-
OBSESSION: Just Because It’s Early De Palma Doesn’t Make It Less Lurid [Blu Review]
![OBSESSION: Just Because It’s Early De Palma Doesn’t Make It Less Lurid [Blu Review]](https://i0.wp.com/cinapse.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/cropped-1_eIiigXg0nny6Q0rRfOStIA-2.png?resize=512%2C512&ssl=1)
Brian De Palma & Paul Schrader combine, activate their powers
For some strange reason, despite all of my previous experiences with the work of Brian De Palma, I wasn’t prepared for how seedy and twisty 1976’s Obsession was going to be. There are probably a few factors that got me there. One is that the plot description (and PG rating) sounded fairly straightforward. Another is that it starred a young(er) Cliff Robertson. I mean, Tobey Maguire’s Uncle Ben is just so squeaky clean in my mind. And finally, 1976 felt quite early in the director’s career and I guess my suspicion was that he hadn’t come into the wholeness of his powers just yet. Of course actually looking at his career, he’d already made Sisters and Phantom Of The Paradise by this time, so I was simply mistaken in my assumptions there.
Obsession gets moving at a breakneck pace with Cliff Robertson’s Michael Courtland breaking into a huge business partnership with Robert Lasalle (John Lithgow) in New Orleans. His adoring wife and daughter surround him as the community welcomes him at a huge party in his honor. He’s the man of the hour, quickly to be struck down by a double kidnapping and the ransoming of his family. Relying on the police to assist with the case, things escalate quickly and as the kidnappers are cornered, they take Michael’s wife and daughter on a high speed chase that results in their deaths. Years later, Michael is a shell of his former self, mourning his family and plugging away at his work. When Lasalle convinces him to take a business trip to Italy, Michael spies a young woman at the church where he first met his wife many years before. The spitting image of his wife Elizabeth, Sandra (Genevieve Bujold in a dual role) instantly entrances Michael in the most Brian De Palma of ways. Rushing headlong into the dangerous belief that Sandra is somehow a replacement for Elizabeth, Michael rushes to marry Sandra and reclaim the vibrant life he once had. The twists and turns have only just begun, however, and while I won’t spoil the outcome, one does not simply cast John Lithgow without putting some meat on the bones of that role. And the grossness of the relational dynamics will swell all the way to an Oldboy-like crescendo of seedy double crosses.
Obsession has that “Hitchcock by way of porno” lurid aesthetic that only Brian De Palma has ever truly mastered. It feels wholly and completely within De Palma’s oeuvre even as early as 1976. And Schrader, that great explorer of the American identity (and our uniquely American psychoses) does a great job layering corruption and obsession indictments on top of a highly entertaining and fast-moving murder-mystery thriller. Robertson never quite feels like entirely the perfect fit for the role, but the character is a bit of a blank canvas upon which the various plot machinations are just sort of painted. Bujold and Lithgow do some of the more showy work, and they do feel like they belong in a De Palma film through and through.
This was a fantastic first viewing and a friendly reminder to never underestimate the power of Brian De Palma. His collaboration with Paul Schrader here fit like a glove, and together they crafted a breakneck thriller that implies a darkness and meanness shocking even today. Scored with the grand operatics of an Italian giallo and heightened by incredible lighting, camera work, and a taut running time, De Palma displays his mastery of the thriller with Obsession and it comes highly recommended.
The Package
De Palma films generally look amazing, and DP Vilmos Zsigmond worked together with De Palma to truly suck you into this fast-paced world instantly with their incredible visuals. Often using soft tones to evoke a heightened fantasy and to visually depict the state of obsession, this is one of those films where it MATTERS that you’re watching it on Blu-ray and that the film looks so fantastic. One feels almost dirty watching a De Palma film such as this, as though you’re overhearing conversations not meant for you. It is, frankly, awesome. And since this is a Collector’s Edition release from Scream Factory, you’re also getting a load of bonus features. Anyone who considers themselves even a marginal Brian De Palma fan would do well to pick up Obsession.
- Audio Commentary with Douglas Keesey (Author of Brian De Palma’s Split Screen: A Life In Film)
- Interview with George Litto (producer) and Paul Hirsch (editor)
- Obsession Revisited Featurette including De Palma, Robertson, and Bujold
- Trailers, Radio Spots, Still Gallery
And I’m Out.
Obsession is now available on Blu-ray from Scream Factory
-
For Your Consideration: Two Cents Ponders if YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE
Two Cents is an original column akin to a book club for films. The Cinapse team will program films and contribute our best, most insightful, or most creative thoughts on each film using a maximum of 200 words each. Guest writers and fan comments are encouraged, as are suggestions for future entries to the column. Join us as we share our two cents on films we love, films we are curious about, and films we believe merit some discussion.
The Pick
Lynne Ramsay is widely acknowledged as one of the great filmmakers of her generation, but she doesn’t get to make movies very often. We don’t want to call that gendered bullshit for which the entire industry should be ashamed of itself… but… well…
There was a 9-year gap between the Scottish auteur’s second feature, Morvern Callar, and her third, the universally-acclaimed We Need to Talk About Kevin. And there was another 7-year void between Kevin and Ramsay’s latest, You Were Never Really Here.
Inspired by a novella by Jonathan Bored to Death Ames, You Were Never Really Here follows Joe (Joaquin Phoenix), an unassuming, suicidal veteran and former FBI agent who now spends his days caring for his near-invalid mother and his nights as a gun-for-hire rescuing girls from sexual servitude. Only he prefers a hammer to a gun. Joe’s system seems foolproof until the day he is recruited by a state senator (Alex Manette) to rescue his daughter (Ekaterina Samsonov), with a special request to make the recovery really, really hurt for the perpetrators. Joe does so, but soon finds himself caught in a web of betrayals and conspiracy that might just swallow him whole unless he fights his way out.
But anyone hoping for Oldboy-style beatdowns came to the wrong dojo, as Ramsay’s decompressed pacing and hallucinatory visuals intentionally confound hopes for visceral thrills. Much of the violence takes place entirely off-camera, and the little we do see is fast, vicious, and at times sickening in its blunt ugliness.
You Were Never Really Here received a standing ovation when it debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, and was widely praised upon release. Yet the film has been widely ignored throughout awards season and is expected to be one of the bigger snubs when Oscar nominations get unveiled on Tuesday.
So let’s give the film and its filmmaker its deserved day in the sun. Grab your hammer and take a seat, ’cause Two Cents is most definitely here. — Brendan
Next Week’s Pick:
Next up in our Awards Season concurrent For Your Consideration series, we want to bring attention to a powerful indie film that found its way to the Top 10 lists of a couple of our Cinapse writers. Bomb City tells the true story of a group of marginalized punks in 90s Amarillo, TX, whose escalating entanglements with local jocks which ended in tragic violence. Please join us in sharing this incredible story. — Austin
Would you like to be a guest in next week’s Two Cents column? Simply watch and send your under-200-word review to twocents(at)cinapse.co anytime before midnight on Thursday!
The Team
Recommended to me by numerous people whose opinions I tend to value, I made sure to cram You Were Never Really Here in for my 2018 list prep. I found myself underwhelmed at first, but I knew it was likely due to the amounts of praise heaped onto the film… so I stepped back and came back to it after an attempt to clear my mind and tamper expectations.
I’m glad I did because it’s a pretty fantastic film. It handles dark subject matter and intense violence in a unique Hollywood friendly kind of way. It’s rare that a film can truly appeal both as a dark exploitation film and an intense award season style drama. This accomplishes that blending to perfection.
What’s more is that the film has improved for me since I’ve gotten some distance on it and ruminated on its themes and ideas. Looking forward to diving in again in the future to see what else I can pull from it. (@thepaintedman)
Uninterested in action or entertaining set pieces, Ramsay is rather painting a portrait of rampant brokenness that is unflinching and confidently stylish. Every tool in the arsenal of a filmmaker is utilized by Ramsay and her team to craft a profound sensory experience that absolutely benefits from the theatrical experience. The aforementioned sound design is bold, editing and camera work are all fully employed to pull us deeper into Joe’s off-kilter reality. Jonny Greenwood’s score is as pure and jumbled as Joe’s own mind. Joaquin Phoenix embodies his character with the ferocity and commitment we’ve come to appreciate from one of this generation’s finest actors. Ramsay’s screenplay, based on the book by Jonathan Ames, ratchets up the tension and draws us into Joe’s world with flawless pacing and intention. This is an uncompromised work of a filmmaker who absolutely cannot be ignored. (@Ed_Travis)
[Excerpted from Ed’s full review]
You Were Never Really Here falls right alongside the likes of The Limey, Ghost Dog, Point Blank, and other various films that take stock pulp premises and approach them in an elliptical, subjective manner, favoring poetic styling over visceral thrills. As such, it doesn’t surprise me that You Were Never Really Here has flown under people’s radars, and maybe frustrated a number of audience members who went in hoping for a rampaging revenge picture.
Ramsay isn’t interested in the violent criminal world so much as she’s fascinated by the kind of man who would knowingly wade into such a hellscape. The narrative is more or less paint-by-numbers conspiracy hokum, but Ramsay’s camera and Phoenix’s raw-nerve performance more than compensate by locking you into the skull of a tortured psyche and refusing to let you free.
In Ramsay’s film, it’s an open question whether or not the cycles of abuse and trauma can ever truly be escaped. Phoenix’s “Joe” starts the film suicidal and he hasn’t moved the meter much beyond that by film’s close. But maybe it’s enough that these damaged people are clinging to each other and making an effort to soldier on despite all that. Or maybe the world simply swallows up the damaged and broken, as if they were never there at all. Either way, You Were Never Really Here gradually builds power until its final knock-out images, and I’ve found it near impossible to shake even days later. (@theTrueBrendanF)
You Were Never Really Here is familiar in plot, but differentiates itself in presentation. Stories of men (it’s always men) rescuing girls from sex trafficking aren’t new, but most of these follow the action route of violently declaring war against the bad guys (by no means a bad thing: Taken, The Homesman, The Man From Nowhere — all subperb). But for Joe, it’s just a job that gives him the opportunity to make a living by venting his aggression — until the moment where that changes.
Lynne Ramsay has crafted a film that shows a compelling and powerful depiction of depression and destruction, but refuses to give into fatalism. I’ve been actively disinterested in Joaquin Phoenix since his I’m Not Here-era bullshit, so I’m glad that we went with this pick, that I probably would’ve avoided otherwise. (@VforVashaw)
Next week’s pick:
-
Two Cents Hitches a Ride with THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY
Two Cents is an original column akin to a book club for films. The Cinapse team will program films and contribute our best, most insightful, or most creative thoughts on each film using a maximum of 200 words each. Guest writers and fan comments are encouraged, as are suggestions for future entries to the column. Join us as we share our two cents on films we love, films we are curious about, and films we believe merit some discussion.
The Pick
And. We. Are. Back.
And what better way to usher in 2019 than a comedy that opens with the Earth being blown to smithereens?
Douglas Adams’ widely-adored series The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy traveled a long way towards being a feature film, making a stop at virtually every other kind of mass media along the way. The property originated as a radio show, then was adapted into a novel (with several sequels), a live-action TV series, a video game, comics, and just about everything else except movies.
After long last (and after Adams’ tragically premature death at only 49), The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy finally arrived in theaters in 2005, directed by Garth Jennings (in his feature debut. He would go on to direct Son of Rambow and Sing).
The film stars Martin Freeman as a hapless Englishman (which…I mean…that’s why you get Martin Freeman, right?) who discovers one ordinary morning that 1) His best friend Ford (Yasiin Bey, aka Mos Def) is actually an alien ‘hitchhiker’ hopping from planet to planet for research, and B) the Earth is mere moments from being destroyed as part of an intergalactic construction project.
Ford whisks the duo away, bringing with them only ever-useful towels and the eponymous guidebook for interstellar adventuring. Eventually their paths cross with renegade, two-headed President Zaphod Beeblebrox (Sam Rockwell), fellow lost earthling Tricia McMillan (Zooey Deschanel), and manic-depressive robot Marvin (Alan Rickman). Together, the group set out to learn the secrets of life, the universe, and everything, but mostly they just discover trouble, bad poetry, ill-tempered mice, bored super computers, and even more trouble.
Next Week’s Pick:
We’re excited for the year of movies ahead, but let’s first take some time to reflect on the great year we’ve just had. Here’s the plan for some films we loved in 2018 to coincide with awards season.
You Were Never Really Here – 1/18 (Amazon Prime)
Bomb City – 1/25 (Amazon Prime)
Roma – 2/1 (Netflix)
Leave No Trace – 2/8 (Amazon Prime)
So give You Were Never Really Here a watch on Amazon Prime and we will see you next week!
Would you like to be a guest in next week’s Two Cents column? Simply watch and send your under-200-word review to twocents(at)cinapse.co anytime before midnight on Thursday!
Our Guests
Nick Spacek:
For whatever reason, when the trailer originally came out for the Hitchhiker’s Guide film, I was like, “Fuck this movie. I’m not going to see something that ruins my childhood.” Then, flash-forward to ten years later when I’m not a complete idiot, and I watch it, and now I’m filled with a million kinds of regret. How many other people skipped this, not knowing that Sam Rockwell is fucking amazing in EVERYTHING, or that Martin Freeman is the perfect befuddled straight man, or that Mos Def wasn’t going to do many movies and we should savor what we had? If this had been successful, we could’ve gotten a Restaurant at the End of the Universe movie, people. It’s charmingly balanced between brilliantly-colorful animation and practical puppetry, and every performance (Zooey Deschanel notwithstanding) is perfectly suited to the person playing the role. I feel like every time I watch Hitchhiker’s Guide, I’m doing penance for my past sins, because this is so much fun and such a love letter to the fans of the series, and we spit on it. Yes, the romance angle is pretty “meh,” but the TV series’ Marvin looks like a windup toy, so there. (@nuthousepunks)
In my teens I was a huge fan of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy in all its forms — books, TV, and audio. At the end of my freshman year of college my friends and I were beyond excited for the debut of this film, which was released on April 29, 2005. April 29, 2005 was also the day I had two final exams. Nonetheless, we went all-out for the movie. We had “Don’t Panic” shirts made and got tickets to the nearest midnight showing — an irresponsible hour and a half away. We brought our towels and robes, and we had a blast. I say all of this mostly to emphasize that my enjoyment of Hitchhiker’s Guide is both long-running and based in part on its versatility as a multimedia franchise. In other words I appreciate that even though the story is always roughly the same, each incarnation is adapted to best suit its medium by shifting character and story elements as needed.
While in a lot of ways the movie version of Hitchhiker’s Guide isn’t entirely “faithful” to prior versions, I would argue that it is a franchise that rejects notions like “original” and “copy” in favor of something more like parallel co-equal incarnations. Watching for the first time in several years I was surprised at how well much of it holds up (although Sam Rockwell’s Bush-esque Galactic President is a little dated). Most of the changes made for the film serve to streamline the story and make it more “cinematic.” Not all of the jokes land, and a holdover from prior versions is an overall episodic structure. That said, Douglas Adams’ combination of dry humor and silly jokes is unmistakably there, and the cast is just perfect. I also dig the visual aesthetic, which is kind of retro 50s/60s sci-fi by way of early ’00s tech trends (think early iPods or iMacs at the time). This isn’t a film with weighty themes or ideas — in fact, it openly mocks any suggestion of such deep thoughts. Even with several American actors prominently featured, this is British comedy first and science fiction second, and on that level it succeeds. It may not be one of my favorite films, but after all these years I’m glad to say I still really like Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Oh, and for the record, I got As in both of those classes back in 2005. (@T_Lawson)
Brendan Agnew (The Norman Nerd):
I love The Hitchhiker’s Galaxy. I love the radio drama, the book, what little I’ve seen of the show, I just love the concept and nonsense of it all — but my favorite thing about it is how it morphs into a slightly new form each time it’s adapted for a new medium.
Now, the 2005 feature film of Hitchhiker’s doesn’t technically work. Even grading on the curve of the material (which was ideally suited to serialized radio and struggled to find narrative footing afterward), it’s disjointed and odd and for every killer sequence (the poetry, the introduction of the improbability drive, basically every Guide entry), there’s a story beat that isn’t so much straining at the seams as it is trying to stuff candy back in an already busted pinata. But I don’t care, because it still manages to charm the socks off me every time. I love Def’s laconic Ford, I love Rockwell’s “Zaphod by way of George W. Bush,” I *adore* the version of Marvin synthesized by Warwick Davis and Alan Rickman, and I still can’t get over how perfect Martin Freeman is as Arthur Dent.
And, unlike most versions of the story, the film actually gives Arthur something to do. It’s awkward and bumbling about it, but Freeman really carries that final act, and lands an emotional beat while arguing with cartoon mice because…well, he’s Martin Freeman. Even if the film ends up feeling somewhat shabby and overstuffed-but-not-in-the-right-places and in as in need of revision as the titular Guide itself, I can’t help it. It’s a bit of a mess, but a cosmically enjoyable one.
Also, the Idea Spatulas are one of the best gags that’s ever come out of the property, fight me. (@BLCAgnew)
The Team
I’m not going to try to be witty or entertaining with this entry today because this film certainly wasn’t either of those things. Instead, this film takes what should be a slam dunk premise, then mixes in a stellar cast, and somehow falls flat in mostly every way. When it was released, it did nothing at all for me. And, this go around, I wasn’t even able to watch it in a single sitting. In fact, it took me 4 attempts to even get past the early goings, at which point I finally just let it play through for fear I’d not make it through in time to participate in this discussion.
It’s not necessarily a “bad” movie, so much as it’s an uninteresting and disappointing one. And, if you can’t keep me interested in a film featuring a good bit of Mos Def, you’ve certainly failed hard… because I love everything — well almost everything — that dude does! (@thepaintedman)
Like a lot of the other folks on here, I have a huge affection for the Hitchhiker’s book. I’d go so far as to call it a favorite, as I can’t even count the number of hours I’ve lost giggling over the droll absurdity of Adams’ words and worlds. Unlike the rest of these guys, though, I find this movie to be a big fat stinking miss on almost every level. While much of the dialogue and incidents of the film are ported over whole from the book/show/radio play, Jennings flubs the timing and rhythm almost every time, so lines and jokes that read funny on the page just lie there dead, like fish flopping on the sand unable to breathe.
This is the part where normally I would say that the film doesn’t work but at least the cast is good, but while I like pretty much every performer here on their own, as an ensemble they never once click and in fact only seem to bring out each other’s worst tendencies. Def and Rockwell both flail around, I guess trying for ‘alien’ but instead landing on obnoxious. Deschanel at times seems to be reading her lines off a card, utterly lost with a character who changes personalities and temperament from scene-to-scene. And Freeman, look, I love the guy and he’s the obvious perfect choice for Arthur Dent. But that in and of itself is a problem. Arthur Dent (and this goes for his eventual casting as Bilbo Baggins as well) is so effortlessly in Freeman’s wheelhouse that the character doesn’t feel so much as a character as Stock Nervous Brit, with Freeman cycling through all his usual tics and mannerisms and never being asked to dig for anything deeper or more interesting. Part of that is inherent to the material, as Arthur Dent was always more of a placeholder than a dynamic character, but the film’s attempt to beef up the role with a romantic/heroic arc for him and Deschanel falls completely flat and is totally at odds with the black-hearted, tongue-in-cheek spirit of Adams’ work.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is ultimately done in by trying to bring reverence to a property that all-but defined irreverence. In trying to cram as much of the book (including chunks of the Guide itself) as they possibly could, the filmmakers never cracked how to make this material work as a movie. The gags and bits that do work (including the ‘idea spatulas’ mentioned up top) are almost all original to the movie, and I wonder what might have been if the filmmakers had opted/been allowed to be looser and friskier with the material. Oh well. Not like there aren’t plenty of other incarnations of the story that work just fine. Still, it’s awfully disappointing to see so much talent and good material gone to waste.(@theTrueBrendanF)
Look close: That’s right-after-Shaun-of-the-Dead Edgar Wright as a Deep Thought technician I’m not sure how well Hitchhiker’s Guide did globally, but my perception was that it zipped in and out of US theaters with little fanfare or recognition. A fan of the series of novels, I watched it theatrically, and found it serviceable if not particularly great.
The movie had some things going against it — a primary cast of mostly lesser known actors (and more famous ones in voice-only roles), a lack of marketing, and a PG rating helped generate a tepid response. While based on a great novel, that was mainly of appeal to nerdy types (me).
Revisiting the film years later, I was astounded at what a different experience it was. The humor hit me right, and the cast has retroactively become really star-studded affair: Martin Freeman, Zooey Deschanel, Sam Rockwell, Bill Nighy are all very recognizable faces at the cinema.
The film remains clever and enjoyable, keeping the absurd spirit of the books much intact thanks to its voiceover narration and wry delivery. The film failed to launch a franchise, but even 14 years later, I’d love to continue the adventure with these characters. (@VforVashaw)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Dm25nWqil0
Next week’s pick:
-
The Top 15 Action Films Of 2018
2018 had action so good, it needed 15 slots
This is my favorite post to write every year. I’m fulfilled when living and breathing action cinema in a way I’ll probably never understand. And if there’s even a hint of a chance that some of you might discover these titles here and get as much joy from them as I have? There’s no greater thrill to be found as the Cinapse site runner.
It helps that, like in 2017 before it, this year was an absolutely stellar one for pure action cinema. It is my ongoing stance that AAA Hollywood films such as those from the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been accepted by the wider world as “action movies”. But they don’t really fit my bill, and they’ll be weighed differently when it comes to my own rankings of the best action cinema of the year. This list is about what I personally love, what represents action cinema at its most pure, and what could most use a spotlight shown upon it.
Note that when I’ve written about the title at Cinapse, you can click the titles to read my full review. And I’ve written about a fair amount of these at length this year. So, without further ado, here are the very best action films the world had to offer in 2018!
15: SUPERFLY
Unexpectedly, this gloriously over the top remake of the similarly titled blacksploitation classic surpasses the original in my estimation. With the stakes more amped up, the action and villainy on display more cartoonish, and some pointed and satisfying Black Lives Matter commentary throughout, this became an unheralded gem of 2018 superhero cinema (as Youngblood Priest is portrayed here as more or less a street superhero).
14: BUYBUST
While occasionally shaggy enough to find itself towards the bottom of this year’s list (still an honor among this great company), there’s just SO MUCH action in BuyBust. And some of it is truly great. I think the best elements of BuyBust are the female lead (Anne Curtis), the male sidekick (Brandon Vera), the cultural indictments of The Philippines (which I really didn’t catch until listening to the filmmakers talk about it), and the fact that the sheer scale of this production really announced The Philippines as a new hub for action cinema that we need to keep our eyes on.
13: DEN OF THIEVES
This came VERY early in 2018, and I haven’t revisited it since. However, Den Of Thieves gave me Gutter Heat: a movie I never knew I needed. Gerry Butler swaggers, Pablo Schreiber roids, and Ice Cube, Jr. chills. The action set pieces and character clashes are legitimately great, even if their trappings are trashy. And in the end the movie twists and turns and winks at you that it was taking you on a unique ride through the sewers the whole time. Will revisit and see any/all sequels.
12: THE PREDATOR
It’s somewhat odd when a movie can simultaneously disappoint you AND thrill you and still end up in a top 15 list. Was Shane Black and Fred Dekker’s film obviously compromised and mired in studio shenanigans? Very clearly, yes. But it’s still better than Predators was, and you guys know it. The Predator is gleefully R-rated, revels in 1980s tropes, offers a laugh a minute, and swings for the fences. It unravels in the end, but I had a huge smile on my face throughout, was putty in Black and Dekker’s hands, and will revisit regularly.
11: SICARIO: DAY OF THE SOLDADO
Hated by many for its questionable and fanciful political scenario portraying a mixture of radical Islamic terrorism and the US southern border, my read on the film placed the USA as the clear villains here, and I felt it was ballsy in its nihilism. Writer Taylor Sheridan is one of my favorite working American screenwriters at the moment and director Stefano Sollima made something truly nasty to follow up one of the greatest movies of the 2000s. And together they made an action film. Sure, it’s an action film that is terrifying in its implications and makes you feel sullied for being entertained by it, but any movie evoking awe and asking us to question the awful terror of our “military might” deserves consideration in my book.
10: FINAL SCORE
We’re in the top ten now, everyone, and I’m thrilled to have a Dave Bautista vehicle explode onto this list. Die Hard In A Soccer Stadium knows EXACTLY what it is and takes full advantage of its formula to deliver one of the very best Die Hard clones we’ve gotten in the last decade plus. Filming on location in a stadium slated for demolition, Final Score uses its location to maximum effect to bring us an old school good time at the movies. A couple great motorcycle chases/stunts, a fantastic leading man turn by Bautista, and a fight wherein a guy gets his face melted in a kitchen fryer? A movie that gives us all of these things deserves a spot on this list without any question.
9: KICKBOXER: RETALIATION
Speaking of Dave Bautista, he was one of the best parts of the last Kickboxer film, surname Vengeance. But as his villainous Tong Po was defeated last time, he’s nowhere to be found in Retaliation. I had my doubts as lead Alain Moussi was the weakest link of Vengeance. However, Moussi exploded out of the gates here with Retaliation, complete with a weird dance number that called back to Van Damme’s first film in the series. Retaliation 100% delivers the goods. It’s weird, it lets both Van Damme AND Mike Tyson be quirky older trainers to Moussi’s character, and the final 40 minutes or so are just one single epic battle with Game Of Thrones’ The Mountain. This movie rules. Easily the second best Kickboxer film (and I’ve now seen 6 out of 7 of these things).
8: ACCIDENT MAN
It feels great to welcome my man Scott Adkins back to my action top 10. The hardest working man in action cinema takes on writing and producing roles here on top of starring, and Adkins certainly thrives in those roles. Painfully British, casually funny, and brimming with hard-R comic book violence, Accident Man is everything Adkins fans hoped it would be, and elevates Adkins himself to a bit of a triple threat as a filmmaker… something that brings me incomparable joy as the unofficial president of the Scott Adkins fan club. But the ensemble here cannot be ignored either, with luminaries like Michael Jai White, Amy Johnston, Ray Stevenson, Ray Park, and even David Paymer (?) doing excellent work, this feels like an empowered Scott Adkins happy to share the spotlight with other amazing talent to bring the best screen version of his beloved Accident Man comics to the screen that he possibly could.
7: MANHUNT
I’m a forever John Woo fan, and he’s objectively one of the all time greatest action filmmakers. Hell, one could make a convincing case that he is the greatest of all time. With this year’s Manhunt coming to Netflix and returning Woo to his “heroic bloodshed” roots, the smile on my face was unassailable throughout the runtime. International female assassins, a horse ranch gun battle, a cop and criminal engaged in a constant chase in which they ultimately bond and become brothers in bloodshed? Oh, and add in doves and heightened melodrama and every possible Woo-ism in the book? Manhunt was a home video highlight of the year and sparked a grand Woo rewatch for me that I’m still enjoying today.
6: MOLLY
The uncontested winner of the most surprising and left field action film of the year… I wasn’t ready for Molly. I haven’t heard many others from the action community embracing or championing this weird little post-apocalyptic female-fronted fight film, so I will be Molly’s hype man. Coming to us from The Netherlands via Artsploitation Films, Molly is a totally different kind of action hero. She’s got some supernatural powers she doesn’t understand and can’t quite control, but mostly she’s a scrapper and a survivor. The budget limitations are clear, but that just endears me all the more as this team delivers unique action sequences complete with tons of long takes. (The final 30 minutes are a giant siege sequence edited to look like one single shot). Molly brims with ideas and it all builds a rad post-apocalyptic world with a uniquely female point of view. Do not sleep on Molly.
5: UPGRADE
We’re in the top 5 now, and Upgrade earns its place here and then some. Leigh Whannell is having a blast bringing us this melange of Cronenberg, Cameron, and Jackie Chan. Logan Marshall Green delivers a star making physical performance as a paralyzed man becoming a fisticuffs genius due to a futuristic operating system being installed in his body. Camera and performer work seamlessly together to deliver some of 2018’s most thrilling and uniquely stylized fights. Add to that a fun futuristic plot complete with body horror elements and you’ve got exactly the punk rock techno action thriller that Whannell dreamed he could deliver. Upgrade brings the goods and will have a long shelf life.
4: THE DEBT COLLECTOR
Whereas I had been highly anticipating Accident Man for years, The Debt Collector (Scott Adkins’ second appearance in this year’s top ten) took me completely by surprise. Sure, Adkins’ ongoing collaboration with writer/director Jesse V. Johnson has been an ascending ladder of action excellence for both parties (Savage Dog & Accident Man immediately prior to this), but this movie had the disadvantage of a dubious trailer that didn’t do the final product any kind of justice. I went in nervous, with gritted teeth, and came out blown away by a 1970s-style crime film and buddy comedy with excellent action and a dramatic wallop. It’s also worth noting that B-action staple Louis Mandylor turns in a game changing co-lead performance perfectly balancing out Adkins for a shockingly effective tough guy buddy dynamic. A major work of 2018 action cinema, the Adkins/Johnson collaboration is becoming one of the most important relationships in modern action cinema.
3: CREED II
[The Rocky/Creed films are arguably more melodrama than action film, but as Stallone is the reigning king of action cinema, its roots and DNA are quintessential action cinema]. The primary discourse about Creed II was inescapable: Is it as good as Creed? Well… no. No it isn’t as good as that absolute miracle of a movie that became the second best film in a forty year old franchise that has truly become our greatest silver screen American mythology. But as chapter eight in our American mythology, Creed II absolutely rules. It continues to hand the reins of the underdog hero to the endlessly charismatic Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Creed, it continues to give voice to African American creators and talent, and it updates Rocky IV in such a way as to make that film retroactively more filled with pathos. Dolph Lundgren turns in a quietly devastating supporting performance as Ivan Drago and Stallone indulges in his most Stallone-like tendencies but comes out swinging with an absolutely spectacular new round in the franchise with the most fire burning in its belly.
2: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT
An absolute game changer, Fallout could easily have been #1 this year, and it’s such a different beast than my number one pick, in my mind they’re kind of both #1. Fallout is a specific beast: a big budget, AAA, PG-13, 6th film in a studio franchise, star-driven property. Tom Cruise is in the unique position of being able to produce and star in a series in which he can push the limits of what is possible for action set pieces. ONLY Tom Cruise can do this kind of thing because he risks his own skin doing skydives, leaping off of buildings, and piloting helicopters… but he has the star power to justify the risks and expenses therein. It’s a unique kind of thrill you can’t get anywhere else and Fallout (in referencing and welcoming all the previous installments into the narrative) manages to pay homage to the series that has come before it and deliver multiple action set pieces that rank among action cinema’s all-time great sequences. In my opinion, this should cap the series, with Ethan Hunt going out on top and forever being our supernatural protector.
1: THE NIGHT COMES FOR US
The gnarliest action film in the history of the medium, Timo Tjahjanto’s The Night Comes For Us edged out Fallout for me for a couple of simple reasons. One: This is pure, distilled action cinema. Two: I’ve always argued that the human stakes of fight films are the undying and eternal appeal of action cinema. We’re watching human beings do inconceivable things with their physical bodies through raw talent and in conjunction with a filmmaking team. So while there are no set pieces here that rival the helicopters in Fallout, the fleshy, bloody, meaty stakes of The Night Comes For Us are more pure in my mind (if still heightened and elevated to allow for gallons of cartoon blood to exit our heroes with little consequence). What The Night Comes For Us delivers is the most pure fight film of 2018, and one of the most singular experiences of the year. Homaging John Woo while embracing the bloody horror elements Tjahjanto is best known for, this film brings “heroic bloodshed” to a new level [of wetness]. I screamed aloud so many times in my two watches of this movie. There are kills and injuries here so shocking that you could conceivably FORGET half a dozen of them that would have been the most jaw dropping kill in another movie. That thrill alone is noteworthy, but meaningless unless done with panache. And The Night Comes For Us captures incredible fight choreography, excellent set piece direction, escalating stakes, and characters and story you care JUST enough about to take you from one insane fight to the next. It’s the most entertained I have been in 2018. Period. And it’s the best action film of the year.
Honorable Mentions: Aquaman & Braven (Jason Momoa is a rising mega star), Hotel Artemis, The Marvel Movies Of 2018 (they’re great and didn’t need to be highlighted here), and Stu Bennett’s I Am Vengeance (also a rising star with great potential).
And I’m Out.
-
Top 10 2018 Films To Make You More Empathetic/Compassionate
Cinema is our greatest empathy machine, so soak these up and go be the good in your community
I live and breathe cinema in a way so central to my being that I believe this passion can only come from my creator. And over the last several years, I’ve been transformed in an ongoing fashion by the mission and vision of Mobile Loaves & Fishes, an Austin-based non-profit where I serve as the Community Cinema Director. At our Community First! Village we live to empower communities into a lifestyle of service with the homeless as we provide permanent, long term housing for Austin’s chronically homeless. Somehow, amidst the beauty (and chaos) of that lived mission, I get to run an outdoor amphitheater we call the Community Cinema. Formerly homeless neighbors at the Village earn a dignified income working at events that we host and we welcome anyone and everyone to come experience free movie nights with us and, in turn, experience our revolutionary community.
I’m always searching for ways to harness my love for cinema to make change in the world. Cinema is our most potent empathy machine, after all. Cinema and MLF alike have molded and shaped me into a more compassionate and empathetic individual, seeing hope in places I never before believed possible. So I thought I’d share a unique top 10 list: The top 10 films of 2018 that may just challenge you to be a more compassionate and empathetic individual.
These films reflect my own taste to a degree, but also in some way espouse, celebrate, depict, or highlight the core values of Mobile Loaves & Fishes or authentically give insight into the lives of our friends and neighbors who find themselves homeless (or did at one time). I believe anyone would do well to soak in these films, allowing them to walk in unique shoes in a way only movies can.
10: Minding The Gap [R]
“Skateboarding is more of a family than my family”. A young skateboarder turns his cameras on himself and his friends as they grow up and captures a documentary far more profound than the sum of its parts. Exploring generational abuse, neglect, alcoholism, sexual abuse, and the the power of a creative outlet like skateboarding, Minding The Gap depicts bondage to our pasts and true freedom in equal measure.
9: The Rider [R]
“I believe God gives each of us a purpose. For a horse it’s to run across the prairie. For a cowboy it’s to ride”. A young man from the plains sees the rodeo as his only chance for a better life. When he’s injured, he must chart a course for a life that may not live up to the dreams he once had. How do any of us pick ourselves back up and move ahead in life? It certainly isn’t by our own “bootstraps”.
8: Thunder Road [R]
The most “indie” film on this list, shot right here in our own Austin, TX, Thunder Road is the unraveling and possible redemption of a struggling man. Portraying the loss of a parent, divorce, custody battles, employment struggles, and one man just trying to get by… this is a vulnerable and singular piece of work.
7: Blindspotting [R]
This is America. Youthful, angry, and energetic, Blindspotting covers it all: race, parole, police shootings, gentrification, white privilege, hip hop. From some of the creators of Hamilton. This one will stretch you. You’ll laugh and you’ll cry.
6: Eighth Grade [R, but highly recommended for mature teens]
Kayla Day is just trying to make it through her last week of eighth grade. And no film will set off your empathy meter more deeply, or make you squirm through the awkwardness of youth today, like this one. An authentic look at growing up in America today, being a young girl, and even teen/parent dynamics.
5: Paddington 2 [PG, Watch with the whole family]
“If we’re kind and polite, the world will be right” Silly and fantastical? Yes. But as Paddington Bear looks for the good in all of us and stumbles his way through adventures, his relentless goodness becomes infectious and he changes the world around him in spite of all the odds being against him. How can we be more like Paddington?
4: If Beale Street Could Talk [R]
“Remember, love is what brought you here. And if you’ve trusted love this far, don’t panic now. Trust it all the way.” Far and away 2018’s most powerful exploration of the salvific bond of a loving family and a caring community who is willing to go to any lengths to preserve love. This gorgeous film depicts the unique beauty and struggle of a black family in Harlem in the 1970s.
3: Leave No Trace [PG]
“Where is your home?”
“With my Dad”.
“It’s not a crime to be unhoused, but it’s illegal to live on public land”. A father suffering from PTSD and his teenage daughter forge a life for themselves camping in the pacific northwest. As the father’s PTSD and the daughter’s need for independence clash, a powerful exploration of what homelessness truly means emerges.
2: Shoplifters [R]
A makeshift Japanese family gets by on the verge of homelessness by caring for one another and, yes, by shoplifting. Their familial bond is threatened by the government in the year’s best (and most achingly beautiful) exploration of how society punishes you for being poor, and how when your own family fails you, sometimes you have to choose a new one.
1: Won’t You Be My Neighbor? [PG-13, but quite family friendly]
“The greatest thing that we can do is to help somebody know that they are loved and capable of loving” — Fred Rogers. Goodness. Period. A documentary chronicling the life and career of Fred Rogers captures the spirit of goodness and the power of the “neighborhood” and handily becomes the most “must watch” film of 2018 for those in need of hope.
And I’m Out.
-
SILENT RAGE (1982): Chuck Norris Dips A Toe Into Terror [Blu Review]
Chuck Norris dabbles in the seedier side of cinema
More than any other big 1980s action star, the various titles of Chuck Norris’ films often bleed together in my brain, making it hard to recall which ones I’ve seen and not seen. Therefore I find it pretty helpful to look closely at the release dates of Chuck Norris’ films when deciding whether or not to experiment. Mid-90s or later? Maybe take a pass. Mid-70s to mid-80s? There’s a good chance you’ll find some gold.
And so it came to pass that I kind of always thought I had seen Silent Rage (easily mistaken for 1985’s Code Of Silence). Here Norris plays a cowboy-hatted sheriff named Dan Stevens. In the very same year he played another cowboy-hatted cop in Forced Vengeance, and perhaps his most widely known role was as a cowboy-hatted Texas Ranger, so please do forgive me for the oversight. But now that I’ve seen Silent Rage, I’m happy to report that it very much stands out from the pack and I’m unlikely to casually confuse it with other early Chuck titles in the future. Because, you see, Silent Rage is a Chuck Norris vehicle that veers headlong into the horror genre, and as a result feels unlike any other Norris film I’ve had the pleasure of seeing. (I haven’t seen Hellbound, which looks to experiment with a similar formula over a decade later).
Silent Rage is a prime example of a movie that entertains because of how precisely it represents the various genres it dabbles in. It’s more or less exactly the movie you think it’s going to be with just a little bit of fantasy science to push it over the finish line. Imagine Chuck Norris squaring off against Frankenstein’s monster and you’ve got a pretty great idea of what you’re in for. Dan Stevens is the perfectly well-rounded hero with a mean roundhouse, a kind heart (willing to train the comedy relief pudgy deputy and encourage him that he can be more than just the “fatty fall down” guy in a movie even when the movie mostly still relegates him to that role), and a soft spot for the ladies. He’s also got a mustache. The monstrous John Kirby (Brian Libby), he of the titular silent rage, descends from mental illness into murder, gets killed in a shootout upon his arrest, and is brought back to life with Wolverine-like healing powers by an untested serum injected by evil Dr. Spires (Steven Keats) and the more conflicted Dr. Halman (a young Ron Silver in the flesh!).
Again, all of this plays out exactly as you’d expect. Stevens breaks up some bar fights, meets a lady (who turns out to be Dr. Halman’s sister), and captures the bad guy. Meanwhile, sparring doctors debate the ethics of their experiment on the captured and mostly dead bad guy and one is revealed to be a mad scientist while the other is kept in the dark. You know it’s all leading to multiple roundhouse kicks to Frankenstein’s face… and you know that is something you have always wanted to see and are willing to wait for the final act to get. In the process you get a bunch of awesome slasher movie tropes like Chuck’s lady discovering a bunch of dead bodies around the house, an axe-murder intro, and a lumbering, silent killer giant. It’s a calculated genre blend, and somehow simultaneously gives you exactly what you want while never really surprising you with much of anything.
Overall I quite enjoyed Silent Rage and do believe it stands out mightily from Norris’ overall oeuvre. It’s more seedy and titillating than most of his work, which means I’m sure he’s embarrassed of it today and wishes he’d never made it. But I’ll take an R-rated Chuck over evangelical Chuck any day of the week. Despite standing out from Chuck’s other work, however, it really is a boilerplate psycho killer story that benefits from having a bonafide action movie legend present to shake up the formula just a tiny bit. Norris devotees and even slasher junkies will definitely want to seek this out and express their own silent rage.
The Package
Released via Mill Creek Entertainment’s line of retro VHS titles, kitschy cover art depicting VHS box art and a VHS tape sliding out of the side is essentially the only defining feature here. That said, the movie looks pretty good on Blu-ray, it’s a fun B-movie to discover, and I didn’t really mind just getting the movie itself in this case. Sure, a bunch of interviews with the talent would have been awesome. But you won’t get any of that here. This is worth a purchase for Chuck Norris devotees or action/horror junkies as it’s quite a fun slice of early-80s cheese. But this is barebones all the way.
And I’m Out.
Silent Rage hits Blu-ray 1/15/2019 from Mill Creek Entertainment
-
STARMAN: The Master Of Horror John Carpenter Is A Big Old Softie [Blu Review]
Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen chemistry abounds
Romance films are a risky endeavor.
The genre lives and dies on a few core essentials which cannot be compromised or the whole project will fail. Of primary importance is the casting of the leads (and the chemistry between them). You can have an amazing story, excellent dialog, award-worthy cinematography, stylish direction… and if your leads don’t mesh with the audience, the movie is irreparable.
Also, romance is eternally relevant and universally relatable, but when telling a story squarely within the genre, there’s no hiding from it. Your audience MUST come along for the emotional ride between the leads or no other flourish or genre layering can maintain audience loyalty.
I mention all of this because it’s crucial to understanding why John Carpenter’s Starman feels like such a longshot, and why it works like gangbusters.
Carpenter is my all-time favorite director. And while I primarily love him for some of his more blue collar action/sci-fi/genre stuff like Big Trouble In Little China, They Live, or Assault On Precinct 13, he’s best known as the Master Of Horror. He’s not known for on-screen romance. Starman (and Carpenter), therefore, had a lot to prove in 1984 with this project. Fortunately Starman is the perfect romance vehicle for someone like Carpenter to tackle, with sci-fi and chase elements also mixed in.
Starman depicts a man-made satellite sent out into the galaxy featuring recordings and samples of our world cultures being picked up by a mysterious spaceship which responds by sending a being to our planet to make contact. This titular character happens to [crash] land in the vicinity of Jenny Hayden’s (Karen Allen) property, and, assuming the physical form of her deceased husband Scott (Jeff Bridges) in order to make her feel more comfortable, demands Jenny’s assistance to rendezvous with his people hundreds of miles away. I know, a lot just happened in that last sentence. But honestly, that hook is the most complicated and sci-fi element of the film. It’s otherwise fairly refreshingly straightforward.
Bruce A. Evans and Raynold Gideon’s script strikes a really tricky balance that allows this plot to work and gives the leads time to shine. Bridges, in an Oscar nominated role, gets to play a mysterious being literally walking in another man’s shoes. Both child-like and bird-like, Starman must focus on his rendezvous with his mothership or he will die. However, along the way he’ll soak in as much of our culture as possible. Allen’s Jenny, on the other hand, has more or less been traumatized by watching a strange creature morph into her dead husband right before her eyes, and is then forced to take this being on the road. The dynamic these circumstances creates between these two leads is absolutely fantastic. They’re somewhat destined to fall in love, but despite all the sci-fi tropes and obstacles between them, their path to falling in love feels natural; nay, human.
There’s a purity and innocence to the Starman character. There’s not a malicious bone in his body as he’s a being of higher intelligence. He doesn’t grasp the human race, however, and out of necessity, Jenny begins to teach him and empathize with him. It helps that he’s seemingly able to perform miracles with the use of some otherworldly spheres he’s brought with him on his journey. Starman’s abilities combined with his earnest desire to understand humanity make for an intriguing character. Jenny is preoccupied with escaping from her situation at first, but soon comes to care for this powerful creature that looks just like her beloved husband. What’s fascinating is that she falls in love with Starman, and not so much with Scott. Their love is tender, aided by a gorgeous score from Jack Nitzsche and amplified by the increasing danger they find themselves in.
Outside of our two leads, there’s a whole Close Encounters Of The Third Kind-lite element happening, with the government tracking the arrival of the spacecraft and attempting to engage with the alien. Wonderful character actor Charles Martin Smith (The Untouchables) plays a kind of geeky and outnumbered version of Truffaut’s awe-filled character from Close Encounters: the empathetic and pure scientist who just wants to discover the mystery and share it with the world. But he’s employed by the government, as embodied by Richard Jaekel’s George Fox, who will of course stop at nothing to apprehend this creature. Martin Smith is excellent and his arc is another element of the film that soars. For the first two thirds of the film the whole big government baddies piece never quite works and feels like a distraction from our leads. But in the film’s climax when Martin Smith’s Mark Shermin actually gets to stick it to the man and have a powerful discussion with Starman about the beauty of our humanity, all the non-love-story stuff also clicks into place for a banger of an ending.
But again, the key here is that Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen click. We care about our main characters and we want to see them fall in love. We invest in their race against the clock because John Carpenter took the time to work with his actors and bring to life a strong script in a way that works. He may be the Master Of Horror, but credit should be given where it is due and Carpenter proves with Starman that he’s an actor’s director (and a big old softie). As the emotion and the killer score swells for the visually iconic finale, Starman cements its place as another top tier film from one of America’s great filmmakers.
The Package
Perhaps the only thing more endearing than a commentary track between John Carpenter and Kurt Russell might be a commentary track between Carpenter and Jeff Bridges. It’s clear that these guys are genuine friends and also that they respect one another’s craft deeply. This fantastic commentary track is an easy recommend that makes this disc worth owning outright. And while that track does not appear to be newly recorded for this release, there IS a featurette created just for this Collector’s Edition Blu featuring Carpenter, Bridges, and Charles Martin Smith (as well as Sandy King-Carpenter who was script supervisor on the film and is now married to the director). This is a great disc for an often overlooked title in John Carpenter’s oeuvre. An easy recommend for Carpenter fans or even just hopeless romantics.
And I’m Out.
John Carpenter’s Starman is now available on Collector’s Edition Blu-ray from Scream Factory
-
KRULL Remains A Delightful Fantasy Adventure [Blu Review]
We don’t deserve The Glaive, but we need it right now
The Travis family actually owned Krull on betamax… and in the 1980s, I wore that tape out. It’s not every film that you watched countless times as a kid, however, that turns out to be any good upon adult reflection. Thankfully, enjoying Krull on its latest Blu-ray iteration for the first time in probably decades was like wrapping up in a warm blanket, and just as thrilling and magical as I’d always remembered it to be.
Written by Stanford Sherman (The Ice Pirates, and 18 eps of Adam West’s Batman series) and directed by Peter Yates (Bullitt, The Deep), Krull is a fantasy epic that feels equal parts JRR Tolkien and George Lucas. The planet Krull is ruled by an intergalactic evil known only as The Beast, who travels in a Castlevania-esque tower which disappears and reappears in a new location every day. The Beast sets his eyes on the Princess Lyssa (Lysette Anthony) to be his Queen of the Galaxy and kidnaps her upon her wedding day. Her betrothed, the young Prince Colwyn (Ken Marshall) must set out on a rescue quest against all odds. You can’t get much more traditional than that archetypal plot, but then again… certain tales become archetypes for a reason.
As Colwyn embarks on his quest, he’s mentored by Ynyr The Old One (Freddie Jones), a sort of Obi-Wan Kenobi type of character who has trod a similar path to Colwyn’s years before with tragic results. It is Ynyr who insists that Colwyn must harness the power of The Glaive is he’s ever going to defeat The Beast. And on the journey Colwyn will assemble a team of misfits and outlaws who will become just the right assemblage of heroes to challenge the ruler of the universe.
Mixing sci-fi elements like awesome looking evil foot soldiers who shoot laser beams from their staffs with ancient prophecies and magic, Krull truly melds a couple of the geekiest genres into something that feels fresh and familiar all at the same time. Sherman’s screenplay is loaded to the gills with entertaining action set pieces and cool new ideas that make the world of Krull feel like a place unlike Middle Earth or a galaxy far, far away while still playing in the same sandbox as those tales.
Each new quest or challenge or battle thrills in some kind of unique way. Instead of a lightsaber or The One Ring, Colwyn is granted the awesome power of The Glaive, an iconic magical throwing star/blade that must only be used when the time is right. Just this year the eternally cool Glaive was referenced in Spielberg’s Ready Player One, and it even appears in the title treatment for the film in a most epic fashion. It’s the iconic symbol of the film, and it remains one of the coolest magical weapons in all of cinematic fantasy. On top of the Glaive you’ve got other fantastical elements like a den with a giant killer spider, wild horses called Fire Mares that scorch the earth with their magical speed, and a massive castle siege. To name just a few set pieces and iconic moments.
Tell me this pinball machine title treatment isn’t fantastic. Then you’ve got the band of heroes themselves. Scattered with such future household names as Liam Neeson and Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid from Harry Potter), we’ve got a band of merry outlaws who prove themselves worthy heroes. There’s also a comic relief magician, an ancient Seer, a gigantic cyclops, and a valiant young boy. The characters get their own time to shine, and Krull is littered with instances of heroic sacrifice, displays of true loyalty, and genuine goodness in the face of great danger. It’s well documented that I’m a total softy, but dammit, watching Krull in the midst of the political climate of 2018 with all its self-congratulatory nationalism in the face of grave planet-wide threats made the old school heroism and personal sacrifices of Krull really resonate.
Krull’s depiction of the Cyclops is a perfect case study for the potentially cheesy, but ultimately innate goodness of this swashbuckling adventure. For one thing, the Cyclops is pulled off visually with great care. He’s always shown to be massive in size next to his human companions, gets multiple close-ups to display a functioning, blinking eye mechanism made by special effects wizards, and the character is imbued with all kinds of pathos. In the lore of Krull, Cyclops’ are cursed to know the day of their death. They are solitary and must accept their fate or endure great pain. Our cyclops gets introduced mysteriously, proves to be the bravest of warriors in countless awesome action sequences, and even rages against his fate to save his friends in the movie’s most rousing act of heroism.
Krull swings for the fences and may come across as earnest or cheesy to some, but absolutely hit the spot for me countless times in the 1980s and right on up into 2018. It probably doesn’t rise to the level of the properties from which it draws its inspiration most heavily, but it does stand on its own two feet as an iconic contemporary and companion piece. And on top of the aforementioned qualities, it’s also got a rousing score, some great visual effects, killer production design, and even great costuming. To be honest, Krull seems ripe for a Netflix series or lega-sequel reboot, and I’m somewhat shocked that has never happened.
The Package
Mill Creek Entertainment has previously released Krull on Blu-ray, and this review is covering a re-packaged disc featuring retro VHS artwork on the slip cover and… literally nothing else. That said, the movie really does look pretty fantastic, with plenty of grain and clarity. I never knew Krull could look so good after experiencing it in Betamax for most of my life. I’ll be extremely pleased to own Krull on Blu-ray and I imagine most fans will as well. There are zero bonus features on either Mill Creek release of the title, so fans will just need to pick between which artwork they care about the most. As a former betamax owner, I personally enjoy the VHS art and am overall thrilled with this otherwise barebones release.
And I’m Out.
Krull hits Blu-ray in retro-VHS packaging 1/15/2019 from Mill Creek Entertainment
-
DEATH KISS is Unwatchable But MAN, That Guy Does Look Like Charles Bronson
Reprehensible, but not in a good way
A man walks this earth in the year of our Lord 2018 with the stage name of Robert Bronzi. He is the spitting image of Charles Bronson. It’s… uncanny. What’s most fascinating about this is how distinctive Bronson truly looked. This was not a visage, nor a physique, that one would ever expect the good Lord to replicate. The man was nothing if not singular. But Robert Bronzi exists. And because he exists, there must be a vigilante revenge movie starring him. It’s science.
It’s unfortunate, then, that the revenge film made for the sole purpose of crafting a movie around a Charles Bronson look alike does so little to honor the great screen legacy of Mr. Bronson.
I watch a lot of garbage cinema and I’m proud of that. There’s a whole spectrum of qualities found under the generous “garbage” umbrella. Sadly, Death Kiss is truly bottom of the barrel stuff with virtually no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Reprehensible in its content as well as poorly put together as a film, the only joy to be found is in watching Robert Bronzi walk around city streets and occasionally blowing some folks away with a six shooter while… just… looking exactly like Charles Bronson. I guess the biggest problem there being that we STILL HAVE real Charles Bronson movies wherein he strolls around city streets casually murdering criminals. I’d recommend revisiting really any Charles Bronson film before scratching your Death Kiss itch.
For those of you who have a similar disease to mine and you simply cannot possibly resist watching this film no matter what anyone tells you, let me count the ways in which this movie is among the very worst I’ve seen this year.
What doesn’t make Death Kiss the worst is the fact that it’s cheap, or poorly acted, etc. One expects these kinds of things. The fact that Bronzi does not (I believe) speak English, had to be dubbed, and wasn’t even DUBBED to sound anything like Charles Bronson… that’s not really even that big of an issue. The man is not, after all, Charles Bronson. (Although, come on, just get a decent impersonator to dub the sparse dialog and that really would’ve gone a long way towards making Bronzi feel like the total package). The exploitative elements surrounding the stunt casting of a Bronson look alike are actually among the most charming elements of a largely joyless film.
And sure, the movie IS poorly acted, poorly written, poorly directed, poorly dubbed, and poorly color timed. But all told, those still aren’t the biggest crimes of Death Kiss. The biggest crimes are unforgivable: It is both boring and preachy.
Writer/director/composer/cinematographer/editor/craft services technician Rene Perez has apparently directed upwards of 20 films at this point in his career. And more power to him. I do give props to anyone out there hustling. He gives a commentary track on this DVD release and anyone who’s able to wear all those hats is truly a multi-talented individual the likes of which I will never be. With Death Kiss it just seems like Perez was too busy proving he “could” to consider whether or not he “should”. Ultimately Death Kiss is just boring. It’s extremely padded with shots of characters walking, or running after one another. There are dialog sequences that take minutes of screen time and could have been accomplished in seconds. Bronzi’s nameless character is sending a bunch of money to a super hot mom and her paralyzed daughter. They encounter each other multiple times throughout the film and more or less have the same conversation each time: “Why do you send us all this money?” It’s a question that really seems to matter to the hot mom, but not so much to the audience. Then there are the action sequences, such as they are. Bronzi chases a bunch of dudes around a few times and we get lots of ducking and shooting and running and hiding behind things. It’s inert. And it’s long. At least a couple of moments spring to life — like when Bronzi just picks up a car door in a junkyard and uses it as a shield from an uzi, or when he pours BBQ sauce on a dude out in the woods because apparently animals will smell him better to come and devour him. But even in telling you about those moments of life, I’m worried you’ll decide you need to see this movie. And you don’t.
The other extreme bummer about Death Kiss is that it features Daniel Baldwin playing a shock jock DJ that voices all kinds of poor taste beliefs and we’re stuck listening to his rants for large chunks of time. He waxes on about sex trafficking, vigilantism, and why it’s okay to judge people for how they look because if they look like thugs they are probably going to shoot your baby in its face. Now, there IS the whole “depiction is not endorsement” concept that I attempted to cling to while watching the film. But alas, Perez overtly states in his commentary track that he enjoyed writing Daniel Baldwin’s character because he was able to come right out and say what he himself believes. Oof.
I highly encourage the curious to avoid Death Kiss. Watch a real Bronson movie. Watch some Bronzi trailers or look at pictures of the guy to get your curiosity itch scratched. There’s no need to spend over 80 minutes watching a grand total of maybe 40 minutes worth of story told poorly and offensively.
The Package
As mentioned, the DVD has a commentary track from the many-hat-wearing Perez. But this is a very ugly film in content and in aesthetic, so I really can’t recommend people go out and buy this disc. It appears that an HD version of the film is rentable on some video on demand services, so you’ve got choices if you won’t heed my warnings and you have to check this film out for yourself.
And I’m Out.
Death Kiss is now available on DVD and VOD from Uncork’d Entertainment
-
Criterion Review: Ingmar Bergman’s SAWDUST AND TINSEL
Power plays and degradation under the circus big top
If you can’t (or won’t) splurge on the magnificent Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema set Criterion released last month, you can celebrate the fact that they’re continuing to put out individual releases. After previously covering Scenes from a Marriage and The Virgin Spring, next up is 1953’s Sawdust and Tinsel, originally released stateside as The Naked Night. One of Bergman’s earlier films, it shows the roots of many of the themes that he would explore heavily in his later work.
Synopsis:
Ingmar Bergman presents the battle of the sexes as a ramshackle, grotesque carnival of humiliation in Sawdust and Tinsel, one of the master’s most vivid early works and his first of many collaborations with the great cinematographer Sven Nykvist. The story of the charged relationship between a turn-of-the-twentieth-century circus owner (Åke Grönberg) and his younger mistress (Harriet Andersson), a horseback rider in the traveling show, the film features dreamlike detours and twisted psychosexual power plays, making for a piercingly brilliant depiction of physical and spiritual degradation.
The circus is coming to town. Led by Ringmaster Albert Johansson (Ake Grönberg), they arrive in a small Swedish village that holds many memories for the man, being the place where he previously abandoned his wife Agda (Annika Tretow) and their two kids. Life on the road has taken its toll, dreams have been dashed, and he contemplates reconciling with the life he left behind. But this visit brings more strife as well as driving home the idea that you can’t go back again. At his side is his current partner Anne (Harriet Andersson), a young aspiring actress, insecure about the prospect of Albert reuniting with his family. Expressing this, he reaches out anyway, leaving Anna susceptible to her feelings of rejection, vulnerability, and the charms of local lothario Frans (Hasse Eckman), who maneuvers the situation to his own advantage, while further fueling the humiliation of Albert.
It’s a well-orchestrated scenario, replete with situations for various character studies. Set against the surreal backdrop of early 1900s Sweden, we visit this traveling big top and the denizens within. Life on the road has not been kind, leading to contemplation of the path not traveled for Albert. A man who is clearly invested in his own interests, he is carrying the shame of leaving his family behind, his position within the circus undermined by the lack of success and being looked down upon by real performers, a theater group. Even his own people subject him to scrutiny for his behavior. He has a girlfriend, Anne, who is with him not out of love but necessity. His career and way of life cause him to yearn for his old one as a shopkeeper, husband, and father. Compounding things is how his wife and children have done quite well in his absence, and his return rebuffed, adding to his humiliation, while also fracturing his relationship with Anne.
Sawdust and Tinsel certainly has a warped sensibility, and much of this comes from the dynamics and settings. Often dark in tone, there is a bleakness to proceedings that comes from the futility of the endeavors of Albert and co., efforts to take back what has been said or done, or avoid further degradation and pain. The early 1900 setting lends well to ornate compositions; circus aesthetics, makeup, and elaborate routines and costumes give the whole things a surreal vibe, one amplified by cinematographer Sven Nykvist, who would go on to have a long and successful collaboration with Bergman. Grönberg stands out as this weary circus master. Andersson too, with her portrayal as a timid soul trying to play the game, and falling afoul herself. Anders Ek and Gudrun Brost also stand out as a husband and wife who hold Albert to even more scrutiny. These characters are all dealing with issues past and present. Rejection and betrayal, failure and embarrassment. The dynamics, notably focused around gender and control, or personal and professional success, make for a engrossing study. One that verges on the masochistic at times, but is always rooted in a raw truth.
The Package
Older black and white films always highlight a variety of sins when it comes to hi-def releases, a challenge Criterion usually rises to with aplomb. They do so yet again with this Blu-ray. A sharp and detailed transfer showcases deep blacks and impressive contrast. The film looks natural, not artificially processed, maintaining a natural grain and character. Special features are a little thin on the ground compared to some Criterion releases, but still of good quality:
- Introduction: Presented here is a vintage introduction to Sawdust and Tinsel, which Ingmar Bergman recorded for journalist Marie Nyrerod in 2003. In Swedish, with optional English subtitles.
- Commentary — archival audio commentary recorded by film scholar and author Peter Cowie for Criterion’s 2007 DVD release of Sawdust and Tinsel: A deep dive into various aspects of the film, the seeds for themes and ideas that populate his latter filmography, and with a notable focus on the burgeoning relationship between Bergman and his cinematographer Nyqvist. He also touches on some of the more negative reception the film encountered upon its original release.
- Leaflet — an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by film critic John Simon and technical credits: The standard Criterion liner booklet which has a nicely composed piece on the film, as well as details on the restoration.
The Bottom Line
It’s early in his career, but Sawdust and Tinsel serves as an accomplished reminder of the filmmaker’s talents, as well as a foundation for much of Bergman’s future filmography, one replete with enthralling performances and situations, as we follow a man through a gauntlet of humiliation. Imbued with a sense of unease and unpredictability, it’s fascinating storytelling, given new life by this Criterion release.
Sawdust and Tinsel is available via Criterion from December 18th, 2018.
