Post-modern take on the 1976 film of the same title, which was based on a series of murders that occurred in Texarkana on the Texas/Arkansas border a few decades earlier. The first film is frequently referenced but setting the story aside, the two have little in common. The original could sit comfortably in the video nasty genre, while the 'remake' is a stylistic tour-De-force with sound and photography that give off an art film vibe. The acting is solid in part thanks to veteran character actors Ed Lauter Gary Cole (the arms expert in The Good Wife). Although using a few genre tropes, this is not your average slasher flick. It's a scary movie but not a Scary Movie.
Reviews
43 Reviews
Deadfall
(2012)
Deadweight
13 May 2013
Atrocious sub-Fargo story with the two leads looking like they'd just come from a modelling agency. No sign of the fierce Minnesota climate on their faces. One of them even pulls a bank raid wearing a backless dress. In winter. The script is appalling with no cliché left unturned, particularly painful is the introductory dialogue between the femme fatal and a fellow fugitive on the lam.
The direction is even worse with a total lack of rhythm and pacing. The long takes in some scenes rather than being (hopefully) pregnant with meaning, induce only yawns. It's amazing that such a shoddy work could attract actors like Eric Bana and Kate Mara who were clearly working to scale. Kris Kristofferson and Sissy Spacek also appear, but only remind you of better days at the cinema.
The direction is even worse with a total lack of rhythm and pacing. The long takes in some scenes rather than being (hopefully) pregnant with meaning, induce only yawns. It's amazing that such a shoddy work could attract actors like Eric Bana and Kate Mara who were clearly working to scale. Kris Kristofferson and Sissy Spacek also appear, but only remind you of better days at the cinema.
The Victim
(2011)
Underrated film alert
14 October 2012
Cracking backwoods thriller with a comic undertone from 80s b-movie star Michael Biehm, who also co-wrote the screenplay. The mixture takes some balancing but he gets it just right, while the laidback pace lets the story simmer.
The tale itself should not be taken too seriously, although it is inevitably 'based on real events': two strippers go the woods with two cops. The end result is messy. A lot of people seem to have taken the story straight, ignoring accompanying the black humour. Their loss.
Biehm the actor has a real presence now, dominating every scene he's in. His grizzled look has added character. Also good is producer/actress Jennifer Blanc, here playing a stripper who jumps out of the frying pan into the furnace.
The tale itself should not be taken too seriously, although it is inevitably 'based on real events': two strippers go the woods with two cops. The end result is messy. A lot of people seem to have taken the story straight, ignoring accompanying the black humour. Their loss.
Biehm the actor has a real presence now, dominating every scene he's in. His grizzled look has added character. Also good is producer/actress Jennifer Blanc, here playing a stripper who jumps out of the frying pan into the furnace.
The Killer Inside Me
(2010)
A heart of darkness
31 August 2012
It's been a long time since I read any of Jim Thompson's tales and while the fine print remains vague, the darkness they evoke is not easily forgotten. Like Lou, the central character, this film pulls no punches as Winterbottom follows Thompson's route to the heart of darkness. A pity, then, that the ruckus about the violence obscured what a fine film this is. In addition to the outstanding Casey Affleck as the cool psychopath, there's Ned Beatty, Kate Hudson and Elias Koteas offering great support. The only false note is struck by Jessica Alba - what is a gal who looks like she does, doing turning tricks in a small Texan town with a pop of around 1280?
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution
(1976)
What Up Holmes?
24 August 2012
Nicol Williamson plays Holmes in this adaptation of Nicolas Meyer's novel, which suggests that Sherlock's 'disappearance' in 1891 was due to a cocaine addiction. What's more, he has the detective travelling to Vienna to visit Siggy Freud (Alan Arkin) in the hope of finding a cure. The pair subsequently work together to solve a case. Moriarty, played by Lawrence Olivier also makes an appearance, allowing Freud is to psycho analyse Holmes' paranoid obsession with his nemesis
Williamson was mostly a stage actor, one with a somewhat troublesome reputation but here he's terrific, right up there with the Peter Cushing interpretation of the famous detective. Arkin is excellent , too, his New York Jewish accent being just the ticket. Robert Duvall as Watson is a disaster not of his own making. - the script gives him nothing and the tortuous accent only buttons him further. The first part of the story in which Holmes battles the demon drug is excellent and contains some very scary dream sequences. The second part in which Vanessa Redgrave features as a damsel in distress is more conventional and turns into a romp. The only flaw in the film are the steam engines used for the chase through 'Austria' - they are are British. The first is a Black 5, and the second a '6' class from the Eastern region. Neither were ever exported. Tsk
Williamson was mostly a stage actor, one with a somewhat troublesome reputation but here he's terrific, right up there with the Peter Cushing interpretation of the famous detective. Arkin is excellent , too, his New York Jewish accent being just the ticket. Robert Duvall as Watson is a disaster not of his own making. - the script gives him nothing and the tortuous accent only buttons him further. The first part of the story in which Holmes battles the demon drug is excellent and contains some very scary dream sequences. The second part in which Vanessa Redgrave features as a damsel in distress is more conventional and turns into a romp. The only flaw in the film are the steam engines used for the chase through 'Austria' - they are are British. The first is a Black 5, and the second a '6' class from the Eastern region. Neither were ever exported. Tsk
Ted
(2012)
Can you bear it?
20 August 2012
You know the story, the erstwhile Marky Mark and his talking teddy. This is so bad it makes Mad Mel and his glove puppet look like Laurel and Hardy. It might have been better had the bear given a better voice, as is it sounds like one of those guys on TV selling cars from their own lot. Mark Wahlberg has come a long way but if he sticks to comedy he's not going to go much further. Let's just say is timing his awry, though it does help if the joke are funny. Mila Kunis looks lovely as his main squeeze but having appeared in the Robot Chicken TV series, she's in danger of getting typecast. Forget the bear angle, which you'll soon do anyway, and what you're left with is a crude, obnoxious jock in a film with no other narrative.
The Shout
(1978)
Makes all the right noises
19 August 2012
The backdrop to this startling tale is that bastion of English civility: the cricket match. Going to the wicket here are the staff and inmates at a mental asylum. Keeping score is a young intern and Crossley (Alan Bates) a man whose needs are special and very possibly insane. During the course of the game he describes to his fellow scorer how his life have come to such a pass. He claims to have been living amongst Aborigines for eighteen years, and to have learned to kill by shouting. In flashback we are taken to Devon where he takes up with a young rural couple (John Hurt and Susannah York) who are sceptical of this and most of his other scary stories. Unsurprisingly considering that, as narrators go, they don't come much more unreliable than mental patients.
Thematically this is similar to The Wicker Man with its challenge to Christian beliefs, though it's much more layered and with less of a narrative thrust. Bates gives a performance of great power, rather then the quietly smouldering persona we are used to. Hurt and York are both excellent, particularly the latter as she succumbs to the madman's charms. Director Jerzy Skilomoski's takes Robert Graves' story at face value and introduces an east European art-film aesthetic into what could have been a Hammer horror. Like much of the best of 'British' - Withnail and I, The Ruling Class, Summer of Love and Skilomoski's own Deep End - The Shout benefits greatly from an outsider's perspective.
Thematically this is similar to The Wicker Man with its challenge to Christian beliefs, though it's much more layered and with less of a narrative thrust. Bates gives a performance of great power, rather then the quietly smouldering persona we are used to. Hurt and York are both excellent, particularly the latter as she succumbs to the madman's charms. Director Jerzy Skilomoski's takes Robert Graves' story at face value and introduces an east European art-film aesthetic into what could have been a Hammer horror. Like much of the best of 'British' - Withnail and I, The Ruling Class, Summer of Love and Skilomoski's own Deep End - The Shout benefits greatly from an outsider's perspective.
Zabriskie Point
(1970)
The point being...
19 August 2012
Antonioni's masterpiece is still in DVD limbo, causing poor quality VHS versions to sell for $100. Ironic, because when it was released cinematically you practically had to pay people to and see it - the budget was $7m and it took only $800,000 at the box office. Some of this can be attributed to scathing reviews from US critics who didn't take kindly to an Italian taking their country's social and economic values to task. Much blame was attributed also to the casting of two non actors in the lead roles, and it's true they come across as stiff and awkward but they also appear incredibly naive, making them a perfect representation of the period. Indeed, there are few films that capture the socio/political zeitgiest as this film does.
Vittorio Storaro's cinematography is outstanding, whether in LA or in the Death Valley desert, while the ending suggesting that American materialism will go up in flames, literally, is truly spectacular. The soundtrack also helps things along with tracks from Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead and The Youngbloods. This probably grossed more than the film.
Vittorio Storaro's cinematography is outstanding, whether in LA or in the Death Valley desert, while the ending suggesting that American materialism will go up in flames, literally, is truly spectacular. The soundtrack also helps things along with tracks from Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead and The Youngbloods. This probably grossed more than the film.
Seconds
(1966)
Time's up
19 August 2012
This stunning mix of sci-fi and thriller was never likely to attain the audience it deserved. Downbeat from the off, it tells of an elderly business man, disillusioned that the American dream doesn't add up to a hill of beans. Rather than going quietly he instead enters into a Faustian pact with a mysterious organisation that promises a second chance - in this case coming back as Rock Hudson. But the existential angst soon piles up as the now younger man tries to come to terms with the 'transfer'. Ace cameraman James Wong Howe superbly captures the air of menace, while Hudson is surprisingly convincing as the man who isn't quite what he seems.
The Great Silence
(1968)
The sound (and vision) of silence
19 August 2012
Corbucci's brutal western recreates the Snow Hill, Utah, massacre of 1898, and pulls no punches in doing so. Jean-Louis Trintignant stars as not only the man with no name (complete with cheroot), but the man with no voice. Jean-Louis looks quite at home on the range which is more than can be said for his nemesis and bounty hunter Klaus Kinski who wears a fur coat so huge, he looks like he stepped out of his friend's (Herzog) documentary about bears.
The subtitled dialogue is pretty terrible and the Italian cast with their cissy haircuts don't exactly exude authenticity as cowpokes. Combine all this with a lack of respect for the 'code of the west', epitomised in an ending which is beyond bleak, and you begin to see why western purists hate the spaghetti offshoots so much. It's not so much their revisionism as a destruction of a nation's imagined history. Visually, it's a stunning piece of work, from trademark close-ups to atypical snowy landscapes it's a visual treat while Ennio Morricone's score comprising classical and ambient electronics, is superb and worthy of a separate listen. Overall, though, I'd say 'spaghetti' is something of misnomer here, this is more like raw meat.
The subtitled dialogue is pretty terrible and the Italian cast with their cissy haircuts don't exactly exude authenticity as cowpokes. Combine all this with a lack of respect for the 'code of the west', epitomised in an ending which is beyond bleak, and you begin to see why western purists hate the spaghetti offshoots so much. It's not so much their revisionism as a destruction of a nation's imagined history. Visually, it's a stunning piece of work, from trademark close-ups to atypical snowy landscapes it's a visual treat while Ennio Morricone's score comprising classical and ambient electronics, is superb and worthy of a separate listen. Overall, though, I'd say 'spaghetti' is something of misnomer here, this is more like raw meat.
Beating around the bush
19 August 2012
One of the few films that's maybe best known for its theme song (by Traffic), and five minutes in you begin to see why. This is a never-coming-of-age comedy with a cringe-worthy script, from Hunter Davies based on his own novel. Barry Evans plays the most annoying teenager, like evah, though he might have been better had his voice broken. The narrative consists of his attempts to chat up girls and, amazingly, he pulls the lovely Judy Geeson but even when his big moment comes, he's bleats around the bush by jabbering about her dog.
It might sound sweet and indicative of the period but there's a cynical, slightly exploitive vibe about it. Normally in 'swinging 60s' films London provides a picturesque backdrop but this is set in not-so swinging Stevenage, with the local supermarket standing in for the Kings Road. In truth, it never tries to be cool but then it doesn't try to be much else, either.
It might sound sweet and indicative of the period but there's a cynical, slightly exploitive vibe about it. Normally in 'swinging 60s' films London provides a picturesque backdrop but this is set in not-so swinging Stevenage, with the local supermarket standing in for the Kings Road. In truth, it never tries to be cool but then it doesn't try to be much else, either.
Morgan!
(1966)
Trotsky Goes Ape
19 August 2012
There aren't too many whimsical comedies with a Trotskyite sub text, so for that alone let us give thanks, but there's a whole lot more to enjoy here. Vanessa Redgrave for one, looking wonderful as the posh girl who dumps her eccentric husband in favour of stability, shows a real gift for light comedy, Karel Reisz's direction is always inventive and makes good use of inserts from King Kong and Tarzan, and then there's the world's most wonderful couple: Arthur Mullard and Irene Handl.
Warner's performance as Morgan depends how you feel about children who refuse to grow up, though he does become more sympathetic eventually. The Trotsky element comes from writer David Mercer, a renowned playwright and communist of the day and though class figures prominently in the film, it is never didactic. The screenplay is based on a TV play he'd wrote and in a unusual reversal of roles was watered down somewhat for the cinema. The ending turns into the full-blown surrealism that always threatened and there's a great, almost-last line from the Morgan himself: "I've gone all furry".
Warner's performance as Morgan depends how you feel about children who refuse to grow up, though he does become more sympathetic eventually. The Trotsky element comes from writer David Mercer, a renowned playwright and communist of the day and though class figures prominently in the film, it is never didactic. The screenplay is based on a TV play he'd wrote and in a unusual reversal of roles was watered down somewhat for the cinema. The ending turns into the full-blown surrealism that always threatened and there's a great, almost-last line from the Morgan himself: "I've gone all furry".
That Kind of Girl
(1963)
Teenage Tramp?
19 August 2012
This unheralded film from Gerry O' Hara is a strange and sometimes preachy mix of the perils of sex outside marriage. English morals and sense of duty are put to the test when a free-spirited Austrian au pair arrives in a London on the verge of change. On the face it she's a blonde bombshell so beloved of the era. In truth she's sensitive and intelligent, just a little ahead of her time.
Made in 1963 when moral rearmament co-existed with CND rallies (replete with marchers in big woolly jumpers), it's hard to tell if the title is meant ironically. The US release is less equivocal in this regard - the distributors renamed it Teenage Tramp. Either way, it's an excellent snapshot of the period
Made in 1963 when moral rearmament co-existed with CND rallies (replete with marchers in big woolly jumpers), it's hard to tell if the title is meant ironically. The US release is less equivocal in this regard - the distributors renamed it Teenage Tramp. Either way, it's an excellent snapshot of the period
Permissive
(1970)
Super groupie
19 August 2012
In the development stage the title for this truly dispiriting film was Suzy Superscrew. Better had it been kept for at least it gives you an idea of where the action is heading. Suzy is a duffle-coated runaway, arriving in London to join the groupie scene. Unable to score with the band her groupie friend introduces her to, she hooks up with Pogo an itinerant musician and mad preacher. "Where do you live?' she enquires of him. "Under the stars, the world is my scene, man", he responds. Unfortunately the world isn't listening as he gets mown down by a car shortly afterwards. The subsequent narrative is reduced to what band member or groupie Suzy will wake up with next.
The film, shot in a quasi documentary style and was partly intended as a promotional vehicle for heavy rock band Forever More, which accounts for their music being way up in the mix and sometimes drowning out the dialogue. This same logic explains footage of the band performing being inserted whenever the director runs out of ideas, which is often. On the plus side the relentlessly downbeat tone does provides a telling snapshot of the fag-end of the sixties and a particular sub-culture, while at the same time maintaining a grim synergy: hairy men and ugly women having bad sex together in cheap hotels to a Forever More soundtrack. Just desserts are sometimes delicious.
The film, shot in a quasi documentary style and was partly intended as a promotional vehicle for heavy rock band Forever More, which accounts for their music being way up in the mix and sometimes drowning out the dialogue. This same logic explains footage of the band performing being inserted whenever the director runs out of ideas, which is often. On the plus side the relentlessly downbeat tone does provides a telling snapshot of the fag-end of the sixties and a particular sub-culture, while at the same time maintaining a grim synergy: hairy men and ugly women having bad sex together in cheap hotels to a Forever More soundtrack. Just desserts are sometimes delicious.
Tribal Gatherings
19 August 2012
Barbet Schroeder is in danger of becoming a legend in his own lifetime. From this rather beautiful hippie opus, to Single White Female and more recently, an episode of Mad Men, this is a man with no respect for boundaries. The main character in this 1971 film is Vivian (Bulle Ogier), a collector of rare feathers which she sells in a posh boutique. While on holiday in New Guinea she joins a hippie expedition, hoping to add more fluff to her collection. She's the wife of a diplomat, bourgeois, liberal and a 'sport' as she puts it. The primary aim of the trek is to locate a (possibly mythical) paradisaical valley way over yonder, kind of like Richard's pursuit of the perfect beach in the Alex Garland novel, but with a more metaphysical bent.
It's the journey not the arrival that grabs and cameraman Nestor Almendros, whose credits include Malick's Days of Heaven, really comes to the fore as his images compensate for any narrative slack. Eventually the group encounter the isolated but photogenic Magupa tribe, just about to start an incredible festival - cue more stunning images. That's about as dramatic as it gets - there's no manufactured events, just the group interacting with the natives and each other. For Vivian the journey becomes a voyage of self-discovery aided by some local hallucinogenics, though her newly-found freedom is tested both physically and philosophically by her lover as they approach their destination. By this time dialogue is sparse as the film slips into National Geographic mode. But it's Ogier who really keeps things together here, offering a riveting portrayal of a woman in transition. There's some discourse on the relative merits of the contrasting civilisations, and questions which throw doubt on the hippies belief in the superiority of the 'natural' way of life. Pink Floyd contribute the soundtrack (Obscured by Clouds) but its barely audible aside from the closing credits.
It's the journey not the arrival that grabs and cameraman Nestor Almendros, whose credits include Malick's Days of Heaven, really comes to the fore as his images compensate for any narrative slack. Eventually the group encounter the isolated but photogenic Magupa tribe, just about to start an incredible festival - cue more stunning images. That's about as dramatic as it gets - there's no manufactured events, just the group interacting with the natives and each other. For Vivian the journey becomes a voyage of self-discovery aided by some local hallucinogenics, though her newly-found freedom is tested both physically and philosophically by her lover as they approach their destination. By this time dialogue is sparse as the film slips into National Geographic mode. But it's Ogier who really keeps things together here, offering a riveting portrayal of a woman in transition. There's some discourse on the relative merits of the contrasting civilisations, and questions which throw doubt on the hippies belief in the superiority of the 'natural' way of life. Pink Floyd contribute the soundtrack (Obscured by Clouds) but its barely audible aside from the closing credits.
Paranoiac
(1963)
Hammer hits home
19 August 2012
Early (1963) Hammer production that marked the directorial debut of Freddie Francis. What a surprise this turned out to, up there with the studio's finest and not a monster in sight, except Oliver Reed. He plays an alcoholic psychopath who tries to scare his neurotic sister (Janette Scott) out of her inheritance, screws the French maid and plays organ for his late brother who may or may not have committed suicide. Not wanting to miss out on the fun, his aunt wears a weird mask at the musical sessions, pretending to be the dead brother. But then the 'deceased' brother shows up (but is it really he?) and things start to go really nuts.
It gets to the point where you feel anything could happen and is suspenseful on that score alone. To add lustre it's all beautifully shot in b&w Cinemascope by Arthur Grant, with lighting that's a match for any of the noir classics. Hitchcock in general and Psycho in particular are the main influences here but Francis and Grant make something they can call their own. The cast, too, are all excellent but Reed, with a seriously menacing performance, is a standout. Despite all the mayhem and mad plot points, this is a tremendously accomplished film.
It gets to the point where you feel anything could happen and is suspenseful on that score alone. To add lustre it's all beautifully shot in b&w Cinemascope by Arthur Grant, with lighting that's a match for any of the noir classics. Hitchcock in general and Psycho in particular are the main influences here but Francis and Grant make something they can call their own. The cast, too, are all excellent but Reed, with a seriously menacing performance, is a standout. Despite all the mayhem and mad plot points, this is a tremendously accomplished film.
Five Minutes of Heaven
(2009)
Not a moment lost
17 August 2012
Ninety minutes of pure tension as Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt battle it out through Northern Ireland's Truth and Reconciliation program. The protagonists are based on two real characters from the 'troubles' in the 70s, and both co-operated on the script, though separately for reasons which will become clear. They are almost brought together by a TV program on the subject - a bitter and satirical subplot on the vacuous nature of television emerges here. Neeson and Nesbitt are terrific with the former's guilt but inner calm being counterpointed by the latter's ferocious quest for revenge. It's all held together and given a cinematic quality by the direction of Oliver Hirchbiegel, who also made the excellent Downfall.
JCVD
(2008)
More than muscles from Brussells
17 August 2012
Jean Claude Van Damme in brilliant film shock! Who'd have guessed it? Certainly not JC if you have ask him, at least if this semi autobiographical gem is to be believed. JC plays himself, some would so he always plays himself but in this film he really does. Returning to his Belgian home after a custody battle where his films are the object of the court's derision, he quickly finds himself caught up in a 'hostage situation'. There's much banter about his image as the criminals discuss what to do about their celebrity hostage. The film loses its way a little, but comes back strongly with a five minute monologue to camera by JC in which he dissects his his life and career.
Kiraware Matsuko no isshô
(2006)
Memories are made of this
17 August 2012
Who is Matsuko and what memories are these? Mitsuko was a born optimist, a fervent believer in human goodness. The memories, therefore, are inevitably sad as she discovers the journey along the yellow brick road can be tough haul. We discover Matsuko through her brother's quest when he hears of her death (she left home some fifteen years ago). Porn star, convict, hairdresser - these are all part of a less than glittering cv. This could easily have been an unremitting 2 hours of grimness and probably would have been were this film British. But director Tetsuya Nakashima throws everything into this including the kitchen sink, just as he did with his similarly surreal Kamikaze Girls. The result leaves you reeling as you run the gamut of emotions as the heroine's fate unravels.
A Lizard in a Woman's Skin
(1971)
Lesbians and lizards
17 August 2012
Thirty seconds in and it's already time for a full-blown, naked orgy, which is followed immediately by a lesbian scene on a pink bed. All this turns out to be dream on the part of Carol, a woman whose marriage is not a happy one and so, quite rightly, has fantasies about having sex with her beautiful neighbour. Things start to go seriously awry when the object of her dreamy desires is murdered, and Welsh hard-man Stanley Baker shows up as a copper with a penchant for whistling like a kettle.
It's basically a who-dunnit and not a bad one but like many Italian films of that period (1971), it's the art direction and atmosphere that catch the eye and propel the film along. Almost all of the exteriors are shot in London and the Italian crew make great use of them, particularly Alexandria Palace. Biba bags, MG sports cars and afros the size of a small tower are also much in evidence. Dog lovers may wince at one scene in which several of man's best friend are hung up with their guts hanging out. All this and a great score from Ennio Morricone.
It's basically a who-dunnit and not a bad one but like many Italian films of that period (1971), it's the art direction and atmosphere that catch the eye and propel the film along. Almost all of the exteriors are shot in London and the Italian crew make great use of them, particularly Alexandria Palace. Biba bags, MG sports cars and afros the size of a small tower are also much in evidence. Dog lovers may wince at one scene in which several of man's best friend are hung up with their guts hanging out. All this and a great score from Ennio Morricone.
The American
(2010)
An American embarrassed
17 August 2012
Dreadfully pretentious George Clooney vehicle, directed by Anton Corbijn. Apparently they've been looking at arty thrillers from the 70s and decided they would have a go, too. Clooney always seems miscast when he's in anything but a romcom and that's the case here. He's joined by what look like a couple of Vogue models playing, as they do, contract killers. The story beggars belief as does much of the casting. Corbijn seeks to inject 'cool' into the proceedings but really, it's just embarrassing, especially when compared to the kind of films (Bertolucci's The Conformist and Melville's Le Samurai spring to mind) that it seeks to emulate.
The Party's Over
(1965)
The beat generation
17 August 2012
The party may have been over for the beatniks who form the centerpiece of this strange but compelling film, but for the rest of London it was just beginning. Unusually for a British production of this vintage (1963) it doesn't fit easily in any genre. An American girl who has been hanging around with the 'beats' goes missing amid lurid rumours of rape and even necrophilia. The atmosphere is one of existential angst laced and a fin de siecle fatalism, all conveyed by way of some studiously framed b&w photography. Aside from some clunky dialogue and plumy accents this could easily be French, perhaps because the story is by Marc Behm an American expat based in France who wrote Eye of the Beholder, later transposed by Claude Miller into the excellent thriller Mortelle Radonnee starring Isabelle Adjani.
Oliver Reed plays the leader of the 'beats' in such manner that you feel the void each time he's off-screen, he really is terrific and makes the rest of the cast look like the b-movie stalwarts they were. Particularly dreadful is Mike Pratt who plays Geronimo, an artist/drummer. The party scenes with all the beats lounging around or trying to twist to modern jazz are great,as is the jazz itself with John Barry and Annie Ross contributing.
Oliver Reed plays the leader of the 'beats' in such manner that you feel the void each time he's off-screen, he really is terrific and makes the rest of the cast look like the b-movie stalwarts they were. Particularly dreadful is Mike Pratt who plays Geronimo, an artist/drummer. The party scenes with all the beats lounging around or trying to twist to modern jazz are great,as is the jazz itself with John Barry and Annie Ross contributing.
Hatchet for the Honeymoon
(1970)
Axing matters
17 August 2012
John Harrington runs a model agency specialising in bride gowns. He likes model railways and occasionally dressing up as a bride. The latter means he's in killer mode doing what he must do or, as he puts it, 'continue to wield the cleaver' until his 'issues' are resolved. The title suggests a similarity to Leonard Kastle's The Honeymoon Killers but in reality the films are far apart. Kastle's film is gritty, almost documentary-like and contains the massive presence of Shirley Stoler, while Bava opts for a style flamboyant even by giallo standards and has a handsome cast to match.
The spirit of Psycho looms large, though Bava's lightness of touch offsets the potentially gruesome subject matter - there's a very funny scene in a kitsch disco (with terrific music) where the cleaver wielder is thrown out for suggesting a threesome involving one of the dancers and his dead wife. It's true to say that it's style over substance, but that's the point
The spirit of Psycho looms large, though Bava's lightness of touch offsets the potentially gruesome subject matter - there's a very funny scene in a kitsch disco (with terrific music) where the cleaver wielder is thrown out for suggesting a threesome involving one of the dancers and his dead wife. It's true to say that it's style over substance, but that's the point
Goodbye Gemini
(1970)
Twins make trouble
17 August 2012
Twins arrive in London on an overnight bus wearing matching fluorescent jackets and clutching a teddy-bear (always a sign of evil). They've not even unpacked their bags before they murder their new landlady and get invited to an inevitably swinging' party. Jacki (Judy Geeson) is the female half of the twins and looks lovely even in the aforementioned garment, which is more than can be said for Julian (Martin Potter). He's the possessive twin who swings both ways and whose love for his sister is less than wholesome. They attend a few parties, talk to their teddy and get mixed up with some menacing Earls Court transvestites, a liaison that leads to blackmail and murder.
There's nothing here that can really be called a narrative, it's more like someone thought a swinging London movie with a psycho tilt would be really groovy. However, the film is based upon Ask Agamemnon by Jenni Hall (no, I've never heard of it, either). Despite the wavering storyline it's a strangely compelling film with an admirable wildness. The cast are game, except Michael Redgrave who has the air of an actor unaccustomed to such material. The camera-work from Geoffrey Unsworth is as exceptional as ever, tut the psychotic tone is best summed up by The Peddlers funky theme song: ('when the world comes knocking') Tell The World We're Not In.
There's nothing here that can really be called a narrative, it's more like someone thought a swinging London movie with a psycho tilt would be really groovy. However, the film is based upon Ask Agamemnon by Jenni Hall (no, I've never heard of it, either). Despite the wavering storyline it's a strangely compelling film with an admirable wildness. The cast are game, except Michael Redgrave who has the air of an actor unaccustomed to such material. The camera-work from Geoffrey Unsworth is as exceptional as ever, tut the psychotic tone is best summed up by The Peddlers funky theme song: ('when the world comes knocking') Tell The World We're Not In.
Girly
(1970)
Deep south London
17 August 2012
Little Miss Girly has a brother called Sonny and together they invite random pick-ups to their home to meet Mumsy and Nanny. There's chocolate biscuits and nice cups of tea on the menu, but only medicine for dessert. "It's the rule" as Mumsy points out to a reluctant diner. "Sod the rules" he barks, in one of the many Pinteresque exchanges, "where's my teacake?" The house, already seething with sexual repression amidst the children's games and nursery rhymes, heats up considerably when one 'guest' (or 'friend' as they are known) seeks a way out of the madness by playing the women off against each other. Sonny captures this and worse on his Super 8 camera and in doing so evokes the spirit of Peeping Tom, a film which preceded this by nine years.
'Little Miss Girly Packs Her Bags And Another One's Off To The Angels' sings Girly herself (to the tune of Nellie the Elephant) after the latest atrocity. Such rhymes and rules are designed to protect the residents from the ravishes of London, swinging away outside.
Some have likened the story to some of Tennessee Williams work particularly Baby Doll, a description well suited to Girly. Despite being full of English eccentricity rather than Deep South nut jobs, this is a credible comparison. I'm not a big fan of Freddie Francis (as director) but he does a great job here, making the mental seem almost normal and ensuring things don't get too camp.
'Little Miss Girly Packs Her Bags And Another One's Off To The Angels' sings Girly herself (to the tune of Nellie the Elephant) after the latest atrocity. Such rhymes and rules are designed to protect the residents from the ravishes of London, swinging away outside.
Some have likened the story to some of Tennessee Williams work particularly Baby Doll, a description well suited to Girly. Despite being full of English eccentricity rather than Deep South nut jobs, this is a credible comparison. I'm not a big fan of Freddie Francis (as director) but he does a great job here, making the mental seem almost normal and ensuring things don't get too camp.
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