocious 13 years-old son (Lukas Haas). Dern's mother, Diane Ladd, is on hand as the Columbia-educated matriarch.
"Rambling Rose" (1991) is an adult-oriented period drama with coming-of-age elements similar to the later "The Cider House Rules," the contemporaneous "The Man in the Moon" and the earlier "Ode to Billy Joe," not to mention "The Great Santini." While it's the least of these, it's not far off and worth checking out for those interested, but some might be turned off by the risqué bits. Duvall is always entertaining while Haas is outstanding.
The book and script writer, Calder Willingham, wanted Tatum O'Neal to play the part of Rose. The role was reportedly also offered to Jodie Foster, Helen Mirren and Meryl Streep, but they declined for obvious reasons. Laura does a fine job in the challenging role, but she wasn't the stunning beauty that the story required. For instance, when she's walking down the street and literally every guy's jaw drops. Why Sure! Don't get me wrong, she could've better fit the role if she were 7-8 years younger, like in "Grizzly II: Revenge."
The flick runs 1 hour, 52 minutes, and was shot in Ivanhoe, North Carolina, and EUE/Screen Gems Studios in Wilmington, which is 30 miles southeast of Ivanhoe on the coast.
GRADE: B-
The Summoning (2014)
Meandering through shadowy forests with dark figures lurking
Six college students decide to celebrate on the weekend at a rural barn party in the heart of Florida, but they're forced to walk the woods to their destination. Unfortunately, evil is prowling about.
"The Summoning" (2014) is surprisingly proficient for its $200,000 budget and no-name actors. The setting is similar to "Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things" from 42 years earlier, and "Zombie Island Massacre" from the mid-80s. At heart, it's a survival venture akin to the comic Adventure Into Fear #18 with the Man-Thing (1973), which featured the story "A Question of Survival" by Steve Gerber and, like this film, involved survivors of a vehicle mishap traversing the jungle at night for succor. The difference is that this mixes-in the occultic antagonists of 70's flicks such as "Race With the Devil" and "The Brotherhood of Satan."
If you're in the mood for horror-in-the-woods adventure and can roll with the low-budget cartoonish CGI, this is worth checking out. Unfortunately, the female cast is serviceable, but subpar IMHO. Amy LoCicero as blonde Shelley is decent and Elaine Hoxie as brunette Gisele is a'right, but she has an off-putting short haircut.
The flick runs 1 hour, 28 minutes, and was shot at the University of Central Florida in Orlando and just north of there in Winter Park and Sanford.
GRADE: B-/C+
The Nightgown (2023)
Colorful Indie horror is relatively entertaining, but strapped with muddled storytelling
In 1976, three teenage girls from a Catholic school take a day hike to a remote cabin in the lonely hills of SoCal to investigate the mysterious death of a student years earlier. Was it due to an exorcism gone wrong, poisoning from holistic medicine or simple child abuse?
They say watching a movie is like seeing someone else's hallucination. You have to be willing to enter into the film's 'world' to appreciate it. If you can't, you won't. That's the thought I had while viewing "The Nightgown" (2023), a surreal low-budget Indie horror with bits reminiscent of "The Exorcist" and "The Wicker Man." The budget was about $1 million with the bulk of that spent on a replica 1930's cabin, which means there wasn't much left over for the rest.
The female protagonists are played by Kate Lý Johnston (Jodi), Elizabeth Rath (Peg) and Baracha (Lori). The director doesn't fail to showcase the first one's derriere in short shorts every chance he gets, but at least he knows how to shoot women, no pun intended. Meanwhile Elizabeth has a certain appeal, as does Baracha in an exotic way.
The filmmaking is mostly proficient for a family & friends production, except for an issue here and there, like the lame floating nightgown or the hammy acting of the groundskeeper. Despite the "demented fever dream" tone, there's a beauty, spiritual depth and artistry to the proceedings that kept my interest, but the writer/director needed to hire a scriptwriter to tweak the story for a more compelling, less head-scratching viewing experience. I'm speaking as someone who enjoys putting the pieces of a challenging story together, but this needed more coherence to make it rewarding.
Some issues are never explained, like how does this Catholic minister have a daughter who's about 11 years-old when these particular clergy take a vow of celibacy? I suppose it's possible he had the daughter before being ordained. I'm assuming Ruth is the mother, but does that mean she's the minister's ex-wife or wife?
The flick runs 1 hour, 16 minutes, and was shot in the desolate hills of northwest Los Angeles.
GRADE: C/C-
Wolf Mountain (2022)
Don't go in the woods of Southern California!
Two brothers, their wives, and another couple go to Wolf Mountain in the desert hills north of Los Angeles to resolve a mystery from 20 years prior. Havoc ensues as corpses start mounting up. Tobin Bell and Danny Trejo are featured in small parts.
"Curse of Wolf Mountain," aka "Wolf Mountain" (2022), is basically a cabin-in-the-woods flick, except that the protagonists are camping out. The nature of the antagonist is kept ambiguous until the last act. Is it a wild man, a werewolf, or something else? The flick is essentially a modern take on 80's movies like "Don't Go in the Woods" and "Memorial Valley Massacre." It's better than the former and about on par with the latter.
Raven-haired Malu Trevejo as Emma is one of the highlights; she's just stunning, reminiscent of, say, Salma Hayek in her youth. Regrettably, she's removed from the proceedings too early. The fools.
The male protagonist is played by Keli Price, who could play Peter Parker. He also wrote the script.
The flick runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot at SilverStrand Ranch in Castaic, which is a 55-minute drive northwest of Los Angeles in the arid high country.
GRADE: B-/C+
Lurking Woods (2015)
Traditional slasher set in the rolling hills northeast of Perth, Australia
Three guys and three gals in their mid-20s go out to a cabin for a college reunion, but a masked slayer is mysteriously lurking in the area. Will anyone make it out alive?
"Lurking Woods" (2015) is a conventional slasher, which the viewer is tipped off to at the outset by the shot of an arm wielding a knife in the air, reminiscent of the infamous "Psycho" shower scene. Of course this is a slasher of the cabin-in-the-woods variety and an Indie at that (costing about $270,000 in USD). Some scenes probably could've been tightened up, but the movie worked for me as an all-around entertaining slasher with a gorgeous rural setting, proficient Indie filmmaking, a quality score, a couple of rockin' songs on the soundtrack, an interesting reveal at the end and a decent no-name cast.
Speaking of which, the creators knocked it out of the ballpark with the female cast, featuring blonde Dominique Shenton (Arleen), Chloe Brown (Alice) and Hope Devaney (Andrea). Redhead Cassee Lazic is also worth a mention in a cameo as Amy. The director has a good eye for depicting feminine beauty without getting raunchy (although the final girl does have a brief top nude scene).
At the end of the day, "Lurking Woods" doesn't try to do something new, it's just effective at what it is, a low-budget standard slasher. The contemporaneous "The Lake on Clinton Road" and "Crazy Lake" are good American examples. If you liked those, this is as good or better.
It runs 1 hour, 17 minutes, and was shot in Toodyah, which is an hour-drive northeast of Perth.
GRADE: B.
Getting It On (1983)
Not as distasteful as "Porky's" but not as good as "Fast Times at Ridgemont High"
A 14 years-old teen in Hickory, North Carolina, gets ahold of some video recording equipment and wastes no time taping his attractive neighbor and other females.
"Getting It On" (1983) was shot in twenty-four days in October, 1982, under the more accurate name "American Voyeur" for $220,000, which would be about $693,000 today (factoring inflation). It's a teen sex dramedy that's not as raunchy as "Porky's" from two years prior, but it's not as palatable as "Valley Girl." It lands somewhere in between.
It has some appeal as a coming-of-age in the 80s flick and there are a few attractive females (with three briefly shown top nude, just a heads up). Plus, it seems to have a good heart underneath the sometimes awkward sex-oriented material, but it doesn't hold a candle to the great "Fast Times at Ridgemont High."
Still, it's preferable to the offensive "American Pie" flicks. And there are inspired bits, like when the protagonist, his best friend, and the latter's older brother sneak into a local community costume party for adults dressed as Ku Klux Klansmen and no one bats an eye!
It runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot in Hickory, which is an hour's drive northwest of Charlotte on the western side of the state.
GRADE: C.
Curse of Crom: The Legend of Halloween (2022)
An American Halloween tale that gives you Goosebumps
In a small town in northern Utah, a high school senior (Chelsea Jurkiewicz) is troubled by the tragedy of a cantankerous old neighbor. She and her friends soon discover that an ancient Irish entity is unleashed and they must stop it before midnight on Halloween. But how?
"Curse of Crom: The Legend of Halloween" (2022) was based on a story by R. H. Grimly, who grew up on R. L. Stein's Goosebumps, Wait Till Helen Comes, and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark with the goal of getting kids into reading and scare them while doing it. As such, this is kid-friendly in that there's no sleaze or buckets of gore, but it's definitely still an amusing Halloween-oriented horror flick with the required spooky staples, even frightening in a comic book way.
Jurkiewicz works well as the protagonist, but she's clearly years older than 17 (she was almost 23 during shooting and looked closer to 30). Blonde Monica Moore Smith is attractive as the amusing Stephanie while redhead Ariana Bagley is worth a mention as Georgia. On the other side of the gender spectrum, Tanner Gillman (Harvey) and Halem Medina (Steve) are effective as friends of the girls.
The flick runs 1 hour, 32 minutes, and was shot in Utah.
GRADE: B-
To All a Goodnight (1980)
Early slasher combines "Black Christmas" and "Friday the 13th"
During Christmas break at an all-girls finishing school up the coast from Malibu, several of the girls have some boys over for the evening, but the festivities take a horrific turn when corpses start mounting up.
"To All a Goodnight" (1980) only cost $70,000 when it was made in 1979, which would be about $280,000 today (factoring inflation). The hallowed "Halloween" from two years earlier had 4.5 times the budget. Nevertheless, it's a fairly proficient early slasher that rips-off "Black Christmas" from six years prior, mixed with some bits from "Friday the 13th," which actually came out 3 months later.
The slaying Santa element prefigures "Silent Night, Deadly Night" 4 years before that debuted and 10 months before "Christmas Evil." But "Tales From the Crypt" was the first movie to feature this angle 8 years earlier.
While the story is too dull in a "poor man's Black Christmas" way and the slayings are more amusing than horrifying, it has its points of interest, including a quality cast of women, highlighted by: Linda Gentile as Melody; Angela Bath as Trisha (unfortunately, she's removed a little too prematurely); Jennifer Runyon as Nancy, the winsome protagonist, aka "final girl"; and Lisa Labowskie as Cynthia, the blonde who doesn't last long. Even Judith Bridges as "plain Jane" Leia has a certain appeal in a girl-next-door way.
The film runs 1 hour, 27 minutes, and was shot in Santa Barbara, which is 95 miles up the coast, northwest of Los Angeles.
GRADE: C.
The Axiom (2018)
What happens to those people who go missing in remote National Parks?
A sister and brother (Hattie Smith and Zac Titus) take some friends into a National Park to find their missing sister in the Far West, but very strange things start happening. Will any of them make it back alive?
"The Axiom" (2018) is a cabin-in-the-woods flick at heart, but the antagonist isn't the cliched variety, such as a masked psycho with a machete or Sasquatch. So it gets points for creativity and ambition, plus the filmmaking is all-around proficient, especially for an Indie. For instance, the sylvan cinematography and score are top-of-the-line. Armchair critics malign the acting, but I found them all convincing, particularly for no-names.
Thankfully, there's no woke crap. And Hattie Smith is worth the price of admission as the stunning protagonist, constantly prancing around in shorts. Brunette Nicole Dambro has a certain appeal too as Darcy.
It's superior to half-baked nonsense like "Monsters in the Woods" and better than "The Legend of Bloody Jack" and "Don't Blink," but not quite as effective as "Donner Pass" or "Wendigo" (2001). I'd put it on par with "Primal Rage." I bring up those particular movies because there are bits reminiscent of them.
The ideas presented are interesting, but there's not enough elucidation. The viewer is left unsatisfied due to too many lingering questions, which I don't want to reveal because I don't want to spoil the viewing experience.
It runs 1 hour, 38 minutes, and was shot in Idyllwild, which is a 2-hour drive east of Los Angeles, an hour southwest of Palm Springs in the high country.
GRADE: B-
Catchfire (1990)
Amusing crime thriller road trip with Dennis Hopper and Jodie Foster
A hitman for the mob in Western America (Hopper) falls for his prey (Foster) and they find themselves running from both the mob and law enforcement.
"Backtrack" was shot in 1988 and originally released in Europe as "Catchfire" in 1990, but the director/star disowned it and credited the film to Alan Smithee. So, he did a Director's Cut that was released to cable in 1991, retitled "Backtrack." It was influenced by Eastwood's "The Gauntlet" from a dozen years earlier. While it's superior to Hopper's contemporaneous "The Hot Spot," it's not as effective as his "Chasers" (1994).
Yet it's worthwhile for the great cast (also including Vincent Price, Joe Pesci, Charlie Sheen, Dean Stockwell and several other recognizable faces), not to mention Jodie in her physical prime. In other words, she never looked better.
The version I saw runs 1 hour, 39 minutes, but there's a version that runs 1 hour, 56 minutes (the Director's Cut) and, supposedly, a 3-hour version. It was shot in the Los Angeles area, Seattle and New Mexico (Albuquerque, Lindrith, Lamy, Taos, Rio Grande Gorge Bridge and Ranchos de Taos).
GRADE: B/B-
Bloodstone: Subspecies II (1993)
Atmospheric Gothic horror set in Romania
Michelle (Denice Duff) escapes the castle of Radu (Anders Hove) with the sacred bloodstone, which contains the blood of the saints. In Bucharest, she contacts her sister for help (Melanie Shatner), who flies in ASAP, but Radu has followed Michelle to the city, coveting the artifact and her.
"Bloodstone: Subspecies II" (1993) is the second of four films released between 1991-1998, not to mention a spinoff flick. A fifth installment finally surfaced in 2023. They're gothic horror in the modern-day similar to Dracula flicks, just with a different antagonist. "Subspecies," incidentally, was the first American film to be shot in Romania after the breakdown of the Iron Curtain, filmed in September-November, 1990. This one was shot in 1992. Romania, incidentally, was the sole country in Eastern Europe to overthrow its socialist government with violence.
"Bram Stoker's Dracula" was released the year between the first movie and this one. The difference is that Coppola's blockbuster had more money to work with and was shot in the studio in Los Angeles whereas these "Subspecies" flicks used actual ancient ruins, castles and woodland areas of Romania. In short, they're great Gothic flicks for authentic Carpathian atmosphere.
Like Coppola's movie, the tone is totally serious and the vampires are revolting. Radu is like a meshing of "Nosferatu" (1922/1979) mixed with Marvel's Morbius. He could've been the lead singer in a black metal band in the 90s. Speaking of metal, the band in the nightclub is 13 Ghosts and the two songs they play are "Death of Innocence" and "Beneath the Gravestone."
As far as the women go, Irina Movila stood out in the first movie as Mara, but she's absent here. As such, Denice Duff carries the story on the feminine front, replacing Laura Tate as Michelle from the 1991 film. There are a couple tasteful bits of nudity concerning Michelle, but no sleaze. Melanie Shatner, William's daughter, plays second fiddle to Denice, but she's strapped with an unappealing short haircut. Meanwhile Pamela Gordon as the grotesque "Mummy" is a creative touch.
The diminutive stop-motion creatures from the first movie only appear near the beginning.
Of the first two movies, I prefer the first, but this one is a quality continuation of the story, albeit very simple. Of course, simplicity is the composer's greatest tool.
The film runs 1 hour, 26 minutes, and was shot entirely in Romania, including Corvin Castle in Hunedoara and Bucharest.
GRADE: B-/B.
B'Twixt Now and Sunrise (2022)
"The horror, the horror" of the creative process
Val Kilmer stars as Hall Baltimore, a third string mystery/horror writer on his latest book tour staying in a small town where he gets involved in a murder mystery upon meeting the eccentric sheriff, Bobby LaGrange (Bruce Dern). He meets a quasi-goth girl named V (Elle Fanning) who reminds him of his pubescent daughter. There's also a camp of weirdo goth-kids across the lake and Edgar Allen Poe shows up now and then as a kind of spirit-guide (Ben Chaplin), but what's dream and what's reality? And who murdered the female in the morgue with a stake?
"B'Twixt Now and Sunrise" is Francis Ford Coppola's renamed reedit of his 2011 movie "Twixt," released in 2022. It's a mystery/dramedy with elements of horror, combining the look of Coppola's "Bram Stoker's Dracula" with the inscrutableness of his "Youth Without Youth," plus a welcome side of humor. It's a quirky mystery that leaves you scratching your head, but you find yourself enjoying the ride, a Gothic tale with beautifully haunting cinematography & atmosphere, highlighted by Poe, bell towers, ghosts and bats in the belfry. The enhanced moonlighting and otherworldly blueish gray tones are awesome.
It tackles the creative process as we observe the desperation of a writer scraping the bottom of the barrel, often under the influence of sundry intoxicants. Will he come up with a best seller? Will he solve the murder mystery? Will he come to terms with his specters and demons that arise from his guilt over what happened to his daughter? That element, by the way, brings to mind Francis' 23 years-old son, Gian-Carlo Coppola, who was tragically killed in a similar boating accident in May, 1986. The reckless driver was Griffin O'Neal (Ryan's son).
A lot of the movie is an internal dialogue with the author's own ghosts and literary influences. Charles Baudelaire (a notorious substance abuser) is referenced, with the aforementioned Poe intermittently appearing, but only when Baltimore is under the influence, or dreaming. Did the abuse and murder of the children happen as shown? Or did Poe and the vampire incarnation of Hall's own daughter serve as muses as he works his way through creating a story that might turn his career around? Coppola leaves it up to you to decide what is real and what is imagination, but the answers are there if you want 'em.
Francis got the story from a dream he had while staying in Istanbul. This sets-up the criticism that Coppola's dream is the audience's nightmare. While "Twixt" and this reedit are too ambiguous for their own good, it's obviously intentional and he wanted the viewer to leave with questions to ponder. Besides, does everything need to be spelled out?
As for comparing the two versions, this one's 8 minutes shorter and I think I liked it better (it's hard to say because I saw the former version 8 years earlier).
It was shot at Kelseyville and the Clear Lake area of Northern California.
GRADE: B+
Asteroid (2021)
Will a rock from space tear a family apart or bring them together?
A man returns to his hometown in upstate New York (Cuyle Carvin) with his wife (Mattie Jo Cowsert) and teenage daughter (Miley Rose), but they're distressed to learn that their location is on a collision course with an oncoming asteroid. The question is why?
Despite its title, "Asteroid" (2021) is not a sci-fi flick in any conventional sense, such as something that appears on SyFy. It's a quirky dramedy with droll humor about how a looming catastrophe negatively affects people with the potential to destroy them or unite them.
The lush locations (and caverns) of Oneonta, New York, are a plus, which is located about 30 miles southwest of Cooperstown (pronounced oh-nee-AAN-tuh).
As far as the cast goes, Cuyle Carvin makes for a quality masculine protagonist and his friendship with Kenny (LeJon Woods) is enjoyable. Meanwhile Richard Waddingham is reminiscent of James Cromwell's Zefram Cochrane in "Star Trek: First Contact" (1996). On the feminine front, lovely Mattie Jo Cowsert as Lynn is a revelation and worth the price of admission. Sure, the teenage daughter is mopey and spoiled, but there's hope.
It runs 1 hour, 27 minutes.
GRADE: B-
Beretta's Island (1993)
Arnold's best friend, a short bodybuilder, as a detective on the island of Sardinia
An Interpol agent in Los Angeles (Franco Columbu) comes out of retirement to help rid his hometown of violent drug dealers in Sardinia.
"Baretta's Island" (1993) is a low-budget crime thriller set mostly on an island off the western coast of Italy starring Franco Columbu. He was Schwarzeneggar's best friend and sometimes showed up in his movies in bit parts, such as the Pictish scout near the beginning of "Conan the Barbarian" (1982). Arnold has a cameo here in the dreadfully boring opening weight-lifting sequence. Franco was short at 5'5", but he's likable as the protagonist, although he's a lousy actor.
One of the main reasons to see this flick, aside from the nice island locations, is Elizabeth Kaitan as Linda. She was beautiful and winsome during her 'B' movie career from approximately 1983-1997; and notable in films like "Necromancer" (1988) and "Nightwish" (1989). In this one, she usually appears in baggy jean shorts or tight jeans, although she has a decent sequence in a yellow bikini and, at the very end, a tame top nude scene while swimming with the protagonist.
The movie runs about 1 hour, 30 minutes, and was shot mainly in Ollolai, Nuoro, Sardinia, Italy (Franco's hometown), as a well as other areas of Sardinia, not to mention Las Vegas, Nevada, and Los Angeles.
GRADE: D+
Disturbia (2007)
Shia LaBeouf in a Rear Window-like thriller
Five months shy of 18 years-old, a teen in suburbia (LaBeouf) finds himself under house arrest but, thankfully, an attractive new girl moves in next door (Sarah Roemer) to stir his interest. He starts to suspect that a neighbor might be a notorious serial killer (David Morse). Carrie-Anne Moss is on hand as his mother.
"Disturbia" (2007) has a set-up similar to Hitchcock's "Rear Window" and later imitations, such as "Fright Night" and "Abominable." LaBeouf's star was rising at the time and he's fine as the everyman teen protagonist. Roemer's star was also rising, but her career never panned out into anything significant.
It's perfectly fine as a psychological thriller with a one-dimensional milieu in the mold of "Rear Window" or "What Lies Beneath," but never becomes anything more than that and is easily the least of 'em. It's strangely dull. But, if you like the cast, give it a try.
It runs 1 hour, 44 minutes, and was shot in the heart of Greater Los Angeles in the town of Whittier.
GRADE: C+
Hellfire (1949)
Old Western is offbeat enough to make it worthwhile
A penitent gambler in the Old West (Bill Elliott) hooks up with a wanted female outlaw (Marie Windsor), evidently with the hope of reforming her. Unfortunately, his marshal friend (Forrest Tucker) is hot on her trail.
"Hellfire" (1949) is a little too talky with some dull moments, but at least it's not shallow and develops the characters. The spiritual commentary may be a little corny, but it's refreshing and the ending involving Psalm 23 is genuinely moving. Plus, it's interesting to see how far back you can trace the strong, independent female character (I'd say "femme fatale," but that doesn't actually fit).
Speaking of which, if a woman in the Old West could learn to master the art of gunmanship, she automatically became an equal to any man, no more having to endure unwanted groping and advances as a saloon girl. The flick should be commended for stressing this, not to mention statuesque Marie Windsor is entertaining.
It runs 1 hour, 30 minutes, and was shot at Iverson Ranch in Chatsworth, Los Angeles, with second unit stuff done in Sedona, Arizona.
GRADE: B-
Blame It on Rio (1984)
Fun romcom with spectacular locations but too, um, sleazy
Two well-to-do Americans from the big city are having marital problems. So they take their 18 years-old daughters to Rio de Janeiro to refresh. The liberal one (Joseph Bologna) doesn't waste time in finding a dubious mate for his carnal pleasures while the conservative one (Michael Caine) makes the mistake of being with the daughter of the other on the beach wherein she confesses her crush (Michelle Johnson). Nothing good can come from this.
"Blame It on Rio" (1984) is effectively quirky amusement with can't-beat-'em locations. The best comparison would be "10" from five years earlier, but this isn't as good all things considered. There's a great message on forgiveness at the end, but there's a little too much sleaze for my tastes. For instance, Michelle Johnson was five months shy of being 18 during shooting, yet she's shown totally nude at one point. Why? The movie suggests that the hedonistic spirit of Rio sets loose one's carnal passions.
Also on the feminine front are Demi Moore as the other daughter (she was 20 during shooting); and Valerie Harper as the wife of Caine's character. Valerie still looked great at 44 during filming.
The movie runs 1 hour, 40 minutes, and was shot in Rio de Janeiro.
GRADE: C.
Kalahari (2024)
Survival in the Kalahari Desert, physical and spiritual
A missionary couple in Africa (Ryan Phillippe and Mena Suvari) are forced to take a flight with a questionable bush pilot (Emile Hirsch). Unfortunately, they & several others end up stuck in the barren areas of Southwest Africa with plenty of lions and hyenas roaming about.
"Prey" (2024) was originally called "Kalahari," but changed to the hackneyed "Prey." The movie poster isn't that far removed from the 2007 movie "Prey." At heart, this is a modern take on "Sands of the Kalahari" and "Flight of the Pheonix" with a key element of "Conan the Barbarian" (1982) thrown in. While this is the least of 'em due to its low-budget, it works well enough for a slow-burn survival adventure wherein the gore is more implied than shoved in your face. I prefer it to the 2007 version of "Prey."
There's a factual error (the medical treatment of a particular wound), as well as a couple of seeming plot holes, but one of them can be easily explained on the grounds that a stray bullet struck the radiator of the jeep. A better explanation is that the jeep wasn't even there since one of the Namibians said something about waiting for the jeep to come back, possibly with another vehicle to transport the prisoners. The other potential plot hole can also be explained with a little imagination. The writer/director isn't obligated to spell everything out and respects the intelligence of viewers to put the pieces together.
This was the first time I've seen Hirsch play a bad boy and he's convincing. I also liked the lowkey ideological struggle between good and evil, morality vs immorality, faith and atheism (or, at least, agnosticism), Christianity vs secular humanism. Speaking of which, it's laughable that some people criticize the flick on the grounds of it being "Christian propaganda." Two of the main characters are occupational missionaries, so it's understood that God and faith will come up in a few of the dialogues. But, again, this is so light it's hard to believe anyone would complain. The same came up in "The Grey," but no one complained there.
As for a weather-related incident that occurs at the end, it doesn't have to be attributed to a metaphysical source since freak things happen in the weather all the time. The film leaves you thinking about life's heavy issues, like what's your purpose? Is there a Creator? Is life a meaningless accident? Is there good and evil -- ethical and unethical -- or is everything relative? Is redemption possible for the morally compromised? Is there such a thing as self-sacrificial love (aka, agape)?
The movie runs 1 hour, 26 minutes, and was shot in the arid areas of the high country north of Los Angeles, such as SilverStrand Ranch, Castaic; Agua Dulce Movie Ranch; The Quarry in Semi Valley (for the sand sequence); MH Aviation in Lancaster; and Vasquez Rocks; as well as studio stuff done at Blackstone Entertainment, Azusa. A second unit filmed additional scenery and animals in South Africa, along with the use of stock footage.
GRADE: B-
Viva Zapata! (1952)
Brando and Anthony Quinn as brothers during the Mexican Revolution
In the Mexican state of Morelos, 1909-1911, Emiliano Zapata (Marlon) rises up as a leader of the revolution against dictator Porfirio Díaz, who supported the elites that monopolized land and water resources for sugarcane production. Zapata warily cooperates with candidate Francisco Madero, who was supported by Pancho Villa and made vague promises about land reform.
"Viva Zapata" (1952) is a Western with the setting of the Mexican Revolution directed by the man who also teamed up with Brando for "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "On the Waterfront." It was unfortunately made in B&W, but a colorized version is available for those interested (which is the version I watched).
This was the first of four Westerns done by Brando, followed by "One-Eyed Jacks," "The Appaloosa" and "The Missouri Breaks." It's superior to "Appaloosa," but not great like "Jacks" or as creative as "Breaks" (and understandably so, since it's based on history).
Winsome Jean Peters is a highlight on the feminine front.
To see what happens a decade after the events in this movie, check out "For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada" (2012), which chronicles the Cristero War.
It runs 1 hour, 53 minutes, and was largely shot in Texas (Roma, Del Rio, Delores, San Ygnacio, Rio Grande City, McAllen and Laredo); as well as Durango, Colorado (the train sequences); New Mexico; and Century Ranch, Malibu Canyon, California.
GRADE: B.
Murder in Coweta County (1983)
Crime drama set in Georgia of the late 40s with Andy Griffith and Johnny Cash
In 1948, a wealthy landowner in Meriwether County (Griffith) controls the Sheriff and the citizens, but when he flaunts his power in neighboring Coweta County, the no-nonsense Sheriff comes after him (Cash).
"Murder in Coweta County" (1983) is a well-done period piece based on the true story, also called "Last Blood." It's similar to "Mississippi Burning," which came out five years later (and no doubt influenced it), just with the television budget of "Murder in Mississippi" (1990), which is the unofficial prequel to that more famous theatrical film.
Johnny's wife, June Carter Cash, has an interesting role as a backwoods Christian seer. John Wallace (Griffith) visiting her in desperation is reminiscent of King Saul going to the witch of Endor in the Bible (1 Samuel 28).
Griffith is effective in the rare role of the antagonist, which he proved he could do 9 years earlier in another worthwhile TV production, "Pray for the Wildcats."
The movie runs 1 hour, 40 minutes, and was shot in the heart of Georgia in areas south of Atlanta; specifically, Monticello (street scenes, exterior scenes and the historic downtown square), Zebulon (courthouse exterior) and Greenville.
GRADE: B.
Haunts (1976)
When sins of the past haunt you
After a shocking death in a small coastal town in Northern California, a single woman living on a small farm (May Britt) is subsequently attacked. The sheriff (Aldo Ray) sets his eyes on a "bad boy" short-order cook (William Gray Espy) and a new guy from Baltimore, but maybe the culprit is the woman's weird uncle (Cameron Mitchell).
"Haunts" (1976) was made by the writer/director of the later "Beyond Evil" and "Graduation Day." The inclusion of Mitchell brings to mind the soon-to-come "The Toolbox Murders" and "Without Warning." Yet don't expect a conventional horror or slasher. This is more along the lines of "The Shuttered Room" and "Let's Scare Jessica to Death" mixed with a little "Rachel, Rachel."
It's a moody, dark psychological study that has the confidence to take its time, effectively fleshing out several characters in Anytown, America. It should be appreciated by those who liked the above movies and other psychological horror flicks from that era, like "Nightmare" (1981) and "Don't Go in the House" (1979). If some things strike a "Yeah, right" chord, hold on, because all is explained at the end (albeit ambiguously).
May Britt hadn't performed in a movie for 16 years before resurfacing in this one. She played the sultry German wife of Brando's captain in "The Young Lions" and was very effective in the role. Here, her character is conservative and modest, plagued by things that transpired in her childhood. It was May's final film.
It runs 1 hour, 36 minutes, and was shot in Mendocino, California, which is 150 miles north of the Bay Area.
GRADE: B-
The Swimmer (1968)
Offbeat parable of self-discovery on the collapse of the "American dream"
A somewhat confused man in swimming trunks (Burt Lancaster) travels from pool to pool in suburban Connecticut on his way home. Some of the people he comes across are played by Janet Landgard, Janice Rule, Joan Rivers and Diana Muldaur, amongst several others.
"The Swimmer" (1968) is a semi-surreal commentary on mid-60's America and the emptiness of materialism, as well as self-destruction. The fact that Ned Merrill (Lancaster) is almost naked throughout the film tells all. But the revelations are lowkey; you have to put the pieces together. I liked the insights on the folly of compulsiveness, whether social, youth-obsession, sexual or self-delusion. It's an immersion into a struggling man's soul.
The allegory offers additional insights about the people we cross paths with in life. Friends might, more accurately, be casual acquaintances. Those whom you least suspect might be your biggest fans, at least in their memories. How did you treat others when you were on top? Who's there for you when you're no longer on top?
It runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot entirely in southwest Connecticut (Weston, Wilton, Westport, Stamford and Fairfield).
GRADE: B.
Church People (2021)
Christians can be funny too, often unintentionally
A popular youth group pastor at a megachurch in greater Los Angeles (Thor Ramsey) struggles with the assembly losing the point with their perpetual gimmicks while possibly romancing the pastor's daughter (Erin Cahill) and dealing with an unexpected girl from his past (Andriana Manfredi).
"Church People" (2021) is a fun satire with snappy dialogue related to the typical happenings at a large, popular fellowship. Ramsey works well as the protagonist with winsome Erin Cahill offering quality support, along with Manfredi. The only other flick I've seen Erin in is "Boogeyman 3" from 13 years prior; she's reminiscent of Karen Allen. Meanwhile the senior pastor (Michael Monks) is reminiscent of Jack Hayford, who passed away a couple years after this was released.
Stephen Baldwin is on hand as a 'weird' greeter with the uncanny gift of the word of knowledge. There's a great joke involving him near the end.
The flick really won me over at the midpoint with the laser tag sequence and the hilarious meeting of the two females. As for the climax, it revolves around self-crucifixion and is actually moving.
The movie runs 1 hour, 36 minutes, and was shot at Calvary Community Church in Westlake Village, which is in the high country 25-minutes northwest of Malibu, a 45-minutes drive from Hollywood to the east.
GRADE: B.