Author: Movie Geeks

MISS ZOMBIE (2013) – The Blu Review


Review by Roger Carpenter

Sabu is well known as the director of popular crime, drama, and comedy films in Japan, often using the frenetic pacing of the cyberpunk style.  Titles such as Non-stop, Postman Blues, Monday, Drive, and Blessing Bell consistently score high marks with his fans. Miss Zombie is his first foray into horror territory.

Taking place in present-day Japan, it seems there has been an outbreak of a zombie virus.  While zombie viruses in films are no new thing, this particular virus is slow-working and affects humans differently depending upon the virulence of the strain to which one is exposed.  It often takes years for one to turn into a full-fledged zombie and even then there are different levels of zombie-fication.  For instance, some zombies are essentially harmless and can be used as low-level workers.  In the case of one wealthy family, the zombie is used as a domestic servant and is set up scrubbing floors.  Zombies even come with instruction manuals.  Again, in this case Miss Zombie is able to eat just about anything—the family feeds her the overripe or spoiled fruits and vegetables they don’t want—as long as it’s not meat.  Feeding a zombie meat can cause them to become feral.  If this happens, the instruction manual directs the owner to use the gun which was supplied along with the zombie for a quick dispatch.


While Miss Zombie can’t speak, she certainly has the ability to hear and understand, and follows simple directions easily, if not quickly or with gusto.  Thus, when set to scrubbing floors, it is a slow and ineffective process.  She is shown how to use water to help the scrubbing and picks up on that easily.  But independent thought isn’t necessarily present.  She also lives off property and must walk home each day with a bag of rotten fruit given her by the family matriarch.  The walks are long, slow, and made more arduous by the daily harassment she receives by various groups of “humans.”  There is a group of children who, much like playground bullying, wait for her each day so they can throw rocks at her.  Then there are the teenaged punks who hang out just so they can get their kicks by stabbing her in the shoulder or back with whatever sharp implement they have on hand.  Miss Zombie meets both threats with a silent, stoic resolve most likely imparted to her by her zombie-fication.

Each day she bends down on unfeeling knees, nose nearly to the ground, and scrubs floors.  Her slow, rhythmic motions cause her to sway gently back and forth.  It isn’t long until the two male domestics take notice of this motion, Miss Zombie’s hips rocking gently as the two salivate at her sexiness.  Before long even the family patriarch is using Miss Zombie for more than scrubbing floors.  The family dynamic slowly begins to change until one day a traumatic event occurs that sets events in motion that threaten to tear the family asunder.


Miss Zombie is a short film at around 85 minutes.  It’s a bit slow because Sabu is reaching for more than your standard horror yarn.  While there is likely enough blood to satisfy a horror-hound’s lust, the gore isn’t over-the-top as one might expect from a zombie film.  Indeed, that is because Sabu isn’t making a zombie film.  The zombie theme is simply the trope he uses to weave his family drama.  In fact, this is much more family drama than horror film which may not please all horror fans.  But if one looks a little more closely, delves a bit deeper than just the surface, and questions the motives of the characters, one begins to sense a theme:  who exactly is the monster here?

Miss Zombie is never violent.  She never denies anyone a request.  She cannot communicate verbally and, indeed, she may have no feelings, either physically or emotionally.  But how do we know this?  The humans in the film never stop to consider the consequences of their actions toward Miss Zombie.  Even though she can’t speak, Miss Zombie’s eyes and body language tell us she feels.  Does she have physical feeling?  Can she feel the stones from the children pelting her body?  The knives plunging into her back?  The men in her undead life who take advantage of her?  That question remains unanswered.  But her eyes and her body language tell the viewers all they need to know about her emotions.  She may not be able to verbalize, but each stone thrown, each sexual advance, her lonely existence in a dark, dank room, are emotionally devastating.  And the humans, with all their superior emotional intelligence, continue to ignore this, continue to ask for more from her.


Miss Zombie is fascinating look at a zombie “life” from the perspective of the zombie.  Horror fans may be slightly disappointed, but those who aren’t horror fans shouldn’t let the title deter you from seeing a film that is essentially a study of prejudice and misunderstanding.  In the end, Miss Zombie communicates much more than your typical zombies.

Kino Lorber has just released this film on Blu-Ray.  For a unique take on a tired genre, look no further than Miss Zombie.  The film can be purchased directly through Kino-Lorber at kinolorber.com or through Amazon.

 

FROM CALIGARI TO HITLER: GERMAN CINEMA IN THE AGE OF THE MASSES (2014) – The DVD Review


Review by Roger Carpenter

Germany’s Weimar Republic era roughly coincided with America’s Roaring Twenties period. Beginning shortly after the end of WWI, spanning the decade of the 1920’s, and extending into the early 1930’s Germany’s Weimar era was one of prosperity, decadence, and escapism. And just as American’s prosperous, libidinous decade would end in tragedy with Black Friday’s stock market crash and the beginning of The Great Depression, the Germans would see a tragedy of even more monumental proportions with the rise of Hitler and Nazism which would bring a screeching halt to the Weimar ideology.


The development of early German cinema corresponded with the Weimar era. With the return from the war of men who would pioneer German cinema, the decade is perhaps arguably the most creative and innovative in the history of world cinema. 1920’s German films are essentially synonymous with expressionism and the series of darkly horrific films made by some of the greatest directors associated with early cinema. Outside of Germany, however, most people are unfamiliar with the hodgepodge of film genres developed and popularized during this time, with expressionism representing only a minor role in German cinema of the time. There were the so-called “asphalt” films which addressed contemporary problems post-war German society was dealing with such as inflation and the deterioration of the middle class as exemplified by the films of director G.W. Pabst; highly patriotic films about Prussian history which idolized leaders such as Frederick the Great; kammerspiel, or “chamber dramas,” which focused on middle- and lower-class people embroiled in melodramas; and bergfilm, or nature films, which tended to focus on the “man vs. nature” theme and included several very popular mountain films that dramatized mountain climbers tackling difficult peaks. There were even a series of films—part of the “asphalt” group—which tackled subjects that heretofore had remained taboo: Diary of a Lost Girl, about a young woman who gives birth out of wedlock and is forced into prostitution to save her family; Ritual Murder, which addresses anti-Semitism and forbidden love between a Jewish girl and a young Russian man, and Different from the Others, a film about homosexuality—the first German film to directly address the subject head-on and possibly the first film in history to address the subject. But of all these extremely popular genres none was perhaps as affecting as the expressionist movement. Beginning with The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari in 1920 and spanning some of the greatest fantasy films of all time, with titles such as The Golem, Nosferatu, Faust, Metropolis, and M, a good many of these films portrayed a fiendish, yet charismatic, villainous anti-hero as the main protagonist. In 1947, Siegfried Kracauer, in his book entitled From Caligari to Hitler: A Psychological History of the German Film, proposed some polarizing ideas regarding these early films. The study is considered a groundbreaking treatise on German film and one of the most important books on the subject.


In it, Kracauer proposes that The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is an allegory for the Weimar era with Caligari himself being a political tyrant and the end result inevitably being a world of chaos as represented by the highly expressionist sets for the film. Kracauer goes on to connect the dots with many of the greatest villains of early German cinema—the Golem, Nosferatu, Faust, Frederson and Moloch, Beckert, and Mabuse—and to propose a connection between these films and the rise of Nazism. These theories remain highly controversial even today, with various writers disparaging Kracauer for making conclusions either with incomplete evidence or making conclusions without doing proper research (though his early career was as a film critic he had not seen many of the films in question for a number of decades).

And herein lies one of the problems with this documentary feature: this reviewer had to do extra research to find out about these controversies—indeed, even discovering there was controversy at all. Director Rudiger Suchsland presents the material in such a way to impress upon the viewer the finality of the idea without addressing any alternatives. While a good documentary aims to educate as well as to entertain, I would argue a good documentary provides a balanced commentary. It was only my curiosity which allowed me to unearth opposing viewpoints, some of which are rather obvious. For instance, it is well-known and on record that Caligari writers Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer wrote their story in an effort to come to terms with their negative feelings upon returning from WWI. One can interpret the twisted sets of Caligari as the pain these men felt as pacifists forced into the brutality of war with Caligari being the militaristic government. Of course, there are other interpretations and criticisms as well. And while I do not dismiss Kracauer’s own interpretation—in fact, I find it very credible with the hindsight of 70 years of historical interpretations at my disposal—I wish the film might have addressed some alternatives to Kracauer’s vision. Instead, Kracauer is placed upon a pedestal of reverence, his ideas presented as the only interpretation. Not the only plausible interpretation; the only interpretation.


I think of myself as a cinephile. I am well-read on film theory, having devoured many textbooks on the subject. I enjoy audio commentaries—even the ones which are overly academic and are read by film historians from prepared notes. I’m not saying I know everything about film. I’m simply saying that I love film, even from an academic standpoint. That said, even I found the film to be overly dry and academic.

To be sure, there are strong points as well. Suchsland uses clips from many classic silent german films—and a few early talkies as well—to illustrate his points, along with interviews with filmmakers the likes of Fritz Lang. And Kracauer’s original thesis is fascinating by itself. In the end, one’s interest in film history and theory will help to inform the viewer whether to give this disc a try. It’s worth viewing if one is patient and understands only a single viewpoint is being presented.

The DVD has just been released by Kino Lorber and can be purchased directly through Kino-Lorber at kinolorber.com or through Amazon.

Best Australian Movies You Must See During The Australian Open

Photo by American Int/Everett / Rex Features

“Livin’ in a land down under, where women glow and men plunder,” sang 80’s pop group Men At Work.

As most of the United States is buried under cold and snowy temps, Australia is having balmy warm weather. The country of marmite, koalas and kangaroos, and the Great Barrier Reef is currently hosting the first of the tennis grand slams of 2018, The Australian Open.

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic hits a shot during a training session ahead of the Australian Open tennis tournament, in Melbourne, Australia January 15, 2017. REUTERS/Issei Kato

The list of actors and actresses hailing from the sixth largest nation include Errol Flynn, Peter Finch, Rod Taylor, Mel Gibson, Guy Pearce, Nicole Kidman, Geoffrey Rush, Toni Collette, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Ben Mendelsohn, Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger, Hugo Weaving, Naomi Watts, Abbie Cornish, Eric Bana, Joel Edgerton, Mia Wasikowska, Margot Robbie, Chris Hemsworth, and Sam Worthington.

1994 proved to be a great year in Aussie films with such movies as THE SUM OF US, SIRENS, THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT and MURIEL’S WEDDING.

As you catch the tennis matches, check out our list of the best of Australian cinema.

THE DISH

The gem of a film is a must see for every NASA enthusiast. Starring Patrick Warburton and Sam Neill, THE DISH tells the true story of the Parkes Observatory’s role in relaying live television of man’s first steps on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. It was the top grossing film in Australia in 2000. One of our favorites!

ANIMAL KINGDOM

Animal Kingdom is a 2010 Australian crime drama film written and directed by David Michôd, and starring Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Guy Pearce, James Frecheville, Luke Ford, Jacki Weaver, and Sullivan Stapleton.

Michôd’s script was inspired by events which involved the Pettingill criminal family of Melbourne, Australia. In 1991, two brothers Trevor Pettingill and Victor Peirce (along with two other men: Anthony Leigh Farrell and Peter David McEvoy) were acquitted in the 1988 shooting murder of two Victorian police officers. Animal Kingdom was critically acclaimed. It received 36 awards and 39 nominations, and Jacki Weaver received multiple awards for her performance, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

MAD MAX

The 1979 Australian dystopian action film was directed by George Miller, produced by Byron Kennedy, and starred Mel Gibson as “Mad” Max Rockatansky. The film presented a tale of societal collapse, murder, and revenge set in a future Australia, in which a policeman becomes embroiled in a violent feud with a savage motorcycle gang. Principal photography took place in and around Melbourne, Australia, and lasted six weeks.

The film initially received a polarized reception upon its release in April 1979, although it won three AACTA Awards and attracted a cult following. The film became the first in a series, giving rise to three sequels, Mad Max 2 (1981), Beyond Thunderdome (1985), and Fury Road (2015).

GALLIPOLI

Another Mel Gibson vehicle, the 1981 Australian drama war film was directed by Peter Weir and is the story of how the irresistible lure of adventure and the unknown, combined with national pride, bring two young men (Mel Gibson and Mark Lee) together in the Australian army in 1915.

THE SUM OF US

Directed by Kevin Dowling and Geoff Burton, the film starred Russell Crowe and Jack Thompson. Released in 1994, the delightful film is the story of a father and son and a real-tearjerker. A widowed father has to deal with two complex issues: while he is searching for “Miss Right,” his son, who is in his 20s and gay, is searching for “Mr. Right.” Thompson just about steals the film away from Crowe, who previously starred in ROMPER STOMPER, and to this day it’s still one Crowe’s best performances.

THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT

Two drag queens and a transsexual get a cabaret gig in the middle of the desert in THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT. The film was a surprise worldwide hit and starred Terence Stamp, Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce. It received great reviews and won an Academy Award for Best Costume Design at the 67th Academy Awards.

CROCODILE DUNDEE

Paul Hogan’s hilarious, endearing performance made “Crocodile” Dundee the biggest box-office comedy smash of 1986! Michael J. “Crocodile” Dundee (Hogan) is a free spirited Australian who hunts crocodiles with his bare hands, stares down giant water buffaloes, and drinks mere mortals under the table. But he’s about to face the ultimate torture test–a trip to New York City. Beautiful and tenacious reporter Sue Charlton (Linda Kozlowski) gets more than just a story as the “wonder from Down Under” rocks the Big Apple to its core. It was followed by two sequels: Crocodile Dundee II (1988) and Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (2001).

TEN CANOES

It is the first ever movie entirely filmed in Australian Aboriginal languages. Ten Canoes won the Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and was was chosen as Australia’s official entry into the Best Foreign Language Film category for the 2007 Academy Awards.

PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK

This 1975 Australian mystery drama film, directed by Peter Weir, helped usher in a new era of Australian cinema. Based on an acclaimed 1967 novel by Joan Lindsay, AT HANGING ROCK is set at the turn of the twentieth century and concerns a small group of students from an all- female college who vanish, along with a chaperone, while on a St. Valentine’s Day outing. Less a mystery than a journey into the mystic, as well as an inquiry into issues of class and sexual repression in Australian society, Weir’s gorgeous, disquieting film is a work of poetic horror whose secrets haunt viewers to this day.

MURIEL’S WEDDING

Misfit Muriel has always escaped her humdrum small-town life by listening to ABBA songs and dreaming about marriage. Ready to take control of her life, she and her best friend, Rhonda head for the big city where they end up having the exciting adventure of their lives. Everyone back home suddenly takes notice when Muriel becomes engaged to a handsome and popular sports hero, but Muriel discovers that even when it seems all her dreams are coming true, her path to the altar still has plenty of surprising twists. Starred Toni Collette, Rachel Griffiths and Bill Hunter and directed by P.J. Hogan. The film received multiple award nominations, including a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (Collette)

AUSTRALIA

Starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, it was the third-highest grossing Australian film of all time, behind Crocodile Dundee and Mad Max: Fury Road. AUSTRALIA is a character story, set between 1939 and 1942 against a dramatized backdrop of events across northern Australia at the time, such as the bombing of Darwin during World War II.

Strictly Ballroom is a 1992 Australian romantic comedy film directed and co-written by Luhrmann. The film, Luhrmann’s début, was the first in his The Red Curtain Trilogy of theatre-motif-related films; it was followed by Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!.

Other stellar Aussie films to catch are PROOF, (trailer) a 1991 Australian comedy-drama film written and directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse, and starring Hugo Weaving, Geneviève Picot and Russell Crowe. The film was released in Australia on 15 August 1991. It was chosen as “Best Film” at the 1991 Australian Film Institute Awards; THE ROVER, (trailer) a 2014 Australian dystopian drama film written and directed by David Michôd and based on a story by Michôd and Joel Edgerton. It is a contemporary western taking place in the Australian outback, ten years after a global economic collapse. The film features Guy Pearce, Robert Pattinson, and Scoot McNairy; NED KELLY features gripping action and powerful performances in this epic story of a real-life outlaw who defied the law and inspired his people. Heath Ledger (The Four Feathers, A Knight’s Tale) brings a raw intensity to the role of Ned Kelly, an innocent man driven to fight the corrupt authorities oppressing his people. Joining Ned’s legendary gang is his best friend, Joe, played with devilish charm by Orlando Bloom (Troy, Pirates of the Caribbean) and Naomi Watts (21 Grams, The Ring) as Ned’s lover, Julia. Overnight, the Kelly Gang become heroes to their people. But as their popularity grows, they quickly find themselves the target of a ruthless lawman, (Geoffrey Rush) who soon makes them the most wanted men the world has ever known, and RABBIT PROOF FENCE, (trailer) a 2002 Australian drama film directed by Phillip Noyce based on the book Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington Garimara. It is loosely based on a true story concerning the author’s mother Molly, as well as two other mixed-race Aboriginal girls, who ran away from the Moore River Native Settlement, north of Perth, Western Australia, to return to their Aboriginal families, after being placed there in 1931.

Wait, wait… one more! BRAN NUE DAE is a charming new Australian-based, music-driven road movie/romantic comedy starring Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush that literally bursts onto the screen with unbridled energy and fun. Loosely based on one of Australia’s most beloved and popular musicals, Bran Nue Dae is a foot stomping tour-de-force centering on the romantic adventures of a young aboriginal couple set against the spectacularly beautiful Australian landscape.

(trailer)

Contributed by Michelle Hannett and Melissa Thompson

Win Passes To The St. Louis Screening Of DEN OF THIEVES Starring Gerard Butler, Curtis Jackson And O’Shea Jackson Jr.

A Los Angeles crime saga in the vein of “Heat”, DEN OF THIEVES follows the intersecting and often personally connected lives of an elite unit of the LA County Sheriff’s Dept. and the state’s most successful bank robbery crew as the outlaws plan a seemingly impossible heist on the Federal Reserve Bank of downtown Los Angeles.

Stars Gerard Butler, Pablo Schreiber, Curtis Jackson, Evan Jones and O’Shea Jackson Jr.

DEN OF THIEVES Opens In Theaters January 19, 2018.

For the chance to win TWO (2) seats to the advance screening of DEN OF THIEVES on January 17 at 7:00 pm in St. Louis

Answer the following.

DEN OF THIEVES Director Christian Gudegast is the son of actor Eric Braeden. Braeden starred as Dr. Charles Forbin in what 1970 science fiction thriller?

  • ENTER, ADD YOUR NAME, ANSWER AND EMAIL IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. No purchase necessary. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house.

Rated R for violence, language and some sexuality/nudity.

http://denofthieves.movie/

Pablo Schreiber, Curtis Jackson, Evan Jones and O’Shea Jackson Jr. star in DEN OF THIEVES

Photo courtesy of STX Entertainment – Motion Picture Artwork © 2017 STX Financing, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Yasuharu Hasebe’s RETALIATION (1968) – The Blu Review


Review by Roger Carpenter

After laboring for close to a decade as an assistant director for Nikkatsu Studios, Yasuharu Hasebe burst onto the scene as a lead director in 1966 with Black Tight Killers and 1967 with the more subdued but very good Massacre Gun.  Retaliation, which starred some of Nikkatsu’s primary actors (called the “Diamond Line”), was an A-list film, in color, and was a return to a more violent yakuza tale than Hasebe’s previous Massacre Gun.

Akira Kobayashi stars as Jiro, a yakuza who has just been released from a long stint in prison.  He returns to find his family dismantled, with only his ailing boss and one loyal yakuza member remaining.  On top of this, Hino (Jo Shishido), brother of the man Jiro was imprisoned for killing, is tailing him and seeking revenge.  Jiro reaches out to another family for help in rebuilding his gang and is assigned to mediate between some factories wanting to buy out a group of farmers in Takagawa City.  The Hasama Family boss assures Jiro he will be allowed to do things his own way but moves to take things over just as Jiro finalizes the deal.  Angered by this betrayal, Jiro and Hino—who have become reluctant friends—seek retaliation towards the Hasama Family.


Hasebe’s previous effort was an old-fashioned, low-key, atmospheric film noir, filmed in black-and-white (as B-pictures were in those days) and nearly bloodless in the fashion of American Westerns during the 30’s and 40’s.  Retaliation is quite the opposite.  Because it featured some of Nikkatsu’s biggest stars at the time, it was an A-picture and was shot in color.  It also featured a larger budget which allowed for more special effects.  Thus, Retaliation is quite a bit more violent and features not just that great, bright-red blood so ubiquitous to Japanese genre films of the 60’s and 70’s, but also some nudity and other adult situations in the style of American roughies of the time.  Hasebe would go on to more success and fame with the Stray Cat Rock series and several violent pink films in the mid- to late-70’s, but his first forays into the yakuza genre are solid efforts.  Some might even describe them as cult faves or minor classics.

While Kobayashi was the undeniable star here, many other established character actors or up-and-comers populate the film as well, including the aforementioned Jo Shishido, Hideaki Nitani (Cat Girl Gamblers; Tokyo Drifter; Massacre Gun), Tamio Kawaji (Youth of the Beast; Tokyo Drifter; Gangster VIP), Jiro Okazaki (Goro the Assassin; Massacre Gun; Stray Cat Rock series), and a young Meiko Kaji, who surely needs no introduction and who is looking as beautiful as ever. One of the strengths of the film is in the acting while the story is also solid without being overly detailed and confusing, as some of these films can be.  Hasebe is a more than competent director and I feel like he doesn’t always get his due and is unfairly compared to his mentors like Seijun Suzuki.  His cinematography and use of color, while not as wildly creative as his debut, Black Tight Killers, or the films of Suzuki, is still interesting.  For example, there is a tracking shot through a series of blinds hanging up in several windows.  As two gangsters fight the camera tracks along these blinds, allowing viewers flashes of the fight through the windows.  It’s creative and fun and provides ample energy without falling back on the typical full-frame shots of men fighting.  The film is populated by many of these types of additions for viewers who watch carefully, perhaps elevating the film above the typical yakuza fare of the time.


As previously mentioned, the sex and violence quotients are upped in this film.  There are plenty of bloody gangland murders with at least one gloriously gory arterial spray that precedes Argento’s Tenebrae-style kills by 15 years.  While there’s no real sex in the film, there are a few nude shots and at least one sequence that foreshadows Hasebe’s move to violent pink films in the mid-70’s that’s a bit strong.  This is certainly an adult-oriented film.

In the end, Hasebe shows a flexibility in his film style over his first trio of films that I think is impressive, as is this package from Arrow Video USA.  Released in a two-disc (both standard and Blu) special edition, the film looks spectacular, with vivid colors and clear picture.  Similar to Arrow’s release of Massacre Gun, this release features a continuation of the Jo Shishido interview (13 minutes) with the first part being on the Massacre Gun release, another superlative video essay by Tony Rayns, this time about Hasebe and Shishido (31 minutes), the theatrical trailer for the film, and a short promotional image gallery.  As with all Arrow releases, the first printing also comes with a nice booklet with new writing on the film by Jasper Sharp.  The film can be purchased on Amazon or directly from Arrow Video at http://www.arrowfilms.co.uk/category/usa/.

Win Passes To The Advance Screening Of 12 STRONG In St. Louis

Chris Hemsworth (“Thor,” “The Avengers” films) and Oscar nominee Michael Shannon (“Revolutionary Road,” “Nocturnal Animals”) star in 12 STRONG, a powerful new war drama from Alcon Entertainment, Black Label Media and Jerry Bruckheimer Films that tells the declassified true story of the Horse Soldiers. Based on the best-selling book Horse Soldiers, it is story of heroism based on true events that unfolded a world away in the aftermath of 9/11.

Award-winning director Nicolai Fuglsig directed the film, which is produced by legendary producer Jerry Bruckheimer (the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films, “Black Hawk Down”), together with Molly Smith, Trent Luckinbill and Thad Luckinbill (“La La Land,” “Sicario”) under their Black Label Media banner. Oscar winner Ted Tally (“The Silence of the Lambs”) and Peter Craig (“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Parts 1 & 2”) wrote the screenplay, based on the acclaimed book by best-selling author Doug Stanton.

12 STRONG is set in the harrowing days following 9/11 when a U.S. Special Forces team, led by their new Captain, Mitch Nelson (Hemsworth), is chosen to be the first U.S. troops sent into Afghanistan for an extremely dangerous mission. There, in the rugged mountains, they must convince Northern Alliance General Dostum (Navid Negahban) to join forces with them to fight their common adversary: the Taliban and their Al Qaeda allies. In addition to overcoming mutual distrust and a vast cultural divide, the Americans—accustomed to state-of-the-art warfare—must adopt the rudimentary tactics of the Afghan horse soldiers. But despite their uneasy bond, the new allies face overwhelming odds: outnumbered and outgunned by a ruthless enemy that does not take prisoners.

Playing the 12 STRONG U.S. Special Forces team are Hemsworth, Shannon, Michael Peña (“The Martian, “Ant-Man”), Trevante Rhodes (“Moonlight”), Geoff Stults (“Only the Brave”), Thad Luckinbill (“Only the Brave”), Austin Stowell (“Bridge of Spies”), Ben O’Toole (“Hacksaw Ridge”), Austin Hebert (“Jack Reacher: Never Go Back”), Kenneth Miller (“Whiskey Tango Foxtrot”), Kenny Sheard (“13 Hours”) and Jack Kesy (TV’s “The Strain). The ensemble cast also includes Navid Negahban (“American Sniper,” TV’s “Homeland”), Laith Nakli (“24: Legacy”), Fahim Fazli (“American Sniper”), Numan Acar (“Homeland”), Elsa Pataky (the “Fast & Furious” films), William Fichtner (“Black Hawk Down,” “Armageddon”) and Rob Riggle (“The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” “The Hangover”).

Slated for release on January 19, 2018, 12 STRONG will be distributed domestically by Warner Bros. Pictures.

For the chance to win TWO (2) seats to the advance screening of 12 STRONG on January 16 at 7:00 pm:

Answer the following.

In 2015, Chris Hemsworth starred as 19th century whaler Owen Chase in _____________, and took on the role of ’70s Formula One racer James Hunt in _______.

  • ENTER, ADD YOUR NAME, ANSWER AND EMAIL IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. No purchase necessary. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house.

12 STRONG has been rated R by the MPAA for war violence and language throughout.

www.12strongmovie.com

Win Passes To The Advance Screening Of PHANTOM THREAD In St. Louis

Set in the glamour of 1950’s post-war London, renowned dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville) are at the center of British fashion, dressing royalty, movie stars, heiresses, socialites, debutants and dames with the distinct style of The House of Woodcock. Women come and go through Woodcock’s life, providing the confirmed bachelor with inspiration and companionship, until he comes across a young, strong-willed woman, Alma (Vicky Krieps), who soon becomes a fixture in his life as his muse and lover. Once controlled and planned, he finds his carefully tailored life disrupted by love.

With his latest film, Paul Thomas Anderson paints an illuminating portrait both of an artist on a creative journey, and the women who keep his world running. Phantom Thread is Paul Thomas Anderson’s eighth movie, and his second collaboration with Daniel Day-Lewis.

PHANTOM THREAD opens in St. Louis on Friday, January 12, 2018.

Follow the link to enter for your chance to win a pair of passes to attend the special advance screening in St. Louis on January 10.

http://focusfeaturesscreenings.com/main/sweepstakes/nGCmJ57173

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. No purchase necessary. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house.

R for language.

http://focusfeatures.com/phantom-thread

Vicky Krieps stars as “Alma” and Daniel Day-Lewis stars as “Reynolds Woodcock” in writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson’s PHANTOM THREAD, a Focus Features release.
Credit : Laurie Sparham / Focus Features

Win Passes To The Advance Screening Of THE COMMUTER In St. Louis

WAMG has your free passes to an advance screening of THE COMMUTER.

In this action-packed thriller, Liam Neeson is Michael, an insurance salesman, whose daily commute home quickly becomes anything but routine. After being confronted by a mysterious stranger (Vera Farmiga), Michael is blackmailed into finding the identity of a passenger on his train before the last stop. As he works against the clock to solve the puzzle, Michael is unwittingly caught up in a criminal conspiracy that carries life and death stakes for himself and his fellow passengers.

The movie stars Liam Neeson, Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Jonathan Banks, with Elizabeth McGovern, and Sam Neill.

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, THE COMMUTER opens in theaters January 12, 2018.

For the chance to win TWO (2) seats to the advance screening of THE COMMUTER on January 9 at 7:00 pm:

Answer the following.

Following the worldwide success of Unknown, Non-Stop, and Run All Night, star Liam Neeson and director Jaume Collet-Serra reunite for a fourth time with this explosive thriller. The fast-paced psychological thriller plays along the same lines as an Alfred Hitchcock film. Name one  ________________.

  • ENTER, ADD YOUR NAME, ANSWER AND EMAIL IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. No purchase necessary. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house.

PG-13 for some intense action/violence, and language.

Visit the official site: thecommuter.movie

Liam Neeson as “Michael” in THE COMMUTER.

MASSACRE GUN – The Blu Review


Review by Roger Carpenter

Director Yasuharu Hasebe was a well-known director in Japan right up until his death in 2009.  He directed most of the Stray Cat Rock series of films in the early 1970s as well as the final installment of the Female Prisoner Scorpion series, Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701’s Grudge Song.  He became known as the “Father of Violent Pink,” after directing a series of graphically violent and sexually sadistic films for Nikkatsu Studios with titles such as Rape!; Assault! Jack the Ripper; Rape! 13th Hour; and Secret Honeymoon: Rape Train.  These films proved to be both highly controversial and very lucrative for Hasebe and Nikkatsu but, typical of Nikkatsu, the studio execs got cold feet after much bad press and began toning down their series of violent pink films.

But before all this, Hasebe cut his teeth as an assistant director for the great Seijun Suzuki, himself a controversial figure in Japanese cinematic history. After nearly a decade of working as an assistant director for Nikkatsu, Hasebe broke through as a full-fledged director in 1966 with Black Tight Killers, a delirious, candy-colored adventure about female ninjas and lost WWII treasure. Hasebe would follow up Black Tight Killers with Massacre Gun, a much more low key, black-and-white yakuza tale.


Massacre Gun hearkens back to American gangster films of the 40’s and 50’s.  With deep shadows, a macho gangster world, and thugs dressed in crisp suits, it bridges the gap between classic American film noir and typical Japanese yakuza storytelling.  Kuroda is a mob hitman who ditches his gang after being forced to kill his lover.  Together with his two brothers, Eiji and Saburo, they embark on a bloody vendetta against Kuroda’s boss, Akazawa, and his old yakuza family.  Hasebe populated his film with genuine stars as well as actors who would become stars later in their careers.  Jo Shishido stars as Kuroda.  Already a popular character actor, his list of classic Japanese film credits is simply astonishing and his popularity would only continue to rise as he continued to work with Hasebe, Suzuki, and other genre directors in films such as Youth of the Beast, Gate of Flesh, Branded to Kill, and New Battles Without Honor or Humanity.  His highly visible cheekbones, courtesy of plastic surgery, made him a unique vision and instantly recognizable.  Jiro Okazaki co-stars as Saburo, Kuroda’s brother and an up-and-coming champion boxer sponsored by the head of Kuroda’s family, Akazawa.  When he quits Akazawa’s sponsorship in anger over Kuroda’s forced hit, Akazawa breaks his hands, ending his chances at an illustrious boxing career and challenging the brothers to an all-out turf war.  Tatsuya Fuji is the youngest brother, Eiji.  Here he has a rather limited role but it’s fun to watch an early film with Fuji who is probably best known in the west for his star turn in the Japanese art-porn film In the Realm of the Senses as well as the Japanese classic Empire of Passion.  Hideaki Natani co-stars as Shirasaka, Kuroda’s longtime friend and brother in Akazawa’s gang.  Though very close to each other they know they are on a path which will only lead to death because of Kuroda’s break with the family.  After Akazawa is murdered, Shirasaka gains control of the family, solidifying the eventual standoff with Kuroda.  Natani is probably best known for his turn in Tokyo Drifter here in America.

While the story of revenge between rival gang factions and the rivalry between two men who are sworn yakuza brothers is pretty standard Japanese storytelling of the time and appears in hundreds of these features, Hasebe films with such style and atmosphere it elevates the typical storyline.  Stylistically, the choice of black-and-white is a good one though it was forced on Hasebe since this was a B picture for Nikkatsu.  With the primary setting in a bar, Hasebe utilizes a fabulous, low-key jazz/blues score by prolific Japanese composer Naozumi Yamamoto to increase the atmosphere of the film.  The acting is terrific and the plot is concise enough that it makes sense—something that isn’t always true in yakuza potboilers of this period.  The monochromatic photography naturally lends itself to noir filmmaking techniques, though Hasebe doesn’t go all out with expressionism which many American noir films utilized.  While there isn’t much chiaroscuro, wild angles, or other expressionist lighting techniques so prevalent in many classic noir films, Massacre Gun is very obviously influenced by the noir movement.  There is a sense of melancholy throughout the film.  Each character knows the outcome well before it occurs.  The women, unfortunately limited to portrayals of sadness or fright, seem to know their men are inevitably doomed while the men predict to each other the outcome of the rivalry that is spinning out of control.  Even the viewers know that Kuroda and Shirasaka must meet in a deadly duel during the climax of the film.  The tension isn’t because we don’t already know the outcome; rather, it’s from how the characters get there.  Ultimately, there is a huge shootout on an abandoned road, spectacular in its unfolding even as it is predictable in its culmination.  But even though each shootout utilizes hundreds of bullets—it seems to take a full magazine to stop any of these gangsters—there is very little blood, Hasebe choosing to maintain the noir-ish feel of the film by having men riddled by bullets yet falling bloodlessly to the ground.


Hasebe’s sophomore effort maintains the style-over-substance formula many of these early yakuza films have, but the style is super-cool and perhaps more westernized than most of his other features.  It’s a genuine pleasure to watch Massacre Gun and a great start for viewers new to the genre, stylistically almost the polar opposite of other popular yakuza features of the same period such as Black Tight Killers, Tokyo Drifter, and Branded to Kill.

Though the film is 50 years old now, Arrow Video USA’s special edition release of Massacre Gun is pristine.  This two-disc edition (standard DVD and Blu-Ray) is simply spectacular.  The whites are blinding while the blacks are deep and dark, with myriad shades of grey in between.  It’s difficult to imagine the film looking any better even upon its premiere release.  Typical of Arrow, the release comes with several important special features including a brand new interview with Jo Shishido.  In his eighties now, it’s good to see some updated interviews with this genuine star of Japanese cinema before that star blinks out for good.  There is also a lengthy discussion by film historian Tony Rayns who outlines the complete history of Nikkatsu Studios and places Massacre Gun in a proper historical context. The discussion is fascinating.  I always appreciate the extra context provided by these discussions and applaud Arrow for including them.  Plus, the Nikkatsu story is just a very interesting story for anyone interested in Japanese genre cinema.  The original trailer is included along with a short gallery of promotional images for the film.  As always, Arrow includes a nice booklet with the first printing which features new writing on the film by Jasper Sharp.

Massacre Gun is a real gem.  For those who grew up watching yakuza films from the 1990’s or who are used to the more kinetic late 1960’s fare such as Tokyo Drifter or Branded to Kill, Massacre Gun represents a bit of a departure from these more colorful and violent films, though no less entertaining.  The film can be purchased on Amazon or directly from Arrow Video at http://www.arrowfilms.co.uk/category/usa/.

 

STONE COLD DEAD – The Blu Review


Review by Roger Carpenter

A mysterious sniper is shooting hookers in The Big Apple and managing to take photos of them at the exact moment of death.  These photos are being sent to police, along with notes daring the police to stop the killer.  Sergeant Boyd (Richard Crenna) is a detective who has managed to alienate everyone in his life.  His obsession with police work—and with criminal mastermind Julius Kurtz (Paul Williams)—has caused his partner to quit on him and his wife to leave him.  Even his new partner, a tough-as-nails female undercover cop, doesn’t like him much.  He works night and day in pursuit of criminals, even having to create a contraption rigged to his telephone that feeds his fish when he calls his apartment.

As more girls are killed The Brass get more and more agitated which in turn increases the pressure on Boyd.  He’s convinced Kurtz is the killer. But as he continues to investigate, the few clues he discovers only serve to muddy the water.  First, there’s high-class “hostess” Monica (Linda Sorensen), who comes into contact with Boyd.  It’s clear the two are attracted to each other, but the more Boyd investigates, the less there is to like.  First, there’s the moral dilemma for a cop to become involved with someone in the prostitution racket, no matter how beautiful she may be.  Second, he discovers Monica is a heroin user.  Strike two.  Finally, he discovers she knows more about the killings than she is letting on…but how to get her to divulge her secrets?  Then there is Monica’s daughter, Olivia (Alberta Watson).  She’s a smart college girl who has a problematic relationship with her mother due to Monica’s line of work.  She also has a problematic relationship with a college professor who pursues her even though Olivia has clearly told him she has no interest in him other than platonic.  The professor is obsessed with Olivia and stalks her endlessly, breaking into her home and even threatening Monica in a bid to control Olivia.  Boyd must solve the string of crimes before more girls die.  And though he likes Kurtz for the crimes, he can’t rule out Monica, Olivia, or Olivia’s weird stalker at the college.


Stone Cold Dead (1979) is a workman-like, by-the-numbers thriller.  True, it boasts some stellar character actors (Linda Sorensen; Belinda Montgomery; Alberta Watson) as well as some real star power in Crenna and Williams.  However, the story is fairly standard and the music is overly melodramatic.  But what lifts the film above numerous other thrillers of the time is its obvious influences from Italian gialli of the time period.  For those who may not be in the know, giallo is the Italian word for yellow.  In the first half of the Twentieth Century lurid murder mystery paperbacks were printed with bright yellow covers in Italy, so giallo also became slang for these mass market paperbacks.  In the late 60’s and into the 70’s lurid murder mysteries on film became all the rage in Italy; they, too, were dubbed gialli (the plural form of giallo).  By 1979 several Italian gialli had become hits across North America, so it probably isn’t a coincidence that Stone Cold Dead seems to have borrowed heavily from some of these films.

For instance, the killer’s face is never shown until the big reveal at the end.  Instead, only black-gloved hands are shown exposing pictures in the darkroom, pulling the trigger of a gun, and spelling notes with newsprint letters.  This is one of the most common tropes in gialli.  Many gialli also feature a flamboyant character.  Paul Williams as the slimy pimp Kurtz fits that bill to a tee.  Many gialli focus on mental aberrations caused by sexual deviancy or a past traumatic event.  The theme of prostitution fits that bill.  And gialli are famous for upping the sleaze quotient, for both sex and violence.  While Stone Cold Dead never really gets terribly violent (the video cover overstates the level of sleaze by a mile), there is plenty of nudity, heavy petting, and implied sex in the film.  Though filmed in Toronto, some shots were taken on New York’s 42nd Street as well as Toronto’s Red Light District.  Filmed in late 1978, these shots of various burlesque halls, grindhouses, and porno theaters—complete with films such as Wanda the Wicked Warden and Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Shieks—lend the film a gritty, sleazy authenticity that’s hard to ignore.


Crenna does a good job as the crusty cop with high morals but a gentle heart.  Likewise, Sorensen is the high point in the film and plays her character with a genuine sensitivity you can see in her face.  Williams is also fun to see as the colorful pimp.  Of course, Williams was always a weird dude anyhow—who can forget his performance in De Palma’s Phantom of the Paradise?    Here he isn’t given much to do but he’s such a strange persona with such an odd look, his mere appearance lends an extra shiver of creepiness to the proceedings.

Williams was already an award-winning and multi-platinum composer, songwriter, and recording artist.  He had already written hits for Three Dog Night and Karen Carpenter and had been nominated for or won several Oscars, Golden Globes, and Grammys for his musical work in films such as A Star is Born, Phantom of the Paradise, and The Muppet Movie.  Why Williams wasn’t tapped to work on the soundtrack is a mystery to me.  Perhaps the budget wouldn’t allow it or perhaps Williams was simply too busy.  Regardless, the soundtrack is not one of my favorites and features some overly melodramatic songs that don’t quite fit the film in my opinion.


With a plot twist at the end—another typical characteristic of gialli—that may or may not surprise the viewer with a “big reveal,” Stone Cold Dead is a bit of an anomaly. It has a great cast and a good enough story with some excellent vintage Skid Row footage.  There’s also plenty of stripping and nudity for the more prurient audience members.  But the film still fails to generate many thrills and chills and is simply an average film.

Kino Lorber has included several extras for this new Blu-Ray release which include a 9-minute interview with director George Mendeluk, the original theatrical trailer, several trailers for KL’s latest releases, and an audio commentary with film historians Howard S. Berger and Nathanial Thompson.  It can be purchased directly through Kino-Lorber at kinolorber.com or through Amazon.