Topic: The little known movie review depot

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: Bay of Blood (1971)

Genre: Horror
Director: Mario Bava (Black Sunday)           
Rating: Unrated
Length: 1h24
Video: Widescreen
Audio: English
Subtitles: No Subtitles

Stars:
Claudine Auger (Thunderball)
Luigi Pistilli (For a Few Dollars More)
Claudio Camaso (Vengeance)
Anna Maria Rosati (Silvia e l'amore)
Chris Avram (L'Ossessa)   

Plot:
An elderly heiress is killed by her husband who wants control of her fortunes. What ensues is an all-out murder spree as relatives and friends attempt to reduce the inheritance playing field, complicated by some teenagers who decide to camp out in a dilapidated building on the estate.

My Thoughts:

We continue with the review of the films countain in the second Mario Bava Boxset released by Anchor Bay. I will not repeat what I've already said, but I really recommand to everyone interested in italian cinema to take a look at Bava's works.

This one start like the usual Giallo by a mysterious murder at the beginning (a very imaginative one), but the murderer is immediatly reveals. Since this is not usual we know that something isn't right and not long after the murderer got a taste of his own medicine. We are not on a Giallo ride, but we are in for one of the first slasher movie (if you have seen a lot of them, you will see where they stole their idea). As usual with the Italian movie we have an international cast, the foreigner here is Claudine Auger a beautifull French actress (Miss France 1958). The movie was filmed in italian and in english so no dubbing this time, but the english dialogue doesn't sound natural (I would have prefer to watch the Italian version subtitle). As usual with Bava the cinematography is excellent (many visuals hint and one of the best camera effect that I've seen : four fast zoom in and a fast zoom out after). The supporting cast is good too : particullary Leopoldo Trieste and Laura Betti. The special effect are well done.

Another strong recommandation and a movie that I suggest to you Pete since this one is really in your taste range.

Also known as Twitch of the Death Nerve
One of the original 74 video nasties in the UK

Rating :

Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqIV5Ye68wQ

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: The Image (1975)

Genre: Drama
Director: Radley Metzger (The Opening of Misty Beethoven)           
Rating: Unrated
Length: 1h31
Video: Widescreen
Audio: English
Subtitles: No Subtitles

Stars:
Rebecca Brooke (Abigail Leslie Is Back in Town)
Carl Parker (Score)
Marilyn Roberts (Skateboard)
Yvette Hiver   

Plot:
From highly acclaimed director Radley Metzger, THE IMAGE (aka THE PUNISHMENT OF ANNE) is a fascinating study of the sadomasochistic relationship between a young girl and an older woman. Based on the classic novel "L'IMAGE" from Jean De Berg, this sexual masterpiece is hailed by critics as one of the best erotic films ever made. Beautifully photographed and loaded with highly charged sexual imagery and provocative situations, THE IMAGE is a cinematic masterpiece that brings the darker side of your deepest erotic fantasies to life.

My Thoughts:

Today I've decide to watch an adult movie made in the seventies by Radley Metzger that I've bought last month. You certainly know already from my previous reviews that Metzger is a genius for me.

Like all the other previous Metzger's adult movies (The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann, Barbara Broadcast and, my all time favourite, The Opening of Misty Beethoven) this one is a superior production. This movie is professionally made and the two principal actors are professional (Brooke career started on Broadway and she had appear in a lot of classic Joe Sarno movies). The score is particullary good and classic, this is not for nothing if the dvd countains an isolated music track.

It's really important to understand that this movie is not for everybody and some people could react really badly to some scene. Like it says in the plot this is a sadomasochist movie and it's realistic, so the whipping is real and the pain is real (even for me the last scene in the gothic dungeon was hard to watch). But like I've said this is a classy production, not a trashy Max Hardcore production (never seen one, no intention to).

The film countains much more story than hardcore sex and it contains no penetration. But be warned that it had female urination, hard whipping and some food play.

Personally I've like the film but like I said the seventies adult movies are not like what we see now, they are movies where the story is more important than the sex.

I will not tell if I recommand it or not, since you are able to see by my review if this film is for you or not. But if you are already familliar with Radley Metzger, you know that you will like this one too.
 
Rating :

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: LolliLove (2004)

Genre: Mockumentary
Director: Jenna Fischer           
Rating: Unrated
Length: 1h04
Video: Full Frame
Audio: English
Subtitles: No Subtitles

Stars:
Jenna Fischer (The Office)
James Gunn (The Specials)
Peter Alton (Bohemian Moon)
Linda Cardellini (Freaks and Geeks)
Judy Greer (Jawbreaker)   

Plot:
James and Jenna Gunn (real-life husband-and-wife team, James Gunn, writer/director of "Slither," writer of "Scooby-Doo" and "Dawn of the Dead" and Jenna Fischer of NBC's "The Office") play a wealthy couple looking to give back to the homeless community through their new charity, Lollilove. The idea is simple: By giving out lollipops with inspirational artwork and cheery slogans on the wrapper, Lollilove will eradicate homelessness by transforming your average ''homeless person'' into an important and loved ''happy person''.

My Thoughts:

The mockumentary is probably the harder genre to make, it needs the precise mix of seriousness and comedy. That's why this genre is not really popular since most of the time it doesn't work (it's easier to make a good horror-comedy and we know that most of them aren't great).

But here we have one that works. The subject is play completly seriously and the two founders of the Lollilove charity seem to care. But the idea of this organisation is so ridiculous, you laugh all the time and you don't have a choice. They give lollipops to the homeless peoples with inspirational slogan like «you matter» or «high on Joy» is it serious charity works for you?

The two principal actors are really good (this is my first encounter with Jenna Fischer and she really impress me) and the fact that they are a couple in real life brings a very natural feeling to the documentary.

The film is a documentary that guide us from the lollipop organisation idea trough its realisation. Many situation are completly funny, my favourite moment the project presentation they do for an investor (I challenge you to not laugh at this).

Don't let the Troma Team Release sticker disrupt you, their products are, to be polite, complete pieces of shit. But the good news is they have nothing to do with this movie, they are only the distributor...

One of the best movie released in the recent years. This is what an independent movie is suppose to be.

My only reproach, the movie is too short.

Highly recommend. 

Rating :

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies!!? (1964)

Genre: Horror
Director: Ray Dennis Steckler (The Thrill Killers)           
Rating: Unrated
Length: 1h20
Video: Widescreen
Audio: English
Subtitles: No Subtitles

Stars:
Ray Dennis Steckler (The Thrill Killers)
Carolyn Brandt (The Thrill Killers)
Brett O'Hara (Wild Ones on Wheels)
Atlas King (The Thrill Killers)
Sharon Walsh

Plot:
A series of disappearances turns out to be linked to a maddened amusement arcade fortuneteller Madame Estrella who throws acid in the faces of the men who refuse her and then keeps them as disfigured monsters locked in the back room of her carnival booth. When teen lay-a-bout Jerry comes to have his fortune told he is placed in a hypnotic trance by the spinning disk and turned into a murderous zombie to serve the gypsy and her hunchbacked servant.

My Thoughts:

This movie is the third one directed by Steckler that I know much more for his adult works under the alias Cindy Lou Sutters (don't own any of them yet, but seen some of them on vhs). What to say about this movie? It's a complete mess...

The story make no sense, much of the time we have no idea why something happen. The movie jump constanly between the basic « story » and the musical numbers (Yes, this is a musical). It's polite to call them musical numbers... This is probably some of the worst dance routine and singing that I've seen in my life. The acting is really weak... Atlas King is ridiculous but he have an excuse : he have no idea of what he said... he is not an english speaker!!! The monsters appear only after one hour and they have to be seen!

But one thing is good with this film : the cinematography. The camera works is done by three respected director of photography : Joseph V. Mascelli (the writter of "The Five Cs of Cinematography"), László Kovács (Easy Rider, Ghost Busters, ...) and Vilmos Zsigmond (The Deer Hunter, Deliverance, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, ...).

But the real gem and the only reason to see this is an extra on the dvd. Joe Bob Briggs had recorded an audio commentary for it and it's hilarious. I have much more respect for M. Briggs than I have for the MST cast, he understand like me that a movie can be bad but a lot of fun. He doesn't laugh at the movie but with the movie, an attitude that I respect. I hate most of those pseudo comic (mstk fanboy) that laugh of those movies, who are they and what have they done to have the right to ridicule directorial works...

Rating : Because of the JBB track

Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk99b9sJewU

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: The Adventure of Rat Pfink And Boo Boo (1966)

Genre: Adventure
Director: Ray Dennis Steckler (The Hollywood Strangler Meets the Skid Row Slasher) 
Rating: Unrated
Length: 1h07
Video: Widescreen
Audio: English
Subtitles: No Subtitles

Stars:
Carolyn Brandt (Body Fever)
Ron Haydock (Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Monsters)
Titus Moede (The Dirtiest Game)
George Caldwell (Retribution)
Mike Kannon (Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Monsters)

Plot:
When sexy Ceebee Beaumont (Carolyn Brandt), main squeeze of rockabilly superstar Lonnie Lord (Ron Haydock), is kidnapped by the Chain Gang, Lonnie and his friend Titus Twimbly leap into leotards and swing into action as Rat Pfink and Boo Boo, champions of downtrodden women and children everywhere!

My Thoughts:

This movie is the perfect exemple of why I love those old unknown movies. This movie was made with no budget and its clearly visible, but if you remember I've already wrote that I ask only thing to a movie, I want to be entertaint by it.

This film is a lot of fun! The cast enjoy making it and we easilly see it. The story is simple (it's a super hero movie!). The music is great. Carolyn Brandt had never look more beautifull and she's always good looking now. No violence at all in this, just a good familly film (if your familly like my genre of film). A movie that I could watch with my five years old niece if she would talking in english.

Sure I recommand it, you got 2 super hero, a great sixties soundtrack, a party at the beach, a nice looking woman, a funny story, a cast who cares and, as a bonus, a man in a gorilla suit.

Taking the risk to shocking some of you : I have enjoyed this movie thousands time more than Spider Man 

Rating :

[Najemikon]

I just read an article on Empire Online that might interest you, Jimmy. Damon Wise, one of the reviewers, is sending blogs from the Venice film festival and today he mentions a couple of films he bought that sound like they'd interest you. One of them was Bay of Blood, which I know you've already reviewed here. He also provides a link to the website of the stall where he bought them, called Raro Video.

Empire Venice Blog

[Jimmy]

Cheers, Jimmy! I might get it next month.

I was just checking my thread and I was asking myself if you have bought it (the Mario Bava collection 1). You don't post in the whatyougot thread and your collection is not online anymore so I've no way to know...

If you have bought it let me know what you think of the movies included.

[Najemikon]

 

Still on the wishlist, I'm afraid. It's a definite purchase, just a case of when. My plans went a little sideways and were foiled by Deep Discount and their blasted "Buy One Get One Free" Criterion offer. I had to use my budget on them! The gits!

[Jimmy]

Still on the wishlist, I'm afraid. It's a definite purchase, just a case of when. My plans went a little sideways and were foiled by Deep Discount and their blasted "Buy One Get One Free" Criterion offer. I had to use my budget on them! The gits!

Something that I can understand, my wishlist on Amazon is so full (in fact I have 3 of them) but the money part is missing. Some movies are there since such a long time that sometimes a special edition is release before I buy them 

BTW I have 2 Criterion on pre-order for september :

Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom  (I want this one for so long to replace my poor quality dvd-r)
Lord of the Flies (the new budget release, probably with no extra. But I've never seen it and it looks like a really good one)

And since I don't want my collection to looks too much intellectual, I've order the last Uwe Boll movie's : Seed 

[Achim]

Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom  (I want this one for so long to replace my poor quality dvd-r)
Lord of the Flies (the new budget release, probably with no extra. But I've never seen it and it looks like a really good one)

Salo is a film that has captured my interest for quite a while. not really sure though if I a) really want to see it and b) about it's replay value (as a DVDTalk review just recently pointed out, saying that one sahould definitely see it, even though one may only see it once...). That has held me back from buying...

Assuming Lord of the Flies is the older film from 1963 I enjoyed watching it just a short while ago. Acting is a bit wooden in the beginning (more than it "should be") but once the kids are let loose as the story progresses they are doing just fine. I had bought this as I remembered being shown in class at "high school". I already owned the 1990 for quite some time which has some differences in the story (assuming it's omitted on the first one, hoping it wasn't added for the second one).

[Jimmy]

Assuming Lord of the Flies is the older film from 1963 ...

This is the 1963 movie.


This is a new serie by Criterion. I think that the film where all release by them in the past, but the new edition doesn't have any extra and the price reflect that (by exemple the new LOTF cost 16.09 $Can and the previous release cost 50.49 $Can). The others one release in this serie at this time are Beauty and the Beast, Grand Illusion, Knife in the Water, Rashomon and Wild Strawberries. It's possible to buy them seperatly (16.09 $Can) or in a boxset (76.99 $Can)

[Jimmy]

I will restart my topic tonight don't know what I will choose to watch tonight but I will decide after the supper. I was in a Millenium roll I've decide to start the seasons 3. I think that I've have already said that I don't like the second season and my oppinion doesn't change at all. Millenium was not about conspiracy and fun (the X-files was there for that), the serie was destroyed by the X-files movie like the X-files was too. They try with the last season to correct the error and they almost succeed, but it was too late.

Nothing can erase the stupidest error made by Glen Morgan   and James Wong (the serie killers) :

(click to show/hide)

The killing of the Megan Gallagher caracters in the last episode.

I'm sure that the serie could I've continue for at least another seasons, since many fact remains unexplained (the serie was cancel by Fox). Many fans pull the plug after the Morgan/Wong fiasco and I was one of them, but the last season was better (not as good as the first).

For those that have the serie and haven't watch it yet (Eric I'm talking to you  ): just give it a chance after the second season it goes better.

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: The Killing of America (1982)

Genre: Documentary
Director: Sheldon Renan           
Rating: Unrated
Length: 1h31
Video: Full Frame
Audio: English
Subtitles: No Subtitles

Stars:
Chuck Riley - Narrator   

My Thoughts:

Before I start my review I will be honest with you, I've not wrote a review for so long and my last one was so bad that I feel a lot of pressure this time. But I'm not here for that so here we go with the review.

I've decided for this one to go with one genre that I don't think that I've reviewed here : the documentary. I have some of them in my collection, but not that much (many mondo movie, the faces of death serie, the first 3 of Michael Moore, ...) and one that I can't really name as a documentary that show footage of people death (this is the only movie in my collection that I'm not able to watch. I've bought it to shock my relatives, but finally this one is too much for me). The movie that I review here was made for the Japanese market after the success of the first Faces of Death (a rites of passage for all the teenagers when I was young). But there are no real comparison between the two : much of FOD is fake. So what we see in the movie is real, I'm sure that some find that it will be a bad taste documentary. Surprise, this is a very well done movie about the culture of violence in the United States. The film start with the assasination of John Kennedy that are the end of the innocence for the country (I tend to agree with that). That continue with the mention of many others political murder : Martin Luther King, Robert Kennedy, Georges Wallace, Ronald Reagan (I know he was not murdered). After they continue with an analysis of many others tendancy : the sniper (Charles Whitman), the serial killer (Ted Bundy), the cult murder (Jim Jones) and the random killer (Brenda Spencer). Most of the footage came from the tv station or the police, except for 2 interviews : Thomas Noguchi (a well known LA coroner) and, a particulary good one, with Ed Kemper (a serial killer). Some of the footage can be hard to watch for some viewers (we talk of dead person here), but like I've said most of the image came from the news.

The documentary is more neutral than Bowling for Colombine that covers the same subject. The director didn't manipulate the image or the editing to convince the viewer, he present the facts and let the archives do the talking.

Sure, he mentions that the guns culture are a part of the problem (even the most gun crazy guy can agree with that) but not the only one. Another part of the problem is the media themselves (the more they talk about those murders the more they happen). Just to quote one of the killer (Robert Smith) that have killed many women in a beauty school when he was caught : I want to be somebody, I want to be known.

The film end with the John Lennon memorial at Central Park when we learn that 2 person were killed. To leave us on a positive note at the end the narrator told us that five people were killed while we were watching the documentary. This movie was made more than 20 years ago and sadly this is worst than ever. Even in a little town like where I live we don't feel secure, not that a murder happen everyday but more and more crime happen.       

The bad thing is that this movie is not available at all in America, my copy is a bootleg but it was released in Europe many years ago on dvd. Since I don't want to end my review with a bad news : the movie is available on youtube (can't understand since they have closed my account for a couple of trailer ).

Rating :

Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9FtOlVp5wo

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: New Wave Hookers 2 (1991)

Genre: Adult
Director: Gregory Dark (New Wave Hookers)           
Rating: XXX
Length: 1h19
Video: Full Frame
Audio: English
Subtitles: No Subtitle

Stars:
Madison Stone (Evil Toons)
Rip Hymen (Sex Freaks)
Jack Baker (The Kentucky Fried Movie)
Shannon Wilsey (Camp Fear)
Danielle Rogers (House of Dreams)

My Thoughts:

As this one is a nineties adult movie don't expect a very complicated plot, but there is a story, that's why I've bought it, an adult movie with only sex scene after sex scene doesn't really interested me (it can be stimulating, but this is another story  ). The story goes like this : A cult deprogrammer (Rip Hymen, obviously a fake name but I can't replace him) work for the father of a woman (Madison Stone) that is a member of the cult of Willy. He will kidnap her and while he will use his deprogramming method with her we will learn everything about this cult.

For a movie made in the direct to video period this is surprisingly well done and professional. But when we know that the director had made many mainstream picture (See No Evil, Body of Influence, Secret Games, ...) this is less surprising. The acting let a lot to be desired in fact only Rip Hymen (I'm sure that I've seen him in a non adult picture), Jack Baker (he was a tv actor before) and Madison Stone are natural and can act. The story goes more and more weird when we learn that the cult is not what it seems to be, in fact it's a front for a woman secret society from the lost continent of Atlantis. The woman in the cult are trained for using the man sexually and killing them (the murder are not shown but they are implicitly discuss). The music in the movie is good (it didn't sound like the typical xxx music filler), the one use in the opening credit is particularry good (Electrify Me by The Plugz).

Ok now we will take a look at the sex part. This is not a golden age movie, so the sex occupy the majority of the film. Some scene are pretty boring like the one with Shannon Wilsey (Savannah) that was never one of my favourite : too artificial and careless for my taste, she's the girl on the cover. But, the majority of the others scene are really interesting and arousing (hey it's an adult movie). I really like the orgy scene (3 men and 3 women) when the guys are used as sexual slaves, the high point of the scene is the double penetration involving Cameo (Wicked Games). By the way this is not the common DP as we are used too, but the other one far less used (in fact, this is only the second time that I've see it in a movie) : a double vaginal penetration by two men at the same times. Another good one is the scene where Ashley Nicole (Curse of the Catwoman) is baptized by the cult, a method that consist of having sex with five men at the times. The rest of the scenes are more conventional and the one with Randy Spears and Danielle Rogers (a real life couple at that time) is the most enjoyable of them.

Finally Jack Baker, as usual, does a perfect job as Willy the leader of the cult. He is the comic relief in the movie, I've never seen him in a sex scene and I don't think that he have done one in his carreer.

Not a top ten list movie, but I can say that it's certainly one of the best adult movie made in the nineties and much better than the first one.   


Rating :

[Jimmy]

Salo is a film that has captured my interest for quite a while. not really sure though if I a) really want to see it and b) about it's replay value (as a DVDTalk review just recently pointed out, saying that one sahould definitely see it, even though one may only see it once...). That has held me back from buying...

In case you don't know and maybe this will made you finally buy it.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The world’s most controversial film comes to DVD and Blu-ray in 2-disc editions on 29 September. Presented fully uncut and in its most complete version, the film has been re-mastered from the original Italian restoration negatives.

Pier Paolo Pasolini’s final and most shocking film has been banned, censored and reviled the world over since its first release in 1975. Salò did not receive UK certification until late 2000, when it was passed uncut. The BFI then released it on DVD in 2001 and, despite having been out of print for almost three years, the title still ranks amongst BFI’s all-time top 10 best-selling DVDs.

The film’s content and imagery is extreme and it retains the power to shock, repel and distress even today. A brutal allegory based on the novel 120 Days of Sodom by the Marquis de Sade, the film is a cinematic milestone – culturally significant, politically vital and visually stunning.

Disc one (DVD and Blu-ray) - Salò
•Complete and uncut, re-mastered from original Italian restoration negatives
•Original Italian language version (with optional English subtitles)
•Original English language version (with optional subtitles for the hearing-impaired)
•Original Italian trailer (with optional English subtitles)
•Coil - Ostia (the Death of Pasolini) The original 1986 track from Coil’s celebrated second album, Horse Rotorvator, with a newly created video accompaniment, shot especially for this release by Peter Christopherson

Disc two (standard def PAL DVD disc, included in both DVD & Blu-ray editions)
•Open Your Eyes! (2008, 21 mins) - Newly created on-set documentary using full colour footage shot in 1974 by acclaimed film journalist and Pasolini expert Gideon Bachmann.

•Walking with Pasolini (Roberto Purvis, 2008, 21 mins) - New documentary exploring the meaning and impact of Pasolini’s film, with Neil Bartlett, David Forgacs, Noam Chomsky and Craig Lapper (Chief Examiner, BBFC).

•Whoever Says the Truth Shall Die (1981, 58 mins) Philo Bregstein’s classic documentary on the life and death of Pier Paolo Pasolini.

•Fade to Black (Nigel Algar, 2001, 24 mins) - Documentary with Mark Kermode exploring the ongoing relevance and power of Pasolini’s controversial masterpiece, with Bernardo Bertolucci and other leading directors.

•Ostia (Julian Cole, 1991, 25 mins, with optional director commentary track) – Cole’s rarely seen short film about the last days of Pasolini, starring Derek Jarman.

Extensive illustrated booklet including:
•Newly commissioned essay by Sam Rohdie (Italian film scholar and author of The Passion of Pier Paolo Pasolini)
•Sight & Sound feature by Gideon Bachmann incorporating his on-set diary
•1979 review of the film by Gilbert Adair
•James Ferman’s (BBFC) letter of appeal to the Director of Public Prosecutions
•Pasolini biography by Italian film specialist Geoffrey Nowell-Smith
•Photographs of Pasolini at work on set
•Cast and credits for the film

Release date: 29 September 2008
------------------------------------
Not sure that it's a movie that I want to see on high definition, but since you are already equip for the Blue-ray format.