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  • LOVE FOR AN IDIOT - Dir. Dir. Yasuzo Masumura (1967)

    I'm a big fan of Masumura and this film doesn't disappoint. It's the age old tale of a dour older man who becomes infatuated to the point of obsession over a young and uninhibited girl as he attempts in vain to mold her into his "ideal" woman. Based on a novel by Junichiro Tanizaki but one can also see the influence of Pygmalion & the French New Wave at work as well. It's essentially a comedy about the battle of the sexes & as you can imagine, this battle ends up rather one sided. Michiyo Yasuda nee Michiyo Ohkusu as the lead actress is superb as the uncouth young gal who uses her sexy wiles & charm to placate her older husband into giving in to her demands. She is especially willingly to show off her nubile body at a whim during this movie which is another plus. Fans of chambara will probably recognize her from her past appearances in Zatoichi and LW&C episodes. I remember her as the one eyed & one armed swordswoman O'Kin in Lady Sazen and the Drenched Swallow Sword which was another gem of a movie. She's in her mid 60s now and still acting today!

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    • THEY LIVE. This movie has a lot of running around in hallways.

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      • Crimson - enjoyable low budget take on the superhero/vigilante movie made in Niagara Falls, New York.
        Rock! Shock! Pop!

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        • House Party. Forgot how great it is.

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          • AIRPORT (1970).
            A first-rate old-fashioned Hollywood movie and picture-perfect blu-ray (quite a shock coming from Universal).

            ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968).
            Awesome, majesterial, intimidating horror film gets better with each passing year. A reference-quality blu-ray from Criterion is like seeing the film for the first time. Rich deep dark color. Even the pastels are sinister. Locked in the late 1960s but the multi-layared story-telling never grows old. Cassavetes is frightening in his ambivalence; this is a man who cannot trust himself.

            FORT DOBBS (1958).
            A terse, hardboiled, spartan western, violent and action-packed, written by Burt Kennedy in the same spirit as the five he wrote for Randolph Scott and Budd Boetticher This one stars the taciturn Clint Walker, a believable westerner delivering a strong performance. Directed by Gordon Douglas with know-how. A 90 minute chase across dramatic landscapes. The monochrome photography is superb, but the film begs for color. What a discovery from Warner Archives! Probably one of the best westerns of the 1950s. Ties with 7 Men From Now (1956) as Kennedy's best script.

            FEMALE VAMPIRE (1974)
            Franco doing more of what Franco does. The new blu-ray is a marginal upgrade over the Image DVD. I don't know if it's art, but I like it.
            "I've been to college, but I can still speak English when business demands it."
            - Raymond Chandler, 1939.

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            • A POOL WITHOUT WATER - Dir. Koji Wakamatsu (1982)

              With the recent passing of Wakamatsu due to injuries sustained in a road accident, I decided to revisit some of his films in my collection. Just happened to stumble across this one sitting on the top of my "unwatched" pile of DVDs. It's an unsettling tale of a middle aged menial laborer with a nagging wife and a couple of bratty kids who stumbles upon the idea of going on a rape spree to free himself from his utterly insipid & banal life. Nothing like overcoming a mid life crisis by chloroforming the waitress at the local coffee shop and sexually assaulting her while she's unconscious! As he becomes emboldened by his crimes, he begins to outwardly change from a meek introvert to a brash ladies man. He even begins performing odd rituals at the scenes of his sexual assaults like preparing "morning service" for his victims and even tidying up their apartments. The actual rape scenes are done in typical 'pinku' style with the lingering camerawork & offending body parts fogged out. There is also a really annoying cheesy synth soundtrack playing in the background throughout this entire movie which didn't seem to fit the material. So yeah, this is typical Wakamatsu with his penchant to shock the viewer into submission while simultaneously allowing the viewer an opportunity to reflect on the message of the film. For sure the world of cinema will be poorer with his passing and he will be sorely missed.

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              • UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: REGENERATION
                The third entry is a different kind of film and hands off the story to the next generation of characters a little too soon. Andrei "the Pitbull" Arlovski is impressive but he has none of JCVD's and Lundgren's charisma or status. Lundgren gets the best dialog and makes his cameo fight into something special. He steals the film. He's so damn good we wish he was given more to do. That having been said, UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: REGENERATION is a one tough mutha. Love the docudrama approach, the cold chilly weather, the bleak location (Bulgaria in winter). The fight scenes are mean, bloody, relentless, well-staged and played at the edge of the plausible level. We can believe these guys are killing each other. The opening kidnap scene and the chase that follows is a sensational crash & kill operation. One of the strongest and grittiest action scenes I've seen in years. The escape vehicle is fitted with crash bars front and rear and roll bars on top and sides. The kidnappers know that they are going to be pursued, and so they are prepared to kill everybody and crash through every obstacle. Which they do. Holding the Premier's children hostage, the discontent Russian soldiers occupy the Chernobal Nuclear Power Plant. The rig it to blow up if their demands aren't meant. They have a secret weapon to resist the rescue operation they know is coming -- a renegade scientist from the Universal Soldier program and his next generation of freak, played Andrei "the Pitbull" Arlovski. When he lays waste to the rescue teams, JCVD is brought out of retirement, reprogrammed and sent in.

                There are no wasted minutes or distracting subplots. This film is all business. director John Hyams knows what he's doing. His aesthetic is right for the material and his aptitudes are right for the low budget ($14 million, reportedly). He does something very effective with close-ups. The camera sees what an actor thinks and feels. The Universal Soldiers are the re-animated dead with their brains washed and reprogrammed and their bodies steeled to endure and inflict punishment. You'd expect a blank stare, or anger and hostility. Instead, Hyams asks the actors to emote -- if I read the film correctly -- sadness, regret, an awareness of pain but not minding it. JCVD is particularly good at expressing emotional repression. No preaching, but it does make the film more interesting.

                More films like this, please.
                "I've been to college, but I can still speak English when business demands it."
                - Raymond Chandler, 1939.

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                • JEANS BLUES:NO FUTURE - Dir. Sadao Nakajima (1974)

                  Bonnie & Clyde transplanted to mid-70s Tokyo. A violent action packed yarn involving two societal outcasts who join forces to give hell to a pack of yakuza thugs and the police in hot pursuit. Meiko Kaji is her typical awesome self playing the role of a shotgun toting taciturn bar girl who wants a little excitement in her life and gets more than she bargained for after going on the lam with a low level thug, Tsunehiko Watase. There is a memorable scene where they use a rising sun flag for target practice. Nakajima was none too subtle with the political subtext there eh?

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                  • LETTER NEVER SENT - A beautifully shot Russian film about 4 geologists stranded in Siberia while hunting for diamonds. The photography here is just stunning, a wonder to look at. Compelling survival story too. The Criterion BD is worth picking up if you're looking for something to get during the sale.

                    THE BIG GUNDOWN - Still possibly the best non-Leone sw, loved it just a little more this time. The new BD is a thing of beauty.
                    I don't go to church. Kneeling bags my nylons.

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                    • I still need to get that disc.

                      Last night... Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory - seems a bit rushed towards the and and I would have liked to have heard more about the circumstances surrounding the Alfred plea bargain but all in all a great final chapter in this obviously very important documentary series.
                      Rock! Shock! Pop!

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                      • What are you watching?

                        THE CREEPING FLESH. Fantastic gothic chiller with the usual first rate Cushing performance but Christopher Lee steals the film with his fascinating portrayal of amorality.

                        Columbia's OOP DVD looks quite nice as well.

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                        • The Stabilizer - SOoooooooooooooooooo good.
                          Attached Files
                          Rock! Shock! Pop!

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                          • JOURNEY TO JAPAN aka The Pornstar Travels Around Japan - Dir. Sadao Nakajima (1973)

                            I've been on a Nakajima kick of late, so decided to check this one out with doe eyed Swedish exploitation star, Christina Lindberg. I believe this is the second movie she made in Japan with the other being Suzuki's classic pinky violence flick, SEX & FURY with Reiko Ike.

                            Lindberg plays an unwitting drug courier who upon landing in Japan, mistakenly gets in the car of sexually frustrated loner, played to the hilt by Toei regular, Ichiro Araki. It has the typical hijinks that ensues from the mistaken identity, language barrier & "east meets west" cultural misunderstandings that one would expect from their encounter but also features plenty of exploitation too. There are scenes o' plenty of Lindberg tied up, sexually abused, being photographed while bound, etc. None of it is too graphic though and some of the scenes have a comedic element about them which helps lighten the mood. The storyline takes a surprising twist when Lindberg soon develops "stockholm syndrome" towards her abuser but guess it shouldn't be too surprising since she is Swedish after all. Definitely not in the class of Sex & Fury either in story or visuals but pretty decent with lots of T & A shots of the aforementioned Lindberg.

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                            • Blow-Out - Not DePalma's best movie but it's solid through and through. Nancy Allen is endearingly cute in the movie and Travolta proves that before he became a bizarre self parody of himself that, yes, he could turn in a good performance. John Lithgow and Dennis Franz have cool supporting roles, and the movie is stylish as stylish can be. Criterion's Blu-ray is a thing of beauty.
                              Rock! Shock! Pop!

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                              • THE SPLIT - Just take in this cast: Jim Brown, Ernest Borgnine, Warren Oates, Donald Sutherland, Julie Harris, Gene Hackman, Jack Klugman. Pretty impressive. It's a neo-noir based on The Seventh by Richard Stark, a heist film. Great LA locations photographed by noir veteran Burnett Guffey. The actual heist scene plays out during a football game and the crowds are massive, adding an authentic feel. Very dark with a great, ambiguous ending too. Oh, and James Whitmore plays a perv, what more could you ask? The WAC disc looks very nice and has the trailer included. Nice upgrade from my TCM copy.
                                I don't go to church. Kneeling bags my nylons.

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