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Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion (1950)
Average
Jonesy and Lou are in Algeria looking for a wrestler they are promoting. Sergeant Axmann tricks them into joining the Foreign Legion, after which they discover Axmann's collaboration with the nasty Sheik Hamud El Khalid.
The plots of the various movies don't really matter one way or the other. What really matters are the gags. I felt like the gags in this one fell a bit short. The centerpiece is a scene concerning a mirage, which never really hit its peak. And the verbal banter that these two are best at is absent, and that is disappointing.
The movie does work as sort of a cultural artifact about what Americans (or Hollywood) thought of the Middle East in 1950. While not outright offensive in any way, some of it seems surprisingly ignorant. But then again, I could probably argue that the situation has not improved in the last 60 years.
Mexican Hayride (1948)
Classic Abbott and Costello
Two con men selling phony stock flee to Mexico ahead of the law, where they run into a woman friend from their earlier days, who is now a bullfighter.
The plots of the various movies don't really matter one way or the other. What really matters are the gags. I loved the painting gag, even though I saw the punchline coming. And the Smith / Jones routine is the sort of back and forth people love from this duo (myself included).
I think the comedy duo tends to be best remembered today (2017) for their series of films meeting the Universal monsters. But let's not forget some gems like this one, which has aged surprisingly well.
Shinjuku kuroshakai: Chaina mafia sensô (1995)
Miike and the Ultra-Violence of Crime
Amidst a Chinese and Japanese mafia war, a lawyer for the Chinese mob finds a rift forming between him and his corrupt police officer brother.
Sight & Sound noted the film was similar to the gangster films of Kinji Fukasaku, while noting that it still contained "scenes such as the one where sodomy is used as a police interrogation technique bear Miike's unmistakable signature." (Interestingly, neither Miike nor Fukasaku are primarily known for their gangster films -- Fukasaku is connected best to "Tora! Tora! Tora!" and "Battle Royale".) The film is one of the earliest examples of Miike's use of extreme violence. We have decapitated heads, eyes ripped from their sockets, and the aforementioned sodomy. The film also has some unsettling sexual aspects. Not quite on par with Miike's "Visitor Q", but what is? Also worth noting is the soundtrack, which often sound like more 1980s synth than 1990s techno. Was this a style choice, or was Japan in a different musical era than the United States in 1995? Arrow Video has released the film as part of their Black Society box set, complete with an audio commentary from Miike expert Tom Mes.
The Eagle (1925)
Action!
A wanted Russian lieutenant becomes a masked vigilante seeking vengeance upon the man who stole his family's land, only to fall for his charming daughter.
The character of Black Eagle, interestingly enough, does not exist in the original Pushkin novel and was inspired by the performance of Douglas Fairbanks as Zorro in "The Mark of Zorro". ("The Eagle" is also notable in cinematic history for its famous extended tracking shot of the food-laden table in the banquet scene.) This is the sort of film that made Valentino famous, because who doesn't want to see him as a sort of swash-buckling hero? Heck, he buckles the swash with the best of them.
Blood and Sand (1922)
Nice Romance
Juan is the son of a poor widow in Seville. Against his mother's wishes he pursues a career as toreador. He rapidly gains national prominence, and takes his childhood sweetheart Carmen as his bride. He meets the Marquis' daughter Dona Sol, and finds himself in the awkward position of being in love with two women, which threatens the stability of his family and his position in society.
Dorothy Arzner worked as the film's editor. Arnzer used stock footage of bullfights filmed in Madrid interspersed with close-ups of Valentino. Her work on the film helped to solidify her reputation of being a resourceful editor as her techniques also saved Paramount money. She would later say that working on the film was the "first waymark to my claim to a little recognition as an individual." What strikes me about that is how "stock footage" existed by the early 1920s. How was there already footage of various things without copyright? Or perhaps there was copyright, but a fee to use it was small? This just seems strange, and yet it is apparently true.
Wetherby (1985)
A Puzzle?
The mysterious death of an enigmatic young man newly arrived in the suburb of Wetherby releases the long-repressed, dark passions of some of its residents.
Roger Ebert called it "a haunting film, because it dares to suggest that the death of the stranger is important to everyone it touches because it forces them to decide how alive they really are." That is one way of looking at it. Others have called the film a "puzzle" with pieces out of order and perhaps even missing.
I liked the idea of a man who kills himself for no reason, and everyone around left to wonder. I am less thrilled about some of the follow-up. His life as a mystery seems better to me than exploring it, but others may disagree.
David Holzman's Diary (1967)
A Curiosity
This fake documentary (which appears quite real on the surface) is about a young man making a movie about his everyday life and discovering something important about himself and his reality. Again, this film is not a real documentary... or is it? Personally, I don't think this is a great film. Even in its short run time, it has a lot of fluff. But I do think it has a certain level of brilliance in that it does appear to be a real documentary, even crediting the actors under false names. Also, it does offer a nice reflection on the role of film, bringing up some ideas expressed by Godard and others.
I can see how a film like this could be used to launch a career, but in and of itself, it really is nothing too exciting and really more of a curiosity.
Havenhurst (2016)
The Gothic Apartment
A troubled young woman takes up residence in a Gothic apartment building where she must confront a terrifying evil.
Director Andrew C. Erin (Embrace of the Vampire) brings us this film from a screenplay co-written with Daniel Farrands (Amityville: The Awakening). We also get music from tomandandy (Mothman Prophecies, The Strangers and a couple Resident Evil films), some of the best in the business.
The film opens with a pulse-pounding score, superior gore effects and a dazzling cameo from horror goddess Danielle Harris. Unfortunately only a cameo, but the rest of the cast is just great. We have powerful acting from Julie Benz (Dexter, Buffy, Two Evil Eyes), and an evil maternal instinct from Fionnula Flanagan (The Others, Trash Fire).
What sells the film more than anything is the cinematography, as the colorization is rich, and provides a nice palette against which to tell a moving story. The apartment offers up the best possible use of space -- sometimes spacial and ornate, sometimes claustrophobic, and with a few nods to other horror classics such as "The Shining" and even "Psycho". The exterior aerial shots look great, and it left me wondering if this is a real building or if some crafty CGI is used.
In recent years, public discourse was concerned about the so-called surveillance state, and those fears come to life here. We even have secrets behind the walls (reminiscent of "Crawlspace") and a plot twist that ties this (fictional) film to the upcoming (factual) "Devil in the White City". Although this story of murder and disappearance could be in any era, these parts make it especially timely, even if not intended by the writers.
I highly recommend "Havenhurst". Though it seems to have been pushed back a year, it will be an early strong contender for great horror films of 2017.
What's the Matter with Helen? (1971)
Good Fun
Two middle-aged women move to Hollywood, California after their sons are convicted of a notorious murder and open a dance school for children eager to tap their way to stardom.
Curtis Harrington and George Edwards approached writer Henry Farrell soon after "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" was a hit, hoping to get a screenplay. Farrell told them of a story outline titled "The Box Step", the story of two contemporary ladies who ran a dance studio. Eventually the story wound up with Harrington and Edwards, who had input on the screenplay. It was their idea to change the setting to a 1930s dance academy for little girls.
I think this works great, and although the horror aspects are minimal compared to the weird kid acting and dancing scenes, it is an effective story. Allegedly the film went through various cuts, and the lesbian aspect was toned down a lot (though it can still be seen). Which makes me wonder if these cuts were in the script or in the film itself, because it would be great to get that footage back.
Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (1972)
AIP With a Hammer Feel
A demented widow (Shelley Winters) lures unsuspecting children into her mansion in a bizarre "Hansel and Gretel" twist.
I am not a big fan of Shelley Winters. Frankly, I don't really understand how she became anybody. But I do love AIP, and I absolutely adore both Jimmy Sangster and Curtis Harrington (whose "Night Tide" is a true horror gem). These gentlemen have brought the Hammer touch to AIP, making this film both British (in a good way), but still that same cult AIP style we love.
And even better is the "Hansel and Gretel" idea. Some legends and fairy tales have been done to death, but this one has not. And furthermore, it puts children in the danger zone -- the scene of this film with the guillotine had me on the edge of my seat wondering if they had the guts to go all the way.