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The Belko Experiment (2016)
An extremely scary film with loads of violence, grisly killings , twists and turns
In a twisted and amazing social experiment several Americans : John Gallaher Jr , Adria Arjona , Melanie Diaz , Sean Gunn , Rusty Schwimmer , Brent Sexton , Owain Yeoman, Michael Rooker... are incarcered in their high-rise corporate office , called Belko , located in Bogota , Colombia, run by CEO Tony Goldwyn. Being ordered by an unknown voice in off : Gregg Henry, coming from the company's intercom system to participate in a lethal competition, resulting in a really violent meeting that can be deadly. Along the way, a tracking device is implanted in the skull of every clerk , that's why there's high incidence of kidnapping in Colombia . As the employees are forced to a merciless Big Game, a relentless manhunt with fateful and creepy consequences . Office hours are over !. Proceed calmy to the exit doors !. Just another day at the office !. This is not a drill. Casualty Friday. Choose your weapon!
Nail-biting and macabre movie about the members of a powerful corporation that are heavily locked and coerced to participate a deadly game to kill or be murdered . Mysterious and astonishing screenplay from the prestigious writer/director James Gun who has made hits as Guardians of Galaxy, The Suicide Squadron, Super and Movie 43. James Gunn was originally hired to shot from his script but he withdrew due to personal reasons. The plot draws heavily from other movies with similar issues, such as : "Das Experiment" 2001 by Oliver Hirschbiegel, "The Experiment" 2010 by Paul Scheuring, "Mayhem" 2016 by Joe Lynch and especially, the classic Japanese "Battle Royale" 2000 by Kinji Fukasaku . This "Belko experiment" turns out to be a twisted film with a number of surprises and in which violence and disturbing scenes go on enhancing more and more until the unexpected, unsettling ending . Resulting in a very violent movie with no much sense containing chills, thills, and lots of gore, guts and blood.
It packs a moving and rousing musical score by Tyler Bates, adding at the beginning a catching song, I will survive, sung by Gloria Gaynor. As well as brilliant and glimmer cinematography by Louis David Sansans. The picture was well directed by Greg McLean, though it is inferior than other films he's previously made. MacLean is a good Australian filmmaker who has shot some decent and usually succesful movies, such as Rogue, Jungle, Wolf Creek I and II, The Darkness. Greg also directed episodes of notorious TV series as Jack Iris, Bloom, Wolf Creek, The Gloaming. Rating : 6/10. Acceptable , though neither notable, nor extraordinary, but passable. The flick will appeal to violent thrillers fans.
Flamingo Road (1949)
Classic , vintage melodrama with romance, intrigue and excellent performances
This is a hard-boiled drama with an amazing , attractive cast including steamy story lines and adding interesting touches of Film Noir . It is packed with love stories , suspense , emotions , intrigue, murder, and being entertaining enough . Dealing with the thunderous lives and trials of the residents of a small location in Florida State , where the wealthy people live in huge mansions on Flamingo Road, as the luxurious houses on Flamingo Road are the town's social pinnacle , while the rest of the characters did anything blackmail , corruption , killing and anything else . There arrives a Carnival dancer Lane Bellamy (Joan Crawford) who finds herself stranded in the southern town ruled by corrupt political boss Titus Semple (Sydney Greenstreet) . Later on , Lane becomes romantically involved with deputy Fielding Carlisle (Zachary Scott) , a weakling man whose career is being driven by Titus himself and he's about to marry a rich heiress , Annabelle Weldon (Virginia Huston) . Seeing Lane as a liability to his own political ambitions , Titus eventually comes into conflict with the visiting carnival dancer and he sets up a campaign to get her driven out of town . She finds she can't get a job and even gets detained on a fake criminal charge . Released from prison jobless Lane eventually finds work as a "hostess" at Lutie-Mae's (Gladys George) Hall , where she meets Dan Reynolds (David Brian) , another member of the town's electoral machinery. "See You on Flamingo Road" . 'Mildred Pierce" Does it Again...And Everybody's Telling!.Warner Bros. Dramatic Triumph!. A wrong girl for the right side of the tracks.
Based on the novel of the same name , this 1949 film results to be a detailed soap opera concerning the peculiar lives of haves and have-nots in a sleepy Southern town . There are several plot twists , turns , intense drama and tragic events in which relationships begin and end . This one turns out to be a great soap that deserves to be renewed for its big-name-cast . It is a scandalously entertaining melodrama in which Joan Crawford portrays a carnival dancer who intrigues Scott and Brian in a small Southern town where the carnival stops , while her subsequent marriage is soon marked by scandal . Crawford shines in a character that demands her to be both sensitive and tough . Top main cast , the always great Joan Crawford , along with Zachary Scott and veteran David Brian . And special mention for Sidney Greenstreet as the corrupt small town sheriff manipulates local candidates to the state legislature . Furthermore , a strong support cast as Gladys George , Virginia Huston , Fred Clark , among others . Fine cinematography in black and white with lights and darks by cameraman Ted D. McCord , who along with Nicholas Musuraca , John Seitz , Ernest Haller and John Alton are the main artists of the classic photography that illuminates the Noir cinema . Stirring and tense score by the maestro Max Steiner fitting perfectly to intrigue and melodrama . Also shown in horrible computer colored version but it's necessary avoid it . Interestingly , Flamingo Road was first a novel by Robert Wilder, then a short-lived Broadway play , following this adaptation , 1949 Joan Crawford film , and finally the 1981-1982 NBC series set in Truro, Florida, it was a night time prime-time series (38 episodes, 1980-1982) with plenty of twists turning over the two years the show ran , though the dramatic spectacle itself ended early , and being starred by John Beck , Morgan Fairchild, Woody Brown , Howard Duff , Mark Harmon , Kevin McCarthy .
This nice film Flamingo Road (1949) was competently made by one of the best Golden Hollywood directors , Michael Curtiz , and creator of Casablanca . Curtiz was a prolific and expert filmmaker who made some masterpieces and all kinds of genres , such as adventure : Captain Blood , Adventures of Robin Hood, Charge of the light Brigade ; Western : Santa Fe Trail , Comancheros , Dodge City ; Drama : Mildred Pierce , Black Fury , Elizabeth and Essex , Jim Thorpe , Passage to Marseilles , Casablanca and Musical : Yankee Doodle , King Creole and Young man with a horn . Rating : 7/10 . Better than average , well worth seeing . The motion picture will appeal to Joan Crawford fans .
The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014)
Gory and violent story takes place in the year 2013 in the small Texas, Arkansas , border town of Texarkana
This is a late sequel (2014) to 1976 movie acted/written/directed by Charles B. Pierce that starred Ben Johnson , Andrew Prine , Dawn Wells . A suspenseful thriller with gory elements , grisly killings , twists , turns and unsettling atmosphere . B-entertainment with a fairly suspenseful and frightening story in which a disturbing serial murderer on the loose undertaking a criminal spree by means of slashing and other grisly executions . As a series of brutal slayings terrorized the small town of Texarkana, the "Moonlight Murders" once again . The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014) is set sixty-five years after in which the notorious series killer suddenly begin again : starring Addison Timlin, Anthony Anderson, Gary Cole, Edward Herrmann, Joshua Leonard ,Travis Tope , Veronica Cartwright , Ed Lauter and Denis O'Hare as director Charles B Pierce . Set October 31, 2013 , in the small town of Texarkana located on the state line of Arkansas and Texas , the local drive-in theater is hosting the Halloween annual showing of the 1976 film 'The Town That Dreaded Sundown' based on the true story of the Phantom Killer who killed several people in and around Texarkana in 1946. Corey Holland (Spencer Treat Clark) and Jami Lerner (Addison Timlin) are watching the movie in their car located at Texarkana drive-in outskirsts. Realizing that she is not enjoying it , they decide to abandon the noisy place . While parked in a secluded area , they start talking and kissing themselves , but Jami sees the Phantom Killer in the woods . They decide to flee but the Phantom breaks the window and makes them get out of the car while pointing a gun at them . He makes Corey remove his pants and lie on the ground . He tells Jami to turn around and to not look back. Then , things go wrong . As the body-count climbs and the carnage comes closer , Inspector Lone Wolf Morales (Anthony Anderson) delves deeper into the mystery , following clues that point her toward the killer's true identity . The Town That Dreaded Sundown puts Texarkana back on the map for all the wrong reasons . Not Everyone Who Comes to This Lover's Lane Has the Same Thing on Their Mind. A True Story .A True Tale of Texarkana Terror! . In 1946 this man killed five people... Today he still lurks the streets of Texarkana, Arkansas .65 years after a masked serial killer terrorized the small town of Texarkana, the so-called "moonlight murders" starts again. Is it a copycat or something even more macabre ?
It starts in documentary style with a narrator describing the post-Second World War and Seventies atmosphere , including a voice-in-off dealing with the string of murders committed long time ago , but soon gets to the horrible business of the Phantom , an ominous murderer who returns to terrorize the locals , then a beautiful high school girl may be the key to catching him . This little film is set in the small town of Texarkana located on the state line of Arkansas in which the unfortunate citizens are soon drawn into a frightening horrible realm from brutally slain by a masked serial killer , while a lonely girl and a tough inspector get some tracks to trap him . Intrigue , tension , suspense appear threatening and lurking here and there . The fact that ¨The Town That Dreaded Sundown¨ is based on actual events makes this thrilling and effective movie all the more chilling . It packs inexplicable disturbing occurrences , shocks , thrills , suspense , chills , hair-rising events , strong sexual scenes and surprising final . A sinister and unsettling flick that goes on growing more and more and developing step by step until the eerie and twisted ending .
This medium budget flick was professionally directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon , though without originality , because being a simple sequel from original film , adding more and more gore , guts, blood and sex . This artisan filmmaker has directed all kinds of genres and made his own independent films . He has made acclaimed episodes of Glee and American Horror Story , as well as numerous national commercials for the likes of T-Mobile and Chevrolet , Super Bowl . He was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Directing For a Miniseries for "American Horror Story : Coven," and making a lot of episodes of notorious TV series such as ¨Red Band Society¨, ¨Chambers¨, ¨Citizens¨, ¨Glee¨, ¨Hunters¨ ¨Margot vs. Lily¨, ¨Red Band Society¨, as well as for Outstanding Miniseries as the show's Co-Executive Producer. He also directed the pilot for Fox's "Red Band Society" which was picked up for series . And he has directed a few films such as ¨Me and Earl and the Dying Girl¨ (2015) , ¨The Current war¨ (2017) and this ¨The Town That Dreaded Sundown¨(2014) .
Jesus (1979)
The story of the most influential life in history with a dramatic and enjoyable recreation of Jesus Christ
This highly regarded but unknown epic deals with Christ life , performed by non-professional cast and shot on location in Israel at authentic biblical sites . Stripped of myth and mystery , this religious story results to be a colorful version of Jesus Christ's life with a true treatment and inspirational drama . Being spectacularly shot in 1979 and profesionally directed by John Krish and Peter Sykes with unknown cast giving larger-than-life interpretations from the Bibical roles . The engaging and historical story of Jesus of Nazareth , the man you thought you knew , being raised by a Jewish carpenter and ending with his death by crucifixion at the hands of the Roman empire and resurrection on the third day . Chronicles efficiently the attractive life and ministry of Jesus Christ from the Annunciation , Crucifixion , Resurrection , and the Ascention . Interesting retelling at the life and teachings of Christ well played by Brian Deacon , from a historical and spiritual view point . The film includes all of the major events referred to in the New Testament with descriptive Biblical passages . Based on the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament, here is the life of Jesus , the son of God , from the miraculous virgin birth to the calling of his disciples , public miracles and ministry . Being well reenacted his birth in Bethlehem and visit by three Magician Kings who , subsequently , go to the Palace of Herodes the Great . His existence in desert for 40 days tempted by Satan , there he knows he has a destiny to fulfill ; his baptism by John the Baptist ; the miracles , such as : cripples walking , the epileptic boy , blind men seeing ; the fishes and the loaves ; Lazarus' resurrection , Transfiguration of Moses and Elijah with Jesus , Simon of Cyrene's appearance ; his relationship to 12 apostles and so on . Jesus Christ's journey from Galilee to Crucifixion in Golgotha is portrayed here in thought-provoking as well as agreeable treatment . And usual scenes with the historical , Biblical characters , such as : Virgin Mary , Jose , Elizabeth , John the Baptist ,Herod Antipas , Herodias , Mary Magdalene , Bartholomew , Simon Zelotes , Pontius Pilate , Caiaphas , Apostle Peter , Judas Iscariot , Matthew , Philip , Zacchaeus ,Joseph of Arimathea, Simon of Cyrene , Nicodemus, and many others.
This is a decently made and impressive -though slow-moving- story of the life of Jesus Christ from his birth in Bethlehem to his Crucifixion and subsequent Resurrection . It is a religious and anguishing epic where the eternal questions of faith and doubt become resolved . Life of Christ is intelligently told , based on Gospel of St Luke and other source writings . Stars a serious and good-looking television actor named Brian Deacon in exactly the right role , he gives a dedicated effort at the role , his acting has power , nobility and subtlety . Being a medium-budgeted production , this breathtaking Biblical movie turns out to be filmed on a scale enough and efficiently produced by Richard Dalton and John Heyman . Including glowing and evocative cinematography with an attractive visual style , filmed on several locations in Israel . As well as enormous and majestic art design splendidly built and photographed by expert cameramen . Adding a sensitive and memorable soundtrack . The motion picture was compellingly co-directed by John Krish , Peter Sykes , and it had commercial success enough by retelling faithfully the life of Jesus Christ . This is a Richly Rewarding Entertainment Experience for the Entire Family.
Jesus life has been adapted several times , such as : ¨King of Kings¨ (released in 1927) , it is the yardstick by which all Jesus movies are to be measure , being first silent version by Cecil B. DeMille with H. B. Wagner Christ . Other pictures dealing with his divine presence are the following ones :¨King of Kings¨(1961) by Nicholas Ray with Jeffrey Hunter , Robert Ryan , Ron Randel , Hurd Hatfield , Rip Torn , Frank Thring , Carmen Sevilla ; ¨The Greatest Story Ever Told¨(1965) by George Stevens with Max Von Sidow , Michael Anderson Jr , Carroll Baker, Ina Balin, Pat Boone, Jose Ferrer , Angela Lansbury , Victor Buono, Richard Conte ; ¨Gospel according to Matthew¨ by Pier Paolo Pasolini with Enrique Irazoqui as Jesus ; ¨Jesus Christ Superstar¨(1977) by Norman Jewison with Ted Neeley and Carl Anderson ; ¨Jesus de Nazareth¨(1977) by Franco Zeffirelli with Robert Powell , Olivia Hussey , James Mason , Laurence Olivier , Anne Brancfort , Fernando Rey ; ¨Last temptation of Christ¨ by Martin Scorsese with Willem Dafoe , David Bowie , Harvey Keitel , Ian Holm , Harry Dean Staton ; and ¨The Passion of the Christ¨ (2004) by Mel Gibson with James Cazievel , Maia Morgenstern and Monica Belucci .
Dracula (1958)
Above average Horror movie considered to be first and best in the Dracula series
This ¨Horror of Dracula¨ by Terence Fisher is the first part of Dracula series , the second is ¨Dracula , prince of darkness¨ by Fisher himself , the third , ¨Brides of Dracula¨ by Fisher and being followed by ¨Taste blood of Dracula¨ by Peter Sasdy , ¨Dracula has risen from the grave¨ by Freddie Francis , continuing with two low budgeted , TV sequels , directed by Alan Gibson : ¨The satanic rites of Dracula¨ and ¨Dracula A. D. 72¨ , most of them starred by the great Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing . In this first Hammer Dracula movie the infamous vampire is given a new , elegant and cruel persona , as it begins with Jonathan Harker arrives in count Dracula's castle after accepting a job under false pretenses . Later on , things go wrong , forcing Dr. Van Helsing : Peter Cushing and Arthur Holmwood : Michael Gough to hunt the predatory villain when he targets Harker's loved ones , Mina Holmwood : Melissa Stribling and Lucy Holmwood : Carol Marsh . As the ruthless Dracula battles Professor Van Helsing after coming to England . Don't Dare See It...Alone! Important Note!! Don't Confuse This Picture With the Other Dracula Movies! This is the Newest and Bert One and the Only One in Technicolor ! ...now she's one of the dead-alive brides of Dracula! . Every night he rises from his coffin-bed silently to seek the soft flesh, the warm blood he needs to keep himself alive! Frankenstein spills it..! Dracula drinks it! In the screen's greatest double creature feature! And A double dose of full Color and thrills with "The Curse of Frankenstein" , Christopher Lee's fang-tastic, first ever performance as the Lord of the Undead . The chill of the tomb won't leave your blood for hours... after you come face-to-face with Dracula! The terrifying lover who died - yet lived! . Who Will Be His Bride Tonight?
A sensational and classical terror movie with plenty of chills , thrills , shocks and showing horrifying and creepy scenes that will have you on the edge of the seat . This ¨Terence Fisher's Horror of Dracula¨ is an exciting and stylish reworking of Bram Stoker's macabre story of a bloodthirsty vampire on the prowl from Transylvania to London and back again. Possibly the finest , most inspired rendition of Bram Stoker's sinister chesnut and one that single-handedly revived the horror genre . Genuinely scary movie with a hell of an ending , as well ; in which takes place an impressive and breathtaking confrontation between Van Helsing and Dracula . This is the one that launched Hammer Films' popular Dracula series , featuring Christopher Lee in the first and best of his many appearances as the Count and Peter Cushing as his arch-enemy Van Helsing . Christopher Lee will follow playing Dracula role in Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970) by Peter Sasdy , Scars of Dracula (1970) by Roy Ward Baker , Count Dracula (1970) by Jess Frank , Dracula A. D. 1972 by Alan Bridges and a comedy titled Dracula and son (1976) by Édouard Molinaro . Due to Christopher Lee becoming increasingly reluctant to reprise the role and the producers not expecting to be able to convince him to play so , being at times played by other actors .
Horror of Dracula 1958 contains an interesting and twisted screenplay by Jimmy Sangster . Here stands out the colorful and gaudy cinematography by Jack Asher , being really excellent , as well as rousing and thrilling musical score by James Bernard . Being shot in the famous Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England. The motion picture was competently directed by Terence Fisher . Rating : 8/10 , better than average . Essential and indispensable watching for Horror enthusiasts . The flick will appeal to Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing fans.
La mansión de los Cthulhu (1992)
Very mediocre horror movie regularly directed by Juán Piquer with chills , scary scenes and supernatural events
Below average juvenile horror that claims to be based on H. P. Lovecrft stories. La mansión de los Cthulhu (1992) deals with group of drug dealing petty criminals (Luis Fernando Alvés , Brad Fisher , Melanie Shatner , Kaethe Cherney) fleeing from the cops and along the way they kidnap an aging magician (Frank Finlay) harboring an amazing occult secret and his daughter (Marcia Layton) . As they are taken as hostages in their isolated mansion by some villain scumbags . The oldest-looking juvenile delinquents you've ever seen release evil spirits when they take over the magician's state . When the captors refuse to listen to the magician's horrible warning to release him unharmed , the mansion slowly releases its nightmare of horrors on the unsuspecting invaders. Beyond evil . Beyond Terror. Beyond the gates of Hell. The final resting place. The evil is free.
This is a humdrum adaptation with abominable dialogue , being inspired by H. P. Lovecraft stories from a screenplay and lousy filmmaking by the Spanish craftsman Juan Piquer Simón . As the plot lifts some scenes from other films , concerning a gang who abducts a magician and his daughter , taking as hostages at their home ; but once the delinquents reach the mansion , all hell breaks loose , being shown with no very special effects and that's a load of dung . The script by Juán Piquer himself contains restless terror and great loads of gore , blood and usual poltergeists phenomenon caused by the usual ghastly shenanigans that result to be weird creature appearances , cracking objects throwing fire , furniture flying , a number of knifes slashing a person , wall ooze , plants manifest as attackers , doors suddenly slamming and anything else . It is produced in medium/short budget by José Gutiérrez Maesso who long time ago wrote and produced a number of Spaghetti Westerns . The FX and make-up experts : Basilio Cortijo , Emilio Ruiz del Rio and Colin Arthur recreated the eerie story with low-grade and traditional special effects that are frightening and horrifying to spectator . It's actually halfway-low terror movie that achieved little success at the box office , though it will appeal to hardcore horror aficionados , that's why it packs absurd situations and cheesy but amusing frames . Although critics do not appreciate much this picture ; however has a kind of loopy , Ed Wood quality that must be endured to be totally considered . The fable is sometimes silly and laughable , though a few naif effects and action are professionally made . Some illogical parts in plot are more than compensated for the excitement provided by the horrifing scenes .
The motion picture was middlingly directed by Juan Piquer Simón . Juan , who goes by "J. P. Simon" on foreign releases , began in films as a writer and assistant director and continued his career by making short films and documentaries . Juan produced and directed "exploitation" pictures for two decades running . He often used numerous "older technique" FX such as transparency , matte paintings , rubber-suited enemies , reverse-footage to create certain images ; all of them were made by Emilio Ruiz Del Rio , Francisco Prosper , Colin Arthur and Juan Piquer himself . He was one of the main directors of the Spanish horror boom in the 70s and 80s specially for his quartet of horror films as ¨Escalofrio¨, ¨Slugs¨ , ¨Supersonic Man¨. ¨Cthulhu Mansion¨ and his greatest success and immensely popular ¨Pieces¨ , all of them being recreated by means of traditional effects . Juan owned his own studio and created and/or designed many of the simple and primitive special effects sequences you see in any of his many imaginative undertakings . Piquer , who passed away at 2011 , was a good artisan who realized a lot of fun as well as entertaining films . Juan Piquer who was director of the Mostra of Valencia (Spain) , displayed along professional career and specialized on all kind of genres as Terror , Sci-fi (The rift , The new Extraterrestres, Supersonic man) and made some adaptations about Jules Verne novels ("Fabulous Journey to the Center of the Earth" , "Mystery on Monster Island") . While his films have been universally panned by the prestigious reviewer s, they have a kind of quality that must be endured to be utterly appreciated . Rating : 4.5/10.
The Quick and the Dead (1987)
Notable TV Western with Sam Elliott's nice acting as a mysterious stranger who helps a family to start a new life
Thrilling Western in traditional style in which a mysterious stranger joins a colonist family arriving in the West . An attractive and agreeable Western with good performance by the protagonist trio : Sam Elliott , Kate Capshaw , Tom Conti . It deals with a good-natured marriage formed by Duncan McKaskel (Tom Conti) , an ex-Union soldier , and his wife , Susanna (Kate Capshaw ), they're a young married couple who, along with their child , Tom (Kenny Morrison), are travelling to the West hoping to begin a new life , arriving in a small village . They meet Doc Shabitt (Matt Clark) and ask for directions . Doc politely suggests a place for them to stay , but then the latter managing to snatch away two of their horses . Later on , the family meets a rare cowboy , Con Vallian (Sam Elliott) , who help them . Along the way , they manage to escape from the ruthless gang , while Vallian outriding and escorting them . As the outlaw band sets after them , as Doc leads his men in pursuit of a restless vendetta , while Vallian protects them from Shabitt's gang .
This fine Western contains thrills , romance , adequate action set-pieces, chases , go riding , and taking place impressive quick-draws . This special Western picture with breathtaking duels concerns a good family pits nasty bandits resulting in a deadly gun-battle and it turns out to be an enjoyable as well as hyperbolic homage to the traditional style Western. This ¨The Quick and the Dead¨ (1987) contains strong performances augmented by blazing guns , hobbled by an uneven writing . Nevertheless, it doesn't have much interest at times , neither intensity enough , though Sam Elliott captures his role pretty well as a stranger riding into a homesteading family's life when they are attacked by a violent band . Robert Day's slick direction , awesome interpretation and interesting story from Louis L'Amour's novel as well as James Lee Barrett's script enhance interest in this television Western . Standing out the great Sam Elliott as the merciless Mestizo who tries to help them by finding a new home , while he seeks justice and vengeance and along the way enjoying a little love relationship with Kate Capshaw - Spielberg's wife - who has never been so charming and glamorous . Star Sam Elliott is a detached figure in Western genre , being one of its main representatives , performing a lot of them in the Seventies , Eighties and Nineties , as cinema as TV , such as : ¨Cactus¨ , ¨Houston The Legend of Texas¨ , ¨Yellow Rose¨ , ¨The Quick and the Dead¨ , ¨Gettysburg¨ , ¨Hi-Lo County¨ , ¨You Know My Name¨ , ¨Buffalo Girls¨ , ¨Indians¨, ¨Wild Times¨ , ¨The Shadow Riders¨, ¨The Desperate Trail¨ and several others . While Tom Conti is cool as the brave husband , a war veteran , who decides to no longer take any humiliation or battery . Adding other notorious secondaries as Matt Clark and Patrick Kilpatrick.
There's a magnificently atmospheric cinematography , heightened by professional cameraman Dick Bush providing vivid photography from Flagstaff, Arizona, Happy Jack, Kibab National Forest , Oak Creek Canyon, Arizona,Strawberry , Pine, Arizona, Bell Rock, Sedona, Red Rock Crossing, Sedona, Courthouse Butte, Sedona, Schnebly Hill, Boynton Canyon, Sedona, Arizona, among others . Including an evocative and moving musical score by Steve Dorff . This literate Western was competently directed by Robert Day . This British director was a good artisan who made all kinds of genres as adventures , thriller , terror , such as : "The Big Game" , " Corridors of Blood" , " Click and the dead" , "Initiation of Sarah" , "Man with Bogart's Face" , " Grass is always Greener over the Septic Tank", "She" , "The Way Stretch" . Furthermore , he made a number of TV series episodes from Dallas , Disleyland , The Sixth Sense , Ghost story , Sam Cade , Matt Lincoln , The Bold ones , Ironside , FBI , The Invaders , The avengers , among others . Rating : 6.5/10 . Well worth watching . The flick will appeal to Sam Elliott fans .
Spy Game (2001)
Moving espionage thriller from Tony Scott with suspense , thrills , intriguing events and great performance
Nail-biting and exciting movie about terrorism , spies and geopolitical issues . The film deals with a spy chief called Nathan Muir (Robert Redford) who's on the verge of retirement from the Central Intelligence Agency. Then the veteran spy learns that his one-time protege Tom Bishop (Brad Pitt) , a CIA operative serving in various countries , has been incarcerated. Tom has gone rogue and been taken prisoner after attempting to smuggle a prisoner out of China . Although Muir and Bishop had once been close friends , sharing long periods of thrilling adventures from Vietnam , Berlin , to Beirut where Muir schemed a plot to chase a mastermind terrorist . As in Lebanon , both of whom formed a solid and shaky alliance to break the terrorist ring which previous bombed US military targets with a lot of casualties . Things go wrong when Bishop falls in love with an aid-worker (Catherine McCormack) . As his memories of their friendship come flooding back , Muir sets about managing the rescue of his old friend from a Communist prison . Meanwhile , the super-powerful CIA uses technological-gizmo-surveillance satellites and modern surveillance systems for people spying and hound terrorists relentlessly . It's not how you play the game ... It's how the Game Plays you. It's not how you play the game. It's how the game plays you. "Poor is the pupil who does not surpass his teacher" . In the end, only friendship matters!
Story's core is interesting and script is dense with information and drama . The ultra-brisk editing and rapid scenes movement leaves little time to consider some inadequacies . Regarding a peculiar relationship between two top-of-the-range spies whose long knowledge has developed bad blood and resentment between them , in spite of the two men haven't seen each other in years . Here Brad Pitt is reunited as a co-star with his A River Runs Through It (1992) director Robert Redford for this espionage thriller from Tony Scott , and both of them giving awesome interpretations . Engaging and twisted thriller concerning the spy-world on Middle East , China and other countries . Robert Redford and Brad Pitt sustain interest enough in this tale of friendship , betrayal , sacrifice and terrorism . Brad Pitt is good as tough super-spy as well as sniper operative and Robert Redford 's cool displaying an enjoyable performance as the elderly and regretted CIA agent . The use of geopolitical messages to add weight to a romantic subplot between the spy and the beautiful nurse , well played by Catherine McCormack , though feels a little forced , at times. They are well accompanied by a good cast , such as : Stephen Dillane , Larry Bryggman , Marianne Jean-Baptiste , Shane Rimmer, David Hemmings, Benedict Wong , Ken Leung , Matthew Marsh , Michael Paul Chan , among others .
The film packs adequate , evocative cinematography by Dan Mindel and rousing musical score by Harry Gregson-Williams . The motion picture was well realized by Tony Scott . He was a good filmmaker whose works received some great reviews , his first big hit happened when was asked by producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer to direct Top Gun (1986) starring Tom Cruise . He would work again with Cruise on another high adrenaline film Days of thunder (1990) , which proved less successful . He followed the success of Top Gun with the sequel Beverly Hill cop II (1987) with Eddie Murphy , which was well received . In 1993, he directed the cult movie True Romance (1993) , which was written by emerging director Quentin Tarantino but Scott had a lot of control over the film . While Unstoppable (2010) was Tony Scott and Denzel Washington's fifth and final film collaboration. The others were Red tide (1995) , Man on fire (2004) , Déjà vu (2006) , and Pelham 123 (2009) all of them got big successes . Spy Game(2001) rating : 7/10 . Well worth watching . Above average . The picture will appeal to Robert Redford and Brad Pitt fans .
De tripas corazón (1985)
Mediocre dramedy produced by Fernando Trueba about a special relationship between a quinqui and an advert cover girl
An adolescent (el Pirri) delinquent carries out a criminal life , full of hold-ups , chases and bags robbing . But then he falls for the model girlfriend (Patricia Adriani) of his lawyer (Juan Diego) . Along the way , the beautiful model is transported on the back of his stolen bike and they spend time at an attraction park and go to the cinema watching a boring French movie.
This is a peculiar comedy in which a ¨Quinqui¨ is in love with a gorgeous advert model , while her jealous and separated boyfriend attempts to break this unusual relationship . Although , this is a comedy , there's also the typical muggings , assaults , jewelry robbings and sensationalism that undermine verisimilitude , including an unbeliable love story ; eventually at the end of the movie some dramatic elements are added . It's more a comedy than a drama/triller , including some ingenuousness and comical moments ; in fact it was produced by Fernando Trueba , at the time an expert on ¨Madrileña comedy¨ . Stars José Luis Fernández 'Pirri' as El Chirlo , he gives a natural , spontaneous but annoying acting as a rogue delinquent , in fact he was a real druggie who died at 23 of overdoses , formerly he played similar roles as a secondary in various films , such as : The Hit (1984) , Policía (1987) , Maravillas (1981) , Caso cerrado , Colegas , Navajeros , La reina del mate , El pico 2 , La Estanquera de Vallecas . While the professional actors are pretty well , such as the always beautiful Patricia Adriani , the veteran Juan Diego and fine support cast with some familar faces , such as : Alicia Sánchez of Furtivos , Sancho Gracia of Curro Jimenez , Javier Loyola and cameo by the indispensable Óscar Ladoire of Trueba's Opera Prima .
¨De tripas corazon¨ is one of several movies dealing with youngster delinquency in Spain during the 70s and early 80s in which depicting peculiar looks at youthful delinquency and usually starred by true delinquents : Ángel Fernández Franco , Torete in ¨Los Ultimos Golpes del Torete¨ and El Vaquilla , recounting their nasty feats as bags robbing , heists , assaults , rape , car pursuits with crashes and successive escapades from Reformatories and State Penitentiaries . Being the main representations of this sub-genre realized by Jose Antonio De La Loma as Perros Callejeros I and II¨, along with ¨Navajeros , "Colegas", "El Pico 1¨ , 2" , ¨La Estanquera De Vallecas¨ directed by Eloy De La Iglesia . Furthermore , ¨La Patria del Rata¨by Francisco Lara Polop and especially ¨Deprisa , Deprisa¨ by Carlos Saura , among others . These films were notorious in the years of the Spanish transition to democracy including provoking and polemic issues and played by unknown young people and real thieves who embarked on armed robberies to raise the money that they need to their existence . Their style was pretty much urban and realistic as well in the atmosphere as in the fresh dialog and attempted to take a position in favor of outcast people . These young offenders had a very moving childhood filled with crimes and misdemeanors , and a dangerous adolescence along with dangerous youth . Drugs , delinquency , exclusion , unemployment , disagreeable events , including nudism , violent scenes and generational problems are ordinary elements in these films and specially dedicated to the underworld of heroin and a very realistic look at drug addiction . Passing of time hasn't had mercy with most of those movies , but they represented a time and a way of life in the history of Spain ; and now they may seem a little bit naive . Some of them had great look at young life and friendship in the margined side let the story flow efficiently and being realized in realistic style but sometimes lacks credibility . We see their troubles growing in such streets , slums or "barrio" from big cities as Madrid and Barcelona and outskirts and other coastal places with some fine locations . While directors described lousily their lives by showing the ugliness of those "barrios" , toughness and cold existence . These filmmakers chose young and natural actors as Jose Luis Fernandez ¨Pirri¨, Angel Fernandez Franco , El Torete who played their parts to the hilt , unafraid of filmmaker's unsympathetic camera and the particularity of the characters . Unfortunately , most of them died early due to overdoses , AID , shots by Police or reckoning among delinquents .
Passable photography with juicy atmosphere by Juan Amorós , shot in Madrid , but it turns to be too much murky in some video print , being necessary a perfect remastering . The motion picture was regularly directed by Julio Sánchez Valdés . Craftsman Julio is a director and writer, known for ¨La fuente de la edad¨ (1991) , ¨De tripas corazón¨ (1985) and his best film : ¨Luna de Lobos¨ (1985) about the rebel Maquis in the Spanish Civil War , while ¨XXL¨ resulted to be his worst movie . He usually directs episodes in known TV series , such as ¨Querido Maestro¨ , ¨Petra Delicado¨, ¨Robles Investigador¨, ¨Ay Señor, Señor ¨, among others . Rating : 5/10 . Average .
Il plenilunio delle vergini (1973)
Bloody B-movie with violence , terror , horrifying atmosphere and gory scenes
This is a passable entry on Dracula series that results a be a good fun but only for enthusiasts of the genre . An extreme exploitation movie with sensationalist scenes , erotic piezes , nudism , primitive as well as botcher special effects , bood and gore . Horror film about the eerie activities of a sinister contessa , Dolingen de Vries : Lady Dracula , who uses a magic ring to lure beautiful girls to her castle , where she murders them so she can bathe in their blood . It is set circa 1800s , the intelligent scholar Karl Schiller (Mark Damon) believes he's found the ring of the Nibelungen , which holds great power , and that's why he wants to go to Romania . Karl's impulsive twin brother Franz (Mark Damon himself) reminds him that Transylvania is the land of vampires , but Karl laughs off such silly ideas . Then , Franz takes the Egyptian amulet which may protect him and sets out ahead of his brother , as he goes to Castle Dracula in the Carpathian mountains and arriving at the castle first . There he meets a maid (Esmeralda Barrios) and after the gorgeous contessa Dolingen de Vries (Rosalba Neri) who invites him to diner . Later on , things go wrong as Karl arrives in the tenebrous castle . Coincidently , it's the Night of the Virgin Moon, a night that falls every fifty years and draws five virgins from the surrounding village to the castle not be heard from again . The creepy aristocrat countess subsequently bathes in the blood of the virgins to preserve her power and eternal life . Exorcism ! The one last hope for the possessed...But this time the Devil wins ! Satan is Coming! .Not even 'Exorcist' could prepare you for this! .Dark desires unleash the legions of Lucifer!
Eerie terror movie from Italy delivering emotion enough , it contains stiff acting , thrills , chills , intrigue , nudism and grisly killing s. The movie is decent -shoddy sets apart- and still mysterious and acceptable thanks to emphasis on decay and corruption , as well as bloodsucking and vampirism . Mark Damon provides a passable acting in a double role , both as Karl who thinks he may have located Wagner's Ring of Nibelungen and as his adventurous gambler brother Franz . While Rosalba Neri gives a powerful and fierce portrayal , she pulls it all together with her splendid interpretation of a bitter woman's determination to hang on the immortality by taking the virgin's blood to give her beauty and eternity . Sarah Bay or Rosalba Neri was a star of the ¨Bis Cinema¨ of the Sixties and Seventies , including B-titles as ¨The Arena¨ , ¨Devil's wedding night¨, ¨Amuck ¡¨ ,¨Slaughter Hotel¨ , ¨The seducers¨, ¨The castle of Fumanchu¨, ¨Conquest of Mycene¨ and ¨Lady Frankenstein¨ . Here Sarah Bay/Rosalba Neri as Countess Dracula takes the helm of this terrifying movie , adding a lot of nude and erotic scenes . This flick about a vampire woman is more a Sheridan Le Fanu's Elisabeth Bathory story than a Bram Stoker's Dracula film. In fact , Elizabeth Bathory tale , -the countess who used to bathe in the blood of slain virgins- has been adapted sometimes as ¨Legend of Blood castle¨ 1973 by Jorge Grau with Lucia Bose, Ewa Aulin , Espartaco Santoni and ¨Walerian Borozyk's Immoral tales¨ with Paloma Picasso as countess Barthory and Countess Dracula (1976) by Peter Sasdy with Ingrid Pitt , Nigel Green, Lesley Anne Down and this¨Devil's wedding night¨ with Rosalba Neri.
It contains a splendid and atmospheric musical score by Vasili Kojucharov . As well as Joe D'Amato or Aristide Massaccesi 's rich cinematography full of color and with varying shades of red. The motion picture was uneven but professionally directed by Luigi Batzella with some flaws and gaps , as it has some scenes that result to be of variable quality . Luigi was a polifacetic person as he worked as a secondary actor , editor , writer and eventually as a director , being an average craftsman who directed a few films with penchant for Italian sub-genres as terror , Spaghetti Western , Giallo , Sexploitation , Naziexploitation, Nunexploitation, and Maccaroni Combat , such as : Nuda per Satana (1974) , Paid in Blood , La colt era il suo Dio , Secret Confessions in a Cloistered Convent , Achtung! The Desert Tigers , La bestia in calore , Kaput Lager - Gli ultimi giorni delle SS, among others . Rating : Acceptable and passable terror movie that will appeal to Rosalba Neri enthusiasts.
La hija (2021)
An exciting film with emotion , tension, intense drama , thriller and awesome interpretations from the whole cast .
This intriguing and suspenseful film contains tense scenes , thrills , chills , drama , mystery , adding some disturbing , shocking frames and anything else . Concerning a pregnant teenager called Irene comes to a tense agreement with the marriage , Javier and Adela , sheltering her . As Javier Gutiérrez plays a youthful educator from a center for teens who takes Irene - finely performed by the debutant Irene Virgüez - into his own home , as she's a fourteen-year-old pregnant teenager whom Javier along with his wife Patricia López Arnaiz will take over , violating the law , in order to help her with the future baby . But then things go wrong.
Interesting and thoughtful movie concerning an unhappy couple who takes a pregnant adolescent about to be born her baby , and from where a game of lies and false culprits will be slowly built , as the baby's birth takes place , a violent outbreak of passions and revenge will happen . La Hija or The Daughter rests on the ability of its audience to connect with this premise , having a sui-generis Roman Polanski inspiration in the use of spaces and violence - physical and structural - in which the peculiar roles are three modifiable and bizarre characters that act guided by motivations that are not always understandable , but , at least, identifiable . The tension that Martín Cuenca builds is developed little by little , and it comes to a constant foreground , so the unsettling moments of brooding and thought-provoking drama seem to divide the film into two distinct sections ; on the one hand , the hard relation among the starring trio that tenses step by step , on the other hand , the best part being the splendid final in which the thorny conflic outbursts . Needless to say , it is worth highlighting above all , the very solvent interpretive work of his main trio , the aforementioned Javier Gutiérrez and Patricia López Arnaiz and the beginner Irene Virgüez . Based on an attractive story by Félix Vidal , being well adapted by Martín Cuenca himself , as he has success enough in shooting the sustained tension , though with a fundamental rigidity in the forms , it is due to his particular talent to use the spaces in and out of house , all of them in favor of the engaging story and turn them into an active part of the set . The Daughter may be a truly rewarding movie once within its precepts , resulting in a widely enjoyed picture that displays a formidable and effective oppressive aesthetic and besides , being delightfully ambiguous . Furthermore , this agreeable flick showing a sour denounce about adoption mechanisms , adolescent pregnancy , social services , as well as human badness , abuses , egoism and a difficult election for life . Here stands out the trio of fabulous protagonists giving terrific interpretations such as Javier Gutiérrez , Patricia López Arnaiz and the newcomer Irene Virgüez who makes a portentous debut . Adding an acceptable remaining support cast such as : Juan Carlos Villanueva , María Morales and Sofian El Benaissati .
It packs a colorful and brilliant cinematography by Marc Gómez del Mora , providing an adequate staging and camera management , showing gorgeous landacapes , sierras and mountains from Jaén countryside .As well as evocative and thtilling musical score , including Vetusta Morla who performs Reina de las trincheras . The motion picture was originally written and competently directed by Manuel Martin Cuenca , including a nice camera work with a lot of aerial sights , though it turns out to be slow moving and a bit boring , at times . It won various nominations such as Feroz Awards, ES 2022 Nominee Feroz Award Best Original Score Vetusta Morla ; Goya Awards 2022 Nominee Goya Best Director Manuel Martín Cuenca , Best Lead Actor , Javier Gutiérrez and Tokyo International Film Festival 2021 Nominee Tokyo Grand Prix Best Film . Director Manuel Martin Cuenca has established himself as one of Spain's most artistically astute directors , his works consist in thoughtful stories , evolving in skillness and style . Martin Cuenca was born in 1965 Almeria , Andalucia , region where he usually shoots his films . He is a good writer and director, especially known for El autor (2017) , El Canibal (2013) , La mitad de Oscar (2010) , La flaqueza del Bolchevique (2003) , Malas Temporadas (2005) , 4 puntos cardinales (2002) and for TV : El Tesoro and 14 Abril La Republica . Being his best one : Cannibal or Canibal (2013) . Rating : 7/10 . Worthwhile watching. The picture will appeal to Spanish cinema fans and thriller buffs .
Roma a mano armata (1976)
Nail-biting thriller in which Inspector Tenzi/Mauricio Merli attempts to bring Rome's most powerful crime lord to justice
Effective installment in ¨Inspector Tanzi¨ series and followed by various sequels still gripping and moving . A twofisted , rule-bending Inspector called Tanzi (Maurizio Merli) chases mobsters (Luciano Pigozzi as Moretto , Luciano Catenacci as Gerace) and a maniacal , trigger-happy hunchback (Tomas Milian) , an one-handed bank robber and other hoodlums in an effort to catch them at whatever cost , as he'll stop at nothing to get it . As iconoclast , tough cop Tanzi tries to detain the vicious killer and other cronies who are robbing a bank , he takes on criminals determined to bring them to justice , even if he has to break some rules . Tanzi pursues the revenge-obsessed series killer and encounters he has more problems with him than he expected . The psychotic murderer is detained but is freed on legal technicalities and Tanzi takes the law into his own hands . Rule-breaking Tanzi strides grimly throughout Rome in pursuit the murderous , including an exciting final on an ambulance . Whatever your reservations about Tanzi's expeditious methods we know he'll always vanquish , shooting in cold blood with his pistol . Inspector Tanzi makes Dirty Harry look like Mr. Clean! .He lives by the law - Tanzi's Law .Vigilante enforcers - lurking in the dark... waiting to kill!
Formula thriller with plenty of action , crisply edition , tension, intrigue , suspenseful and lots of violence in exploitation style . Compellingly directed by Umberto Lenzi , after directing his Cannibal movies , in the late 1970s , Lenzi turned to the police thrillers or polizieschi , which rejuvenated his confidence and his popularity . Titles like Milano odia: la polizia non può sparare (1974), Free Hand For a Tough Cop (1976) , Brothers Till We Die (1978) , From Corleone to Brooklyn (1979) were the most popular and brutal of his thrillers . Fine main and support cast giving acceptable , tough exaggerated interpretations . Maurizio Merli's nice performance as two-fisted Inspector Tenzi , the tall and taciturn inspector who utilizing his Magnum 44 pistol kills baddies , acting as a judge , jury and executioner , and , along the way , he tells some original phrases . It packs intrigue , violence, action-filled and being a really effective film . It turns out to be interesting and plenty of vivid action , suspense and thriller . Good secondary cast gives cool performance as the American Arthur Kennedy playing Vice-Commissioner Ruini , Giampiero Albertini as Inspector Francesco Caputo and the gorgeous Maria Rosaria Omaggio as Tenzi's girlfriend . And others secondaries usual in B Italian genres as Ivan Rassimov , Luciano Catenacci , Stefano Patrizi , Tom Felleghy , Carlo Gaddi and Luciano Pigozzi nicknamed the Italian Peter Lorre .
Special mention for the stinging , stabbing musical score by Franco Micalizzi . As well as atmospheric and adequate cinematography by Federico Zanni , shot completely in Rome , Italy . The motion picture was competently directed by Umberto Lenzi , adding an interesting script by Dardano Sacchetti , Lenzi's regular. Umberto was an Italian craftsman who directed all kind of genres , such as Wartime: Bridge to hell, The biggest battle , Tempi di guerra , Wild team , The damned brigade , From hell to victory , Desert commando , The damned brigade . Poliziesco : Roma a mano armade , Napoli Violenta , Manhunt in the city , From Corleone to Brooklyn , The executioner , Brothers till we die . Eurospy : Superseven chiama Cairo, 008 operation exterminate, Kriminal. Terror and Cannibal fims : Sacrifice! Cannibal Feroz, Comidos vivos, House of witchcraft, Hell's gate , Invasion of Atomic Zombies . Giallo : Wide-eyed on the dark, Orgasmo, Spasmo, Paranoia. Spaguetti Westerns : Tutto per tutto, Pistol for a hundred coffins . Adventures : Invincible masked rider, Catalina of Russia, Triumph of Robin Hood, Temple of the white elephant , Adventures Mary Read , Sandokan, Pirates of Malasya , Zorro versus Maciste , among others . Rating : 6.5/10 . This formula thriller will appeal to Inspector Tenzi/Mauricio Merli series enthusiasts , because of the unstopped action , tension , exciting edition , chills abound in this original entry . Well worth seeing for Maurizio Merli fans and it's an enjoyable companion for the action genre followers . An entertaining and amusing film , mounted for its maximum impact and with several scenes that'll have you on the edge of your seat .
Os fenómenos (2014)
A downbeat and sad picture about unfortunate people with magnificent interpretations
A bitter and depressing worldwide contemporary story , with excellent acting . A woman named Neneta (Lola Dueñas) lives since three years ago in a van nearly the Almerian coast and suddenly her husband , Lobo (Luis Tosar) , leaves her . As she attempts rebuild her life in the local region , Galicia , there she finds a job as a construction worker , after her hubby abandoned her , but she's isolated by her work colleagues , but shorly after she makes friends . Along the way , Neneta has a love affair with a new suitor (Juán Carlos Vellido) . The story of people who worked in the building sector but are now unemployed.
Engaging but bleak picture concerning disgraced lives , exclusion , family separation , poorness , love stories and anything else . The characters live in deep loneliness that attempt to avoid by means of love , friendship and strange unions , as problems are too big to be alone . This ¨Os fenómenos¨ (2014) bears a certain resemblance to ¨Los Lunes al sol¨or ¨Mondays in the sun¨ (2002) by Fernando León de Aranoa that starred Javier Bardem and Luis Tosar himself . ¨Os Fenomenos¨ is one of several movies dealing with Spanish economical crisis and its particularities such as : jobless , social maladjustment , non-payment of mortgages , eviction , isolation and delinquency , all of them interwoven with problematic family relationships . It's a grim and disgusting reality to see that this is what these people's lives result worthwhile , but failing due to abandonment, crisis and the inability to cope with reality and being the best moments of the entire film the charming relations which Neneta establishes with others friendly workers . However, despite this powerful message , Os Fenomenos runs too long and is too plodding to sustain its weight , which is heavy . The film , well directed by Alfonso Zarauza , shows not a ray of hope for these labourers who spend their days working hardly . Any people of this construction sector, including friends and mates , losing their jobs and many of them changing their professions with the world crisis in this building sector . This type of situation equally happened in many other economical sectors , and Spain has an elevated unemployment rate . Feeling very sorrow for those who lost their jobs , and the large number of street vendors , scroungers and abandoned slums , associated to unemployment and very low wages , reflect this critical situation . The universe of Neneta and his friends may be extended too to many other countries and sectors of the economy , therefore it is very easy to sympathize and understand the drama of these unhappy roles . It is a little flawed by its own Neo-Realist approach to a subject such as unemployment , but denies its roles the possibility of coming through by making them escapist slobs .
It is worth a seeing , for the brilliant performance by the main cast , such as Lola Dueñas along with Luis Tosar and Juan Carlos Vellido and remaining support cast as Ledicia Sola , Antonio Durán 'Morris' , Miguel de Lira , Xosé Touriñán , Federico Rey are pretty well , but they could not match up to their on screen presence , though they did not have much dialogue either . Professionally directed by Alfonso Zarauza (Ons , Encallados , La noche que dejó de llover , O Nordes , Malencolía) . And it won various nominations and awards , such as : Mestre Mateo Awards 2015 Winner Best Supporting Actress Ledicia Sola ; Nominee Mestre Mateo Best Supporting Actor Xosé A. Touriñán ; Málaga Spanish Film Festival 2014 Nominee Golden Biznaga Best Film : Alfonso Zarauza. Rating : 6.5/10. Acceptable and passable. A decent picture for tasting the enjoyable interpretations from Lola Dueñas , Luis Tosar , Juán Carlos Vellido , among others.
Labios rojos (1960)
Crime comedy with charming roles and full of references to famous predecessors of film noir.
¨Red Lips¨, the second feature by Jesús Franco on his remarkable overall scope of his career and like his debut : "We're 18 Years Old", being starred by two gorgeous girls ; albeit on a less expansive scale , a film that exemplarily condenses what he should emerge time after and again in new and differently conceived forms on various cinematic genres . Dealing with two beautiful young women who play to be vigilantes by handing over criminals to the police , much to the chagrin of Commissioner Fernández (Manolo Morán) . As two girl detectives (Isana Medel, Ana Castor) known as "Labios Rojos" ("Red Lips") outwit both criminals and a botcher police inspector (Manolo Moran). When asked by a sponsor to retrieve a stolen diamond from Radeck (Félix Dafauce) , the two women fall into what seems to be a set-up and are charged with murder . It will be necessary to unfold their treasures of enchantment to exonerate themselves . This Red-lips like a secret organization , it's lush , comical even, being more representative as an amusing and entertaining team than as a superhero band .
Labios rojos(1960) belongs to Franco's early work, which is generally perceived as more accessible and more dignified in its staging , before the huge turning point called "Necronomicon - Dreams Sins" (1968) , which catalyzed the increasing elimination of genetic structures and more traditional modes of pacing in an unprecedented way , there's already a structural alienation formed by the idiosyncratic vertex of exalted images and a tone that Franco would be especially interested in the early 1970s , before his work would begin gradually to become more or less accessible again . The cinematographic settings and the black/white design of the images provide an adequate Noir style thanks to the essential collaboration with the cameramen Emilio Foriscot and Juan Mariné , but above all this typical enviroment , which immediately would transform into an avant-garde artificial and architectural exuberance, the obsession with excessive angles , spatial influences and distortions, which are appreciated in cameraman Rául Artigot to develop in "Miss Death" and other subsequent movies . The creation of a series of peculiar films about the detective duo of the same name , ¨Red Lips¨ , still leaves literally little room for our heroines and their fight against villainous machinations . This detective duo "Rote Lips" to be followed , being known for fans of the genre at least from Franco's "Rote Lips, Sadisterotica" (BRD / Spain 1968) and "Kiss me, Monster" (BRD / Spain 1969) , where they were interpreted by Janine Reynaud and Rosanna Yanni . And other lesser-known adaptations went on . Here in "Red Lips" Ana Castor is the blonde Lola who has a soft penchant for handsome gangsters . She is portrayed less stupid than later Rosanna Yanni in a similar role , in fact the two detectives seem more equal to each other than the Reynaud / Yanni duo . The second member of the group is Isana Medel as Mari in "Red Lips", and in a way her interpretation is very sweet and agreeable. The red-lip duo in "Red Lips" seems more playful than in later films , money seems to play only a very subordinate role , they like to enjoy their actions , especially in the form of Commissioner Fernández, with whom they make repeated anonymous calls and messages ."Red Lips" was professionally filmed, Jess Franco apparently had something to do with leading actress Isana Medel, whom he had met the year before while filming his first movie : "We Are 18 Years Old." However, he was not satisfied with her performance in "Red Lips" and so they parted away after this last collaboration . Medel did not appear in any other Franco film and after that , she perfomed a few movies . She suspected Franco saw her in a more dominant role within the duo, and she couldn't deliver attractiveness enough in the picture . Set widely in ballrooms and jazz bars, including some uneven night scenes that are particularly appealing in Franco style , as well as appearance of a jazz combo.
The last part of the film largely revolves around in and around Pablo's Stardust nightclub , and including some songs by other composers (Franco himself , as well) , adding Antonio García Cano's musical score . The two detectives, Isana Medel/Ana Castor , who, like Jeanne Reynaud / Rosanna Yanni later , are not professional dancers , perform there with a fun musical number that falls into the category of choppy show , while Lina Canalejas singing catching songs . In addition, Franco takes unusual paths with the figure of the a bumbling commissioner well played by the always sympathetic Manolo Morán . The latter is portrayed as a fatherly guy who wants to rescue the likeable detectives from prison and especially in the later stages the Red Lips seem sloppy and are eventually saved by this father figure from the police. Franco would not repeat this peculiar situation in later films , it is not the way Franco usually portrays women from his sui-generis sight point . However , the most typical thing is that the villain is finally judged by the hand of a despised lover , Lina Canalejas . Interesting for Franco fans : in "Red Lips" the names /character types of Radeck, Kalman and Carlo Moroni appear for the first time . You will find them more often in subsequent Franco's films . Due to the financial difficulties already mentioned and the short budget production , it took three years before "Labios Rojos" to be premiered for the first time in Spain , with moderate success , indeed . Regular but efficiently directed by the notoriously hard-working , jazz musician and filmmaker Jesus Franco whose transgression of the limits of good taste for design offbeat extravagances shape the characters of his peculiar work, though in Rip Lips develops an acceptable , passable and traditional direction.
Aenigma (1987)
Gory and scary explotaition movie with eerie and shocking scenes , though inferior than other Fulci films
Sordid and chilling Fulci pic with shocks , thrills , disagreeable scenes and lots of blood and gore . At St. Mary's College, a boarding school for girls located just outside Boston , Massachusetts , an underdog , unattractive student, named Kathy (Mijlijana Zirojevic), becomes the butt of a practical set-up perpetrated by a group of students and the hunky , but sadistic gym teacher. As the young girl is submitted to a ruthless joke when is suddenly wounded in a roadside incident and resulting in a coma condition , subsequently developing strange powers and causing weird effects on the people . A bit later on , Eva (Lara Lamberti) , a newcomer student arrives to the school , takes over Kathy's old room and begins socializing with some of the girls responsible for Kathy's situation . It results out be that Eva is a pawn under the control of the comatose Kathy from her hospital bed to execute a brutal vendetta against those whom did her sickness . While Kathy's physician , Dr. Robert Anderson (Jared Martin) meets and starts dating Eva whom also targets his latest sweetheart . They made a clown out of Kathy once too often! .Possessed by revenge! .All her enemies will be eliminated... but first they will suffer!
Thunderously overwhrought pile of Grand Guignol terror and displaying a lot of slaughter , mayhem , sickening images and quirk phenomenon with the considerable telekinesis talents carried out by a comatose patient against her tormentors . Including several nude women suffering grim , terrible and gory comeuppances and leaving nothing to the imagination . The plot is well known , plain and simple : a lonely , gaunt , outcast girl being hit by a car during a cruel practical joke , but she develops secret , amazing powers to manipulate with her mind , and making her angry could prove to be deadly by enacting a bloody revenge against the elitist coeds responsible for her condition . It blends ideas from ¨Carrie¨ (1976) by Brian De Palma , along with the original Australian film ¨Patrick¨ (1978) and ¨Patrick vive ancora¨ (1980) by Mario Landi , the latter has little connection to its predecessor , being really a crazy exploitation from Italy . This ¨Aenigma¨ (1987) turning out to be an exercise in pure depravity with special mention for a female character who's eaten and suffocated by thousands of snails and adding some others really grisly scenes of carnage . A sickening , incompetent and scary flick , including some frames with absolute insult to good taste and packing extremely elevated sleaziness . That's why it's rated NC-17 or R due to extreme graphic violence , disgusting gore , female nudity, adding strong sexual scenes , language and anything else . Mediocre main and support cast with full of gorgeous young girls . Being only the familiar face : the American Jared Harris who died in 2017 at 75 and also performed for Fulci , ¨Rome 2033 The Fighter Centurions¨ . And Lucio Fulci cameo as police detective at the crime scene of Fred Vernon's death and brief apperance by Sabrina Siani who played various heroines in Italian Sword and Witchery movies.
This horror-thriller was middlingly directed by Lucio FulciI who made some of the nastiest , sleaziest and most brutal gore yarns ever produced in Italy . This ¨Aenigma¨ was a poor mess from gore-meister Fulci . As Lucio Fulci was one of the most controversial filmmakers in terror genre , though frequently derided as sheer sensationalism and commerciality. Here Lucio Fulci directs in his usual style filled with flaws , failures , shortcoming and gaps , but professionally made because being a nice artisan . Critics are divided over both the moral and talents of Fulci (1927-1996) , who sometimes directed under the alias Louis Fuller. For some reviewers many of his flicks are extremely bloody and savage , yet their gory surface often concealing social, religious , or provoking commentaries or other thoughful , intelligent issues . Nevertheless , most of them considering his works have undeniably provided a considerable influence on the terror genre , creating decent efforts on low-medium budget flicks . Standing out his ¨Don't Torture a Duckling¨ deemed to be one of his best pictures . And in the adventure genre with two financially successful Jack London 'White Fang' adventure movies in 1973 and 1974 which were ¨Zanna Bianca¨, and ¨Il ritorno di Zanna Bianca¨. Also during the mid and late 1970s , Fulci directed 'Spaghetti Westerns' : ¨Massacre Time¨(1966) , ¨Four of Apocalypse¨ (1975) and ¨Sella d'argento¨ or ¨Silver Saddle¨(1978) , and another important 'giallo' : ¨The Psychic¨ (1977), as well as a few sex-comedies which include the political spoof : ¨The Eroticist¨(1972) , and the vampire comedy ¨Young Dracula¨ (1975) , and the violent Mafia crime-drama ¨Luca the smuggler¨ (1979) . In 1979, Fulci's film making career successfully another high point with him , breaking into the international market with ¨Zombi 2¨ (1979), an in-name-only sequel to George A. Romero's Zombi : Night of the Lving Dead (1978), which had been released in Italy as 'Zombi' ; furthermore , ¨City of the Living Dead¨(1980) , ¨From Beyond¨, ¨The House by the Cemetery¨(1981) , ¨The Black cat¨(1981) . And his big hit ¨New York Ripper¨ , at the time rated as a video nasty , due to it and why the excessive extra violence was heavily cut or prohibited in a large number of countries . With this film established Fulci as a gore director par excellence , following other horror movies until his fall in which he started working in Television in some very short budgeted telefilms.
Phone Call from a Stranger (1952)
A sentimental and moving film with intimate emotion , sensitivity and enjoyable dramatic scenes
Various passengers (Shelley Winters , Gary Merrill , Keenan Wynn, Michael Rennie) meet at an airport and all of them make friendship. Having survived an air crash , one of the survivors visits the bereaved families of three fellow passengers with whom he had become friendly during the fateful flight . Five great stars in a masterpiece of bold and beloved emotions !
An interesting and decent but hardly ever outstanding dramatic compendium , dealing with a simple and plain plot about a survivor after a plane accident visits the families of three of the victims whom he met during the flight , being paced in good sense , sensibility and with plenty of emotion . Maudlin and adorable film with emotion , deep feeling and and intense drama . Compellingly performed by a nice main cast as Gary Merrill , Shelley Winters , Michael Rennie and Keenan Wynn .These great stars being well accompanied by a good support cast , such as : Evelyn Varden , Warren Stevens, Beatrice Straight , Craig Stevens , John Doucette , Nestor Paiva and Helen Westcott . Brief appearance by George Nader as a pilot and Bette Davis , then Gary Merrill's wife, shows up in a subordinate role as Keenan Wynn's spouse and moves things up a gear or two .
Being well written and produced by Nunnally Johnson. Displaying a stirring and memorable musical score by classic composer Franz Waxman . Equally , an atmospheric and evocative cinematography by Milton R. Krasner. This agreeable and sentimental weepie was competently directed by Jean Negulesco . This classy Hollywood director Jean Negulesco was an elegant and brilliant filmmaker who made notorious films with penchant for Musical, Comedy and Drama, such as : The invincible six, The best everything, Daddy long legs, Three coins in the fountain, How to marry a millionaire, Titanic, Phone call from a stranger, A woman's world, Three came home , Road house, Humoresque, among others. And of course his successful Belinda with the Oscarized Jane Wyman. Phone Call from a Stranger (1952) rating : 7.5/10. Better than average.
Inception (2010)
Overwhelming and impressive movie with frantic action , suspenseful and state-of-art special effects
This stunnning sci-fi thriller Inception (2010) was competent and splendorously made . Bizarre and fantastic movie about a man with psychic powers who attempts his redemption . A good thriller with chills , thills , intrigue , twists , turns and lots of imaginative FX recreating the dream worlds . Dealing with Dom Cobb is (Leonardo DiCaprio) a genious with special abilities . Cobb's rare skill has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved . Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible, inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists (Joseph Gordon-Levitt , Elliot Page , Tom Hardy , Dileep Rao) have to pull off the reverse : their task is not to steal an idea, but to plant one. As Cobb is hired by a strange man named Mr. Saito (Ken Watanabe) wants Dom to implant something, a process called "inception", which is not easy to do. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming . Enter a world beyond you wildest imagination where anything can happen ! . Mind is the scene of the crime . The dream is real . Whatever goes on in your dreams is no longer for your eyes only ! . This is beyond you wildest nightmare ! .
A complex and breathtaking but overlong film with frenetic action , thrills , emotion , suspense and impressive special effects . As FX were above average and far more convincing than the twisted and hard script . This splendid movie is amazing in many aspects and blends appropriately various genres. The picture gets it all : suspense , mystery drama, plot twists, shootouts , tragedy and supernatural illusions Here Christopher Nolan captivated audiences , which he directed and produced from his own original screenplay and featuring an excellent casting. The thought-provoking drama was a worldwide blockbuster, earning more than $800,000,000 and becoming one of the most discussed and debated films of the year . Among its many honors, Inception received four Academy Awards and eight nominations, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay. Nolan was recognized by his peers with D. G. A. And P. G. A. Award nominations, as well as a W. G. A. Award for his work on the film. Main and support actors are pretty well . Awesome , as always , Leonardo DiCaprio as Dom Cobb , a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Accompanied by great actors giving magnificent performances , such as : Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt , Elliot Page or Ellen Page , Tom Hardy , Ken Watanabe , Cillian Murphy , Tom Berenger . And other notorious secondaries as Pete Postlethwaite , Michael Caine and Lukas Haas.
It displays thrilling and rousing musical score by Hans Zimmer . As well as luxurious and glamorous cinematography by Wally Pfister , Nolan's regular ; including colorful dream images . The motion picture was perfectly written and directed by innovator director Christopher Nolan, author of various masterpieces: ¨ Insomnia¨, ¨Memento¨ , ¨The Prestige¨ , ¨Batman begins¨, ¨The Dark Knight¨ , ¨The Dark Knight Rises¨, ¨Dunkirk¨, among others . Rating : Above average 7.5/10 , it was throughly entertaining and exciting, and no as predictable as you would think . The film results to be a complete pleasure to watch these actors at this work , it's highly recommended and keep you guessing until final .
Bakterion (1982)
So-so and terrifying Italian/Spanish co-production shot in Spain and England
Horror movie about fantastic experiments lead to disastrous consequences. A scientist : Roberto Ricci helped by his assistant : Janet Agren undergoing weird experiments resulting in a deadly bacteria creates a horrible personal mutation , leaving him extremely deformed. Along way, David Warbeck and a group of cops set out to find the unknown whereabout in which the monstrous being is carrying out his criminal spree . Pray it doesn't happen here !. The Monstrous Man Runs Amok His Town!
Terror movie in the fiffies style with the usual cannibalistic monster, who's really a man horribly disfigured caused by scientific experiments , subsequently undertaking rampage, slaughter and grisly killings. This Panic : Deadly Bacteria (1982) contains chills, thrills, horrifying scenes and lots of blood and gore. Stars David Warbeck giving a passable acting in his usual stoic style, at the time he played several Italian films in all kinds of sub-genres for the ordinary directors as Lucio Fulci and Anthony M Dawson or Margheritti . Being an Italian/Spanish co-production here shows up secondary Spaniard actors as Jose Ruiz Lifante, Fabian Conde, Pepe Ruiz and Italians as Janet Agren who perfomed a number of sex comedies , regular nasty Franco Ressel, Roberto Ricci who bears a decent make-up, Goffredo Unger who was direction assistant as well, among others
Made in medium-low budget by producer Marcello Romeo and the Spanish Victor Andres Catena and Jaime Comas Gil , both of whom writers too, who produced notorious films in the 60s, such as : A fistful of dollars, Sandokan, as well as financed various Tonino Ricci films as Rage , Shark Hunter, Encounters in the deep. It displays a thrilling and frightening musical score by Marcello Giombini. As well as atmospheric cinematography by Giovanni Berganini. The motion picture was middlingly directed by Tonino Ricci, as it has several shortcomings, flaws, gaps and failures. This mediocre Italian filmmaker Tonino Ricci made all sorts of genres with a certain skillness and commerciality enough, as he directed the following ones : Vietnam and wartime movies as "Rush", "Rage" . Adventures : "Predators of the magic stone", "Robin Hood is my name" , "Shark Hunter," Thor the conqueror", "Buck and Tim" , "Buck and the magic bracelet", "Zama Blanca", "Encounters in the deep" . Softcore : "Passion" . Mafia and Poliziesco sub-genre : "la Gran Familia", "Cross-current". Spaghetti Western : The Great Treasure hunt", "Bad kids in the West" . His best and first film was the WWII movie titled "The Liberators" with George Hilton and Klaus Kinski. Rating : 3.5/10 .Only for Italian Horror completists.
N (Io e Napoleone) (2006)
Agreeable Italian/Spanish/French co-production about Napoleon who arrives in Elba island
After the defeat of the Napoleonic armies in Leipzig or battle of the Nations and the signing of the Treaty of Paris , the victorious powers decided to exile the mythical general Napoleon (Daniel Auteuil) to a small island in the Mediterranean . As the stuck-up , ex-Great Emperor Napoleon was banished in Elba, of which he would be appointed sovereign prince . When snotty-nosed Napoleon arrives to Elba Island in exile , Martino (Elio Germano) , an idealist teacher , writer, and strongly anti-Napoleon plots to kill him . Meanwhile , the teacher in love with the beautiful and bumptious Baroness Emily (Monica Belucci) but then appears Napoleon who goes after her and things get awry . Shortly after, Martino is hired as the Napoleon's writer , whom he deeply hates , yet soon starts recording his memoirs and taking written notes on his essential biographic points .
Set in Elba island , 1814 , a charming , enjoyable drama about an idealist young teacher who gets in problem when the snotty-faced, vain Napoleon arrives in his island , depeloped among seductions and affairs, expectations and fears , and along the way , giving precise portrait of Napoleon , focusing on his extreme ambition , egoism and power craving . Interpretations are uniformly acceptable , such as : Daniel Auteuil as the selfish and conceited General Napoleon Bonaparte , Elio Germano as the idealist rebel and stubborn teacher who finds himself serving as a librarian while learning to value the man behind the bigheaded general , the always gorgeous and uppity Monica Bellucci , as well as the veteran Omero Antonutti as the honest elderly teacher. Furthemore , being a Spanish/Italian co-production here shows up some Spaniard support actors as José Angel Egido and Margarita Lozano . Packing a stirring musical score by musician Juan Bardem , adding 7th symphony of Bethoven . It displays a colorful and evocative cinematography by Alessandro Pesci . Being shot on location in Cala Violina, Scarlino, Grosseto, Iombino, Livorno, Tuscany, Italy . The motion picture was professionally written and directed by Paolo Virci . He's a good Italian craftsman who has written and directed several films , such as : Intolerance , The First Beautiful Thing , A Whole Life Ahead , Like Crazy, My Name Is Tanino and his greatest hit : Human Capital.
The flick was based on historical events about Napoleon Bonaparte's life , these are the following ones : The French minister Talleyrand designed this outlet for Bonaparte after being vanquished . The victors preferred to apply a heavy hand with the French emperor, some even advocated the death of Napoleon. However, the fear of turning him into a martyr led them to opt for a more lenient solution: the island of Elba was a golden cage for Napoleon. Despite being nominally his sovereign, Bonaparte was guarded by hundreds of spies and by the governor of the island. Furthermore, he saw with bitterness how some of his friends, whom he had ennobled, betrayed him and swore allegiance to the Bourbons reinstated on the throne. Neither was his family very helpful. Josefina, his first wife, died without Napoleon being able to attend the funeral. His second wife, María Luisa, did not want to accompany him into exile. And neither his son nor his brother Joseph his could visit him on Elba. Napoleon had lost at the age of 45 the power he had enjoyed. But encouraging news will be coming to you from Europe soon. In France, defeat had not brought internal peace. The new king had sworn to the Constitution, but both he and the old aristocracy and the Church were trying to regain their old privileges. Naturally, they ran into opposition from almost the entire bourgeoisie, the peasantry, the Army and all those sectors that the Revolution of 1789 had benefited. You couldn't go back in time as if nothing had happened. Clashes between political factions were increasingly violent. Napoleon received this news on Elba and prepared for his return. Spies loyal to the French monarchy advised England to move Napoleon to the island of Saint Helena to prevent his return. But it was too late. In February, he and his men returned to France. On his way to the capital, the various regiments of soldiers he meets decide to join the emperor. Soon after, the King of France, aware of Elba's flight, proclaimed Napoleon an enemy of world peace and ordered his immediate capture. Michel Ney, Napoleon's former general now in the service of the monarch, is commissioned to arrest him. However, when the two met, Ney and his 6,000 men joined Bonaparte. On his way to Paris, the Emperor makes speeches in which he promises peace, well-being and economic improvements. Something, especially the first, difficult to fulfill. In March 1815, Napoleon arrived in Paris without having fired a single shot. He had started the Hundred Day Empire until his defeat in Waterloo .
Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957)
Ridiculous and embarrasing Science-Fiction yarn with atrocious settings and lousy acting
A shiny flying saucer emits a blinding ray of light over Southern California's clear blue skies ; a bit later on , it lands on a lonely cemetery where a mournful old man (Bela Lugosi) has just buried his spouse . As the very sight of extraterrestrial activity brings horror to the once-peaceful area, the technologically-advanced spacecraft's commander Eros (Manlove) and his lieutenant Tanna (Joanna Lee) begin deploying their strategic plan to take over Earth, code-named "Plan 9" in which the Aliens resurrecting the dead . Step by step , through sophisticated methods unknown to humans , the pitiless aliens proceed with the creation of a devastating Zombie Apocalypse . As the aliens resurrect the dead of the Earth, the lives of the living are in danger. Along the way , Patrolman (Paul Marco) , Patrolman Larry Anthony (Carl Anthony) , Inspector Clay (Tor Johnson) , military as General Roberts (Lyle Talbot) , Colonel Edwards (Tom Keene) go after them . Horrors From Outer Space Paralyze The Living And Resurrect The Dead! Flying Saucers Over Hollywood! .The worst movie of all time is finally available on video for more laughs than you got from Monty Python!."Can your heart stand the shocking facts about Graverobbers From Outer Space?" As the screen's greatest shock star Bela Lugosi is back to haunt the Earth in a terrifying revelation of things to come!
It is a ponderous science fiction cheapie with shooting technique extremely execrable . Even worse , Bela Lugosi is top-billed even though he died three months before the movie was made , in fact undaunted Edward Wood used silent home movie footage of the once great horror film star . At the same time , this disconcerting flick attempts to deliver an antiwar message as well as chilly and thrills . The 50s typical plot and a simple as well as plain script with evil aliens attacking Earth and set a terrible "Plan 9" into action to relive the walking dead . This 1957 movie's really known thanks to Ed Wood (1994) ,a biopic of the life and work of the legendary 'worst director of all time' ; being based on Rudolph Grey's book ¨Nightmare of ecstasy : the life and art of Ed Wood¨, this is a splendid tribute by Tim Burton to bring to the screen the tale of a filmmaker many consider to be the worst of all time and focusing his relationship with the inconsolable Bela Lugosi and his rare troupe of actors . Shoestring production , in fact , while Tim Burton's Ed Wood was big-budgeted whose film cost more to produce than all of Edward D. Wood Jr.'s films put together . Tim Burton said that he was drawn to the story because of the similarities between Edward D. Wood Jr.'s relationship with Bela Lugosi , now ageing and unemployed horror star , and his own friendship with Vincent Price who played him . Almost every role has an appropriate resemblance to his or her Z-player counterpart Plan 9 from Outer Space and the performances are adequate such as Sarah Jessica Parker as Dolores Fuller , Jeffrey Jones as Criswell , Bill Murray as Bunny Breckinridge , Max Casella as Paul Marco , Brent Hinkley as Conrad Brooks , Lisa Marie as the statuesque Vampira , George 'The Animal' Steele as Tor Johnson and Juliet Landau as Loretta King .
The picture was absurdly and ridiculously directed by Ed Wood with abundant failures , shortfalls and flaws , in fact the sets are made of cardboard and often bumped into by the stars and the dialogue incredibly moronic and without sense . Ed Wood was a low-budgeted auteur and hack director of such lousy actors and notoriously bad movies as ¨Glen or Glenda¨, ¨Bride of monster¨ and ¨Plan 9 from outer space¨ . However , 'Edward D. Wood Jr.' now occupies a lofty position as a cult icon . He was a legendary director of awful pictures , a real Hollywood maverick , a cross-dressing , angora-sweater wearing filmmaker , his best-known period of his life in the 1950s , when lack of financing and repeated failures led to make a lot of bad but nostalgic films.
The Prisoner of Zenda (1952)
Moving and exciting film about an Englishman on a Ruritarian holiday must impersonate the king
This is a story of royal romance and of adventure , as breathless and flashing as a sword play . This is a classic swashbuckler concerning an innocent traveler , Rudolph Rassendyll (Stewart Granger) , Rudolf V's identical distant relative , in a small European country , as he results to be the exact double of its king and gets involved in a murder plot . In order to save King Rudolph of Ruritania (Stewart Granger as well) from assassins and murderous usurpers , the kingdom aristocrats (Louis Calhern, Robert Coote) hire a look-a-like London man, a distant cousin , to impersonate the Monarch . Upon the death of his father the King, Rudolph V is set to assume the throne of Ruritania and the honest Britishman as his stand-in . Both become involved in troubles , along with his half-brother , Grand Duke Michael (Robert Douglas) , his orphaned cousin who lives in a wing of the palace located in the Ruritanian capital of Strelsau and the lovely Princess Flavia (Debora Kerr) . When the rightful monarch is drugged and kidnapped , the adventurous knight goes into action . If Rudolf V isn't present at the ceremony, he will forfeit the crown to his older half-brother. Complications ensue when Princess Flavia, the king's cousin and betrothed, begins to notice a "personality change" in her fiancé . The Grand Duke of Strelsau , with his longtime faithful companions and Rupert of Hentzau (James Mason) , plan to detain the King at the Grand Duke's hunting lodge on the grounds of his castle at Zenda on the day of the coronation so that Michael can assume the throne in Strelsau in his place . A reckless love that fought to live ¡ . They fought for the right to rule she fought for the right to love ¡ . The most thrilling swordfight ever filmed... Romance and adventure to thrill you! Confusion reigns in Ruritania ¡ . They dared not kill him; They dared not let him live In this dilemma were conspirators against the King of Ruritania. This is but one of the amazingly dramatic situations in The Metro Golwyn Mayer Production of The Prisoner of Zenda ¡.
This is a slight and hugely budgeted retelling about the durable Anthony Hope's novel with all-star-cast . It is packed with derring-do , suspense , a sensitive love story , action , drama and thrilling as well as dazzling swordplay between Stewart Granger and James Mason . Entertaining swashbuckling with lavish production , glamorous gowns and luxurious settings . The fifth of six movie versions of Anthony Hope's famous adventure , a blockbuster of its day . This is a flashy Technicolor remake of the notorious and better 1937 Ronald Colman rendition . Stewart Granger plays the nobleman forced to impersonate a king in a mythical European country , as he's asked to risk his life and impersonate the would-be king when his relative is kidnapped before his impending coronation , a situation that rises to some moments from which filmmaker Richard Thorpe manages to extract the maximum of intrigue and tension . As the tale carries its excitement with thrills , noisy action, swashbuckling , an attractive romance and anything else . Cast and support cast are frankly excellent , such as the gorgeous Deborah Kerr , the mysterious Jane Greer , the tall Louis Calhern and the sympathetic Robert Coote . And Lewis Stone who performed the dual leading character in a silent version made in 1922 , has a small cameo here as a Cardinal . In this The Prisoner of Zenda (1952) stands out James Mason as the ominous villain with a Rommel haircut as well as a penchant for irony and heel-clicking . The rest of the casting is exemplary and with good reason the movie has never lost its reputation of being one of the most enjoyable aventure-romance ever produced . Adding an impressive final duel between Stewart Granger and James Mason was almost as good as the one Ronald Colman and Douglas Fairbanks in the past retelling . The motion pictue was professionally directed by Richard Thorpe .
There are several versions about this classy story , these are the following ones : ¨The prisoner of Zenda¨(1922) by Rex Ingram with Lewis Stone , Alice Terry , Robert Edeson , Stuart Holmes , Ramon Novarro . ¨The Prisoner of Zenda¨ (1937) by John Cromwell with Ronald Colman as Major Rudolf Rassendyll / The Prisoner of Zenda , Madeleine Carroll as Princess Flavia , C. Aubrey Smith , Raymond Massey . ¨The prisoner of Zenda¨ (1979) by Richard Quine with Peter Sellers , Lionel Jeffries , Elke Sommer , Lynn Frederick , among others.
Black Jack (1968)
This Black Jack (1968) is a typical Spaghetti Western including common scenarios , two-fisted antiheroes and violent shootouts
A passable and attractive Pasta Western , as main novelty being shot in Israel , and packing thrilling scenes , crossfire , rapid zooms and strong confrontations. A Western full of shots , go riding , crossfire , plot twists and violence . It contains a catching soundtrack , an atmospheric cinematography and spectacular production design shot in Neguev desert , Israel and Elios studios , Lazio , Rome . Acceptable Western about a merciless revenge happening after a bank robbery , in which a thief , Jack Murphy (Robert Woods) , leader of a dangerous band is betrayed by their members : Skinner (Rik Battaglia) , Reb (Larry Dolgin) , Indian Joe (Mimmo Palmara) Mathias and the brothers, Bill and Gordon . They mistreat and torture him and leave him for dead . Later on, Jack survives and goes for revenge and he kills each man of the band one by one . The unsettling and disturbing avenger attempts to hunt them , seeking justice throughout a long deadly confrontation between the tough revenger and his enemies . Jack contends his enemies at duels and ambushes in which he must use his experience and cunning . Jack is eventually supported by previous friend , and the end takes place his encounter with enemies at the town , including unexpected surprises . This is a doomed journey to hell through vengeance , murders and violence .
Ordinary Italian Western with sad atmosphere , attractive musical score and concerning the customary revenger seeking justice and vengeance . Run-of-the-mill Maccaroni Western , adding a few novelties , but also with usual elements , such as extreme baddies , betrayers , noisy action , turns and some spectacular action scenes . This reckless hero was here well played by the Spaghetti star Robert Woods who proceeds his relentless vendetta at whatever cost , acting as a judge , jury and lethal executioner . It is a habitual Spaghetti Western including thrills , regular scenarios , nail-biting action , shoot'em up , and an unexpected final twist . This motion picture was well directed by Gianfranco Baldanello packing an evocative soundtrack , evocative cinematography and acceptable production design in a medium-low budget . This exciting Western regarding an implacable hunting down , adding cruel killings against people , it should be more fun than it is , but the film seems some claustrophobic in the final part , mostly filmed at the village , as much of the action takes place at a Saloon , and the central street for the abandoned town , though including some defiles , mountains when the horseback riders are go riding . Stars Robert Wood is nice as the violent , furious pistolero who is roused to action by seeking vengeance . Robert , because of his height, he did most of my own stunts . Robert Woods gives better acting than other previous roles, because of he plays a complex character , a revenger who is really fed up with his dark and sinister past and seeks for vengeance when his sister is raped and killed . Woods played a lot of Spaghetti Westerns , some of them passable , others lousy ones , as follows : "A Dollar and a Grave , Gatlin Gun , Black Jack , El Puro, Colt in the Hand of the Devil, The Belle Star Story , My Name is Pecos , Pecos Cleans Up and Seven Guns for the MacGregors" . Along with Robert Woods in the movie appears some Spaghetti familar faces such as : Rik Battaglia , Mimmo Palmara , Goffredo Unger as Fredy Unger , Giovanni Ivan Scratuglia , Tom Felleghy and two gorgeous Eurotrash beauties : Lucienne Bridou and Sascia Krusciarska.
The music by Coriolano Gori is suitably Spaghetti in Ennio Morricone wake , with usual guitar chords and other instruments in Italian style . Adequate cinematography in Eastmancolor by Mario Fioretti , though a perfect remastering being really necessary . This Spaghetti Western was nicely shot by the Italian professional Gianfranco Baldanello . He was a prestigious assistant director to popular Italian films such as ¨Leopard of Sarawak¨ , ¨Vendetta of Ursus¨ , ¨Cavalcata selvaggia¨ , ¨David and Goliath¨ , ¨Sword of the Sarracen¨ , ¨1527 Il sacco di Roma¨ , ¨Fire Monsters Against the Son of Hércules¨ , among others . As he was assistant director/writer/editor/producer and subsequently directed some films . Gianfranco made several Spaghettis , such as ¨Uccidete Johnny Ringo¨ , ¨This man cant die¨ , ¨Son of Zorro¨ , ¨The Cry of the Wolf¨, ¨Black Jack¨ , ¨Blood River¨ and ¨30 Winchesters for El Diablo" - International title- or "Gold Train" . Being starred by usual Spaghetti genre stars as Brett Halsey , Gianni Garco , Peter Martell , Wayde Preston , Fernando Sancho , Anthony Steffen and Robert Woods . Rating : 6/10 decent Spaghetti Western . The flick will appeal to Spaghetti Western aficionados .
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
Above average installment in with the heroes of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E help the survival of a race
Good entry in the long-running series has the familiar characters battling some strange enemies and time-traveling back to Earth . It is the 24th century , it is the rebirth of a saga , the start of a new scenario when the U. S. S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E captained by Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his crew (Brent Spiner as Data , LeVar Burton as Geordi , Michael Dorn as Worf , Gates McFadden as Beverly , Marina Sirtis as Troy) face off an alien race called the Son'a with domination their goal , while defending the immortal Ba'ku , whose planet offers regenerative radiation and their culture is secretly researched by the Federation associated . While on a trek to observe the peaceful Ba'ku race , Lieutenant Commander Data suddenly behaves as if having to fear for his existence . But the Son'a intend to kidnap the Ba'ku in order to take the planet for themselves and for the Starfleet officials (F. Murray Abraham , Gregg Henry) who all would love to regenerate their bodies . But they did not think of the loyalty of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew to the execution of Prime Directive . Along the way , Enterprise to carry out the plans , chases the enemy aircraft and enters a time distortion . Meet the new face of evil. The battle for paradise has begun. Eternity awaits beyond the final frontier. The ultimate battle between good and evil begins. The future of the galaxy, and the survival of a race, depend on an act of rebellion.
This epic story is concentrated on characters as well as thrill-packed action and special effects although there're numerous of those too . This time including an ecologist message with an enjoyable and peaceful race that displays incredible lifespans , living in harmony with nature and rejecting advanced technology. The movie has action , tension , comedy , emotion , suspense and sensational spacial scenarios like is customary development of the franchise whose series buffs will have no complains . Spectacular, exciting , fast-paced , thrilling this is the description of this new outing of Star Trek , following two concurrent threads . Film that reinvents the saga through a perfect pulse narrative that does not give a second of rest to the spectator who is trapped for two hours approx. In a genuine visual spectacle . Idealism , humor , humanity , several agreeable characters and trademark effects abound and will please the enthusiasts such as the neophyte . The top-notch acting convinces , especially the nasty and extremely made-up F Murray Abraham , in a super-villain role , while other guest players also make a nice work as Donna Murphy , Anthony Zerbe , Gregg Henry , Stephanie Niznik and Daniel Hugh Kelly . The stirring final amazing the spectator , in which the moving and spectacular scenes create a perfect union that terminates with an ending that leaves you stuck in the armchair facing the formidable spectacle as a privileged witness .
Magnificent special effects by ILM (courtesy of George Lucas' Indutrial Light Magic) whose animators created several new classes of Federation ships for the huge CGI animation sequences . Exceptional soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith , he composes an impressive musical accompaniment to the film . Furthermore a colorful and evocative cinematography by Matthew F Leonetti . Efficient direction by Jonathan Frakes, the notorious Star Trek's commandant Riker . At the end of filming , actor/director Jonathan Frakes got the nickname: "Two takes Frakes" because of the efficiency of his style .He's an expert filmmaker of Sci-Fi genre and TV episodes : ¨Star Trek¨, ¨Roswell¨ ,¨Masters of science fiction¨, ¨The Librarian¨ , ¨Twilight zone¨ , among them and occasionally for Cinema such as ¨Clockstoppers¨ , ¨ Thunderbirds¨ and ¨Star Trek Insurrection¨. Suitable for family viewing , it's an entertaining adventure which young and old men will enjoy . Fans of the series will find very entertaining and fun . It is amusing to watch , reliably entertaining for fans and Trekkies are sure to love it , resulting to be a good sequel . Rating : Better than average . Well worth watching , essential and indispensable seeing for Trekkies.
The One That Got Away (1957)
Tense , awesome warlike movie with memorable images and outstanding acting by Hardy Kruger
WWII story about a German pilot who being imprisoned he attempts to escape from Allied concentration camps . This is a splendid film that succeeds largely because of particularly nice interpretations , it deals with the daring breakouts from inescapable concentration camps carried out by Nazi officers incarnated by a good cast and magnificently realized by Roy Ward Baker . A cocky , arrogant German fighter pilot , Franz Von Werra, is shot down over England in 1940 and being trapped and incarcerated. Along the way the stubborn pilot at once comes into conflict with the senior officers who effort to stifle riots of the wily Nazis . As he plans the massive breakout and with some escaped prisoners go throughout Scotland . The continuous escapes have caused the British staff ordered 'putting all the rotten eggs in one basket' as the officer prisoners are reunited into a special and remote concentration camp in Canada , nearly Lake Ontario . The most part of the film concerns on the elaborated process of of the POWs to carry out getaways by secretly digging an underground tunnel and the last one deals with spectacular breakout executed by our starring in Canada trying to make their bid to freedom . The Ultimate Escape Film . Oberleutenant Franz von Werra : Honor graduate from the Hitler Youth. He's well-liked in Germany . That's why they picked him to lead the escape. He was daring, defiant and determined to escape. Canadians will remember...The One That Got Away. The "Impossible" Escape That Aroused the World!
This is the true story of Oberleutnant Franz von Werra , the only German prisoner of war to escape from imprisonment in Britain during the Second World War. It deals with hard preparatives proceeded by a diverse group of German soldiers with our troublemaker protagonist leading and mounting a dangerous getaways from barbed-wired and strongly controlled camps . This exciting story contains thrills, intrigue, tension , excitement galore , entertainment and lots of fun . Suspenseful WWII drama about concentration camps in which a prisoner makes numerous attempts to escape to fight again and from a German point of sight . It packs exceptional plethora of prestigious English actors incarnating the British military and motley group of POWs , all of them giving good acting and with some well-known faces such as the troubleshooter officer Michael Goodliffe who solves conflicts in the problematic camp to foil the getaway attempts , Jack Gwillim , Terence Alexander, Stratford Johns, Alec McCowen , Michael Ripper , and of course a sensational Hardy Kruger whose character is excellently performed . The picture belongs to a genre that has given classics as ¨The great escape¨, ¨Stalag 17¨, ¨Escape from Colditz¨, ¨Escape from Sorbibor¨ and many others . But , specially , it bears remarkable resemblance to a subsequent film : ¨The McKenzie Break¨(1970) by Lee H Katzin with Brian Keith and Helmut Griem in similar role to Hardy Kruger , equally based on facts written by Sidney Shelley titled ¨The Bowmanville break¨, while this ¨The one that got away¨ based on a book by Kendal Burt and screenplay by Howard Clewes.
Nice production design and art direction with evocative sets from concentration camps and barbwire . Rousing and lively soundtrack by Hubert Clifford, as well as evocative cinematography by Eric Cross . This well executed motion picture was well directed by Roy Ward Baker , creating competent atmosphere in evoking WWII and he keeps the outcome of the getaways tense and suspenseful . Roy was a goog craftsman and an excellent professional , his first opportunity to direct a film, ¨The October Man¨ (1947 ). He then went to Hollywood in 1952 and stayed for seven years, returning to Britain in 1958, when he directed one of his best films, ¨A night to remember¨ (1958). During the 1960s and 1970s, Baker directed a number of horror films for Hammer and Amicus. Being a real specialist on terror movies as he proved in the following ones : "And now the Screaming starts" , "The Monster Club", "Dr Jekill and Mrs Hyde" , "Scars of Dracula" , "Seven Brothers meet Dracula" , "Vampire Lovers" , "Vault of Horror", among others. He also directed in British television, especially during the latter part of his career. Rating : Better than average. Rating : 7/10 . Two thumbs up , essential and indispensable watching , a real must see for its strong characterizations and interesting issues .
Invisible Ghost (1941)
Typically low-budgeted Monogram terror movie with chills , thrills and several murders
Dr. Charles Kessler (Bela Lugosi) lives in a house with his daughter Virginia Kessler (Polly Ann Young) and his servants (Clarence Muse) . Eventually , there is a killing in his house, and Virginia's fiancée Ralph Dickson (John McGuire) is accused of the murder . Later on , a stranger comes to Dr. Kessler's house , who invites him to stay in his house. Along the way , a ghost sneaks out of the house , resulting in a man goes into a trance and carries out a series of grisly stranglings while he's under hypnosis .
A typical 40s terror movie with the main star at the time , Bela Lugosi , as the town's leading citizen who becomes a homicidal maniac after his wife deserts him . An ordinary terror flick about a crazy couple bringing down property values in the neighborhood , while a cunning police inspector is investigating here and there . This low-budget Monogram programmer features Bela Lugosi playing in his usual style as an unwitting murderer with neurological disorder and used by his allegedly dead wife to further her schemes . Much the same as Lugosi himself was killed in movies by overexposure in exploitative Poverty Row like this. At the beginning Lugosi achieved fame and fortune when he played Count Dracula in the legendary 1927 Broadway stage adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel . It ran for three years, and was subsequently, and memorably, filmed by Tod Browning in 1931, establishing Lugosi as one of the screen's greatest personifications of pure evil with films as The Black cat , The island on the lost souls , The Ghost of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man , Frankenstein meets the Wolf man, Son of Frankenstein , The Human Monster . Sadly, his reputation rapidly declined, mainly because he had been blacklisted by the main studios and had no choice but to accept any part and script handed to him, and ended up playing parodies of his greatest role, in low-grade poverty row films . Due to shady blacklisting among the top Hollywood studio executives, he refused to sell out or to compromise his integrity, and therefore ended his career working for the legendary Worst Director of All Time, Edward D. Wood Jr with titles as Glen or Glenda , Plan 9 from outer space and Bride of the monster.
The motion picture was middlingly directed by Joseph H Lewis , including some flaws , gaps and shortcomings . Lewis was a B craftsman who directed a lot of films of all kinds of genres with a penchant for Noir movies, as he made Drama, Thriller, Action, Western such as Terror in a Texas town, 7th cavalry, The Halliday brand, A lawless street, Cry of the hunted, Retreat hell, Desperate search , A lady without passport, The undercover man, So dark the night, My name is Julia Ross, The mad doctor of Market Street, The gang of mine and his greatest hits were The Big Combo and and his masterpiece Gun Crazy in which he chose all the right angles for a real impact and never put a wrong foot . Rating 5.5/10. Average but passable . Essential and indispensable watching for Bela Lugosi fans .