I am currently watching Hearts Of Darkness, just to watch a film maker lose his shit on camera, it is a pretty genius documentary on the making of Apocalypse Now, I would have loved to been a fly on a jungle leaf during the making of that film. Maybe not as Dennis Hopper could have possibly snorted me up his nose whilst rolling said leaf I was on the snort a line….....
I just watched Severance on Sunday night. It was okay - but I thought it might be a little more exceptional. That said, it’s a solid rental. But steer clear of the commentary - yeesh.
Hatchet was a pretty enjoyable little flick. I do have to say that I really hated the music in it though, especially when they’re on the tour bus going to the swamp. I’m currently going to re-watch The Wicker Man as I haven’t seen it in years( I don’t feel the need to qualify which one it is though, as we all know there is only uno)
the opening credits with marilyn manson made me want to stab out my eardrums with razorwire.
and to answer the question, im watching the blind dead movies again
Hans: you are absolutely correct about Melville’s influence on Woo( I would say it’s pretty obvious the birdcage in the restaurant in the beginning of Hardboiled is a nod to Jef’s bird in Le Samourai); I bought/watched Le Samourai about 2 months ago and dug it as well.. which did you like better: Le Cercle or Samourai? I didn’t care for Le Cercle, but I don’t think I was expecting what it was and therefore wasn’t in the proper frame of mind for it.. I was prepared for Le Samourai and as mentioned enjoyed it a fair bit. Man, was Nathalie Delon hot or what? she was a cross between Franke Potente and hot/young Jane Fonda.. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, god bless women in film in the 60’s and 70’s. Were the 2 Pinku movies part of a box set? If so, I have that box set too and it’s f*cking great
I actually got three Melville/Delons from Netflix: Le Samourai, Le Cercle Rouge, and Un Flic. I gave all of them 5 stars on my Netflix rating. Le Cercle was my favorite of the three, although its a slight favorite. The Melville influences are all over Woo’s flicks—raincoats and sunglasses in A Better Tommorrow series; the jazz club scenes; the shot where Tequilla hits a marksman shot in Hard-Boiled is directly an homage to the marksman shot in the bank in Le Cercle; the relationship between Gian Maria Volonte and Alain Delon in Le Cercle had a huge influence on Woo (the main close relationship in almost every Woo flick is between two men); the hit at the beginning of Le Samourai echoes the opening hit scene in the Killer—I could go on and on. Also, Melville’s crime flicks had a large influence on Jim Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog (along with Kurosawa and Werner Herzog).
The Pinky Violence flicks were part of the Panik House boxset, yes. They’re excellent exploitation flicks. Btw, two more are forthcoming or are recently released from Tokyo Shock. I love these flicks—totally fast and fun.
you nailed it with the Melville/Woo stuff.. It’s funny; up until a few years ago I had no idea who Melville was(and I thought I knew film) It seems like the more I watch/know, there is exponentially more to know/watch and so on and so on… good to know about the pinku box sets.. have you seen Intimate confessions of a Chinese Courtesan? if not, I think you’d like it..
I just finished all six of the Star Wars films. I don’t think the series holds up like it used to.
Now I’m going to watch all the Bond films. I’ve already watched Diamonds Are Forever and Man with the Golden Gun. Next up is The Living Daylights, This World is Not Enough and Goldfinger.
I got the four volume two disc per movie Bond collection for Christmas in ‘06 and haven’t watched a single movie. Now I’m going to watch them all. Wish me luck. Most of the Brosnan Bond films sucked and several of the Moore Bonds should be used as torture devices. That’s right I’m talking about you Moonraker.
The mister and I just finished up God Told Me To which is a weird little Larry Cohen film from 1975 starring Tony Lo Bianco.
Has anyone else seen this? I think most of the movie is oddly enjoyable - but then it kind of deteriorates.
I’ve always liked Larry Cohen’s movies for the most part, Alyssa. You’re right about the fizzle factor of God Told Me To. But it’s fun, like you said, for the most part. I’ve always been partial to his blaxploitation flicks, Hell Up in Harlem and Black Caesar, and the It’s Alive trilogy. I remember watching them when I was a kid.
I watched over the weekend Lamberto Bava’s Demons. Although I didn’t like it nearly as much as when I was younger, it’s still a lot of fun. I also watched Blastfighter, with Michael Sopkiw, which is like a low-rent First Blood. Ah, the 80s.
Was reminded this weekend just how much I love Wild at Heart.
There is just something really wonderfully special about Lynch circa the 80s that’s capped on one end with The Elephant Man, and the other with Wild at Heart. With a nice thick spread of Blue Velvet in the middle. Not that I didn’t enjoy Twin Peaks and Mulholland Dr., but the darkness is so overt. In the 80s films, the dark side was ... more surreal? Horrible word choice when talking Lynch, but ... lack of sleep and abundance of tequila has left me gooey brains today.
Wild at Heart reminded me exactly why I forgive Nicholas Cage for shit like the Wicker Man remake (the original being one of my favourite films), and City of Angels (based of Wings of Desire which is another one of my favourite films ever). Wild at Heart, Vampire Kiss, Raising Arizona, and Leaving Las Vegas. That’s why I love Nick Cage.
The Blind Dead series. Rock on. Templars: Can’t see and shuffle around like grannies but can ride horses like they’re in the Kentucky Derby.
Been watching a lot of Jess Franco lately. Just watched the recent Eugenie de Sade, BU release. Excellent release. Soledad Miranda—what a beauty.
if templars jockey’d, id be betting entire houses on them at the races.
and bavas third rate sons movie demons (and shit, demons 2) are the best movies for a halloween party, period. gore and motley crue and all out ridiculousness. seeing this at a young age made me not want to go to the movies hahahaha.
Still have my VCR hooked up and rolling on w/ the 80s cheese, I watched:
Umberto Lenzi’s Ironmaster—Part Conan, Part Quest for Fire, Part Beastmaster, all Lenzi. Cave people discover iron, well after suntan oil and hairspray, and battle each other.
Sergio Martino’s Hand of Steel—Daniel Greene (who’s latest acting credit is “Waiter”) plays a cyborg who leaves behind his assasination programming to discover himself in Arizona. He meets a pretty lady at a truck stop and defeats the tri-state arm-wrestling champion in a rattlesnake match. John Saxon sends Claudio Casinelli to hunt him down. That’s all right, because he’s a cyborg, OK?
David DeCoteau’s Dreamaniac—the direct-to-video pioneer’s first film. A heavy metal lyricist summons a succubus who crashes a sorority party. No one really notices her and when they do, oops.
