Topic: The little known movie review depot

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: If Footmen Tires You, What Will Horses Do ? (1971)

Genre: Religious Propaganda
Director: Ron Ormond (Mesa of Lost Women)           
Rating: Unrated
Length: 0h55
Video: Full Frame
Audio: English
Subtitles: No Subtitles

Stars:
Are you serious???   

Plot:
Based on the preachings of Reverend Estus W. Pirkle, this film warns what will happen to America if the citizens do not give up their depraved ways and turn to God and Jesus for salvation. 

My Thoughts:

After my last review I was feeling all dirty inside of me. All this talking about sex made me feel like an unchristian sinner and I was feeling so bad and guilty that I have to call my church because I was afraid to loose my soul to Satan. But the pastor after a look at my collection told me to watch one of the christian movie in it, so I've to choose between the movies : If Footmen Tires You, What Will Horses Do ? Or The Burning Hell. Finally I've choose the first one, but before the pastor ask me to prayed with him (he was really shocked by my collection) what we have made for 3 hours. After that I was ready to save my sinner soul.

What can I say about this movie : the acting is bad, the story is stupid, the fact are all wrong, ... But this movie is funnier than the three Naked Gun that I've watch this week.

Like I've said this movie is a propaganda movie : it was made by one of those born again church somewhere in the south of the United States. This film talk about the evil communist and what will happen when they will invade the USA, because this country had rejected god. The Americans sin too much : they watch tv, they wear dress too short, they don't go to church everyday, they don't read the book of god and, the worst, they dance. This is not my word, the reverend Pirkle tell that multiple time in his sermon.

The Russians (the one with the ridiculous accent) conquer the United States in less than one hour and not with a lot of technological weapons, but with horses and sabers (everyone know that it had work perfectly for the Polish in the Second World War). Rapidly they have killed the President and a lot of Governors, we don't actually see any of that but the cheapest newscast of all time announce it.

After we will see how the communist will persecute the christians. They will be kill in mass (in fact the same footage used more than five times), they will kidnap every children to teach them that god doesn't exist (this scene is so funny : the Russian teacher will make the children pray god for candies but god didn't answer, so after that they pray Fidel and they receive a lot of candies), the Russian invade the home and rape the woman (evidently they are drunk), they pierced the child skull with a bamboo stick from one ear to another (do you know that this make you throw up a lot?) because they have heard the word of god. I forgot the reverend tell us that all those facts are true and that all of this is documented since the same thing had happen in Russia, in China, in Korea and in Cuba. At the end the reverend tell us that we have to accept god in our live to evit this fate, since god will choose to save another country  that sin less than the United States (he named the Brazil and the Indonesia).

At less than one hour this film is really too short and can I say that I'm shocked that this movie and others like that were shown at some church at a certain time. Evidently this film is not available comercially on dvd, but they are two way to get it : write a letter to the church of the reverend Pirkle and ask (good luck) or buy it from one of the multiple grey zone movie sellers (the way I've choose).

Rating as a serious movie:
Rating as a bad movie:

I've a question for our American member : Does any of you actually have seen a film like this in a church?

[Achim]

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.

Thanks for looking that up. Yeah, not sure sure about this one of hi-def either

I'd probably get the Criterion when on sale somewhere... (like DeepDiscount's 20% sales).

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: Christiane F. - Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo (1981)

Genre: Drama
Director: Uli Edel       
Rating: Unrated
Length: 2h05
Video: Widescreen
Audio: German
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Natja Brunckhorst
Thomas Haustein
Jens Kuphal
Rainer Wölk
Christiane Reichelt

Plot:
This movie portrays the drug scene in Berlin in the 70s, following tape recordings of Christiane F. 14 years old Christiane lives with her mother and little sister in a typical multi-storey apartment building in Berlin. She's fascinated by the 'Sound', a new disco with most modern equipment. Although she's legally too young, she asks a friend to take her. There she meets Detlef, who's in a clique where everybody's on drugs. Step by step she gets drawn deeper into the scene.

My Thoughts:

If you have seen my top ten in an other topic, you already know that this film is on my all time best list. What I like in this movie is the fact that the drug use is not glorified and they don't use a preaching bulshit speech. Like many others I was a drug user in my younger years (ok not so young since I've stop taken it 5 and a half years ago). I was never an addict and I've never hide the fact that I was an user when I was one (never seen that as a big deal at all). But because of this film that I've watched with my parent at 13 years old the lesson was strongly print in my mind : never use heroine. Enough with my life story 

What is the most surprising in this film is the teenagers performance, they are all good. Natja Brunckhorst in the title role does a wonderfull job and for a 15 years old who is in her first movie she is 100% credible. I'm very surprise that she didn't have a bigger career. We have the feeling throughout the film of how was the life in the neighborhood where she live (I hope that it had change now) and the feeling of emptiness and despair they confronted everyday. Some scene are particularly striking : the withdrawal attempt after an overdose, the first time that Christiane sell her sexual favour for drug money and the overdose of her 14 years old friend. The soundtrack by David Bowie is great too, but I'm already a fan.

Not the most feelgood movie, but sometimes it is necessary to watch a film like this to understand the facts of life. A strong recommandation and a film that must be seen by every young teenagers.   

Rating :

[DJ Doena]

Unfortunately the real Christiane F. is on drugs again:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,571323,00.html

[Jimmy]

Sad news, but it's always hard to stop an addiction. Maybe in her mind snorting it was a lesser risk than injecting it, since she became addicted when she had decided to take the heroine by injection.

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: Who Saw Her Die? (1972)

Genre: Giallo
Director: Aldo Lado           
Rating: Unrated
Length: 1h34
Video: Widescreen
Audio: English
Subtitles: No Subtitles

Stars:
George Lazenby   
Anita Strindberg
Adolfo Celi
Dominique Boschero
Peter Chatel 

Plot:
The life of a Venice sculptor (former James Bond George Lazenby of ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE) is torn apart when his visiting young daughter (Nicoletta Elmi of DEEP RED and TWITCH OF THE DEATH NERVE) is found murdered. But when the police are unable to find the killer, the grieving father's own investigation uncovers a high-level conspiracy of sexual perversion and violence. What depraved compulsions led to the murder of this child? And most horrifying of all, WHO SAW HER DIE?

My Thoughts:

I've not watch a giallo since a long time and this one was on my unwatched pile since I've bought it in april. For those who don't know a giallo is an italian murder/mystery. A good giallo must have a serie of brutal murder, an hard to solve crime and an unusual score. If a movie doesn't have this 3 parts this is not a giallo.

This one is a really good one. The musical score composed by Ennio Morricone is very effective and powerfull. The story is challenging and this is what you ask when you watch a giallo, at least if you are the same type of viewer that I am. Everytime I watch those film I tried to resolve the mystery at the same time than I listen. If I find the murderer too fast, usually it means that the movie isn't good and the story too simplistic. With this one I've not find the murderer untill the  end, but he/she was on my list of 3 possible murderers (one of them was killed before the end). The cinematography is very good and the movie show a different Venice than the one that we saw usually. The only reason why this film doesn't get a perfect note is the fact that this film is dub in english : I prefer to watch a film in his original language.   


Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxAX9iOv6RA

Rating :

[Jimmy]

Didn't realize that I've not written anything in my review depot for that long, almost 3 and a half months 
OK I've wrote my reviews in a marathon topic, but this one had disapear almost at the third page and now it's time to resurect it 

Since many of you had wrote reviews of comic book superhero film I've decided to make my part and watch "The Fantastic Four". Not the recently release one since this is not the goal here (and I have not seen it or care about it to begin with), but one that you probably didn't even know that it exist.

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: The Fantastic Four (1994)

Genre: Super Hero
Director: Oley Sassone           
Rating: Unrated
Length: 1h30
Video: Full Frame
Audio: English
Subtitles: No Subtitles

Stars:
Alex Hyde-White   
Jay Underwood
Rebecca Staab
Michael Bailey Smith
Joseph Culp

Plot:
When an experimental space voyage goes awry, four people are forever changed by cosmic rays: Reed Richards, inventor and leader of the group gains the ability to stretch his body and takes the name Mr. Fantastic. His girlfriend, Sue Storm, gains the ability to turn invisible and create force fields becoming The Invisible Girl. Her little brother, Johnny Storm, becomes The Human Torch with the ability to control fire, including covering his own body with flame. The pilot Ben Grimm is turned into the super-strong, super-tough Thing. Together they become a team of super-heroes and use their unique powers to foil the evil plans of villains.

My Thoughts:

This movie was never suppose to be release that's why almost nobody know it, in fact it was made because the producer was about to loose the movie right of it. The actors and the crew didn't know this fact at all when they worked on the film. Because of this it's evident that the movie had some flaws, but the most apparent one is the lack of finishing on the Human Torch effect. The rest of the effects are well done and seem real enough for me (I prefer the old way of doing the special effects, the CGI effects doesn't really interest me). The cast who consist of relatively unknown actors does a good job (except for Underwood, he overact so much) : White had mostly works in tv series (his father is the annoying doctor in the second season of Buck Rodgers, Staab works on tv too and Smith was at the beginning of his career.

For the movie I will not say that it's the best movie ever made, but the origin story goes fast and everything is clear. 2 vilains are present in it : evidently the Dr. Doom and The Jeweler (a lame one who doesn't exist in the comic). One big plus in comparaison with the recent films : Susan Storm is played by a real blond actress, not an untalented bleach one  . The chemistry between the four actors is really great and this isn't a problem like it is with the others movie (from what I've understand of the review written by Tom).

If you can find it this is a fun way to pass 90 minutes in front of your tv or your computer. 

Rating :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcpmM-eTESI

[Najemikon]

Jimmy, that looks bloody terrible!  For me, superhero comic books embody the glossy, over-produced Hollywood approach, so that's the only way to do it. I think you should watch the new version. 

[addicted2dvd]

That clip did look pretty bad... but I would still like to see it though. 

[Jimmy]

Don't forget that my favourite Batman is the one with Adam West  
This fact tell a lot of what I like in a superhero movie  

and the dvd cost me only 10$ (in Canadian money, almost nothing in real money) not too bad for something unknow

Don't forget it's only a   fun but average.

[Tom]

but one that you probably didn't even know that it exist.

I had hunted it down a few years ago and had it lying around on my hard disc (maybe it is still on it on my old PC), but I never came around to completely watch it.

[Tom]

and the dvd cost me only 10$ (in Canadian money, almost nothing in real money) not too bad for something unknow

Is there a legal release? I would buy it, if it's cheap.

[Jimmy]

No it isn't. I don't even remember where I've found it, the only thing I remember is that it was a Canadian website.

[Tom]

One big plus in comparaison with the recent films : Susan Storm is played by a real blond actress, not an untalented bleach one  . The chemistry between the four actors is really great and this isn't a problem like it is with the others movie (from what I've understand of the review written by Tom).

The bleached blonde Jessica Alba really put me off in the second movie. As far as I remember, it wasn't so bad in the first movie.

Some reviews I have read in the past, say, that they prefer the make-up job of "The Thing" in the 1994 version over the new one. Must be real good, as "The Thing" is one of the best things coming out of the new movies.

[Jimmy]

You can see it in the trailer that I've put in my review. The prosthetics suit is well done, the way that it's made allow the actor to show his emotions. By the way the actor who play The Thing is not the one who play Ben Grimm, this is a stuntman (Carl Ciarfalio) and he is surprisingly good to show his feelings.