MOVIES 41

RECENTLY RE/WATCHED 

THE SNORKEL (1958)

Never even heard of this British murder mystery/suspense flick until Indicator released this blu-ray in February. I've come to realise over the last 10 years that there's an entire parallel history of British film out there to the one we already know and love and it's just as good if not better! The Snorkel is an absolute classic thriller that I reckon Hitchcock would have been proud of. Best to go in to this one with as little knowledge as possible. Highest recommendation. 

RUNAWAY TRAIN (1985)

I must have seen this classic 80s action thriller on telly before but I couldn't remember it so it was like I was watching it for the first time. As Peter from Britain's Dragon's Den likes to say "It does what it says on the tin!" ie. It's about a Runaway Train and it's edge of the seat of your pant stuff. John Voigt is outstanding in this Cannon Films production. This is pop art action entertainment!

FROM BEYOND (1986)

You know how Re-Animator (1985) is pretty much the best Sci-Fi Horror movie of the 80s, along with The Fly (1986) & Aliens (1986), well Stuart Gordon's second directorial effort is just as good. It's another HP Lovecraft interpretation. Nutty scientists bugger about and end up creating a "Resonator" which has all sorts of affects on dimensions and sexuality with weird & horrifying consequences. I mean sure it's all about Barbara Crampton in leather underwear, if you saw it in the 80s as a teenage boy but it's more than that, I think. You should watch it again if you haven't seen it since the 80s as it's an exciting wild trip into body horror. TOP SHELF 80s VHS!

DEADLY MANOR (1990)

It's hard to believe José Larraz the director of one of my all time favourite 70s horror movies Symptoms (1974) directed this bottom of the barrel 90s slasher. Only die hard slasher fans are going to find anything of interest here and I suspect they're not even going to extract too much enjoyment here. Steer clear!

THE GOOD DIE YOUNG (1954)
I'm beginning to sound like a broken record with all these ye olde British crime films but here's another gem I haven't watched in a while. I'm surprised by the amount of great British films that don't make the "so called" cannon lists. Is that because cannons are bullshit? It was mentioned on a podcast a while back so a re-watch was in order. Miles Ravenscourt (Laurence Harvey) is a degenerate gambler but with a set of great social skills to enable him to round up three other down and just about out blokes in London to help him pull off a heist. Three quarters of this film are dedicated to the ins and outs of the minutiae of manipulating such relatively good men into criminal and diabolical circumstances. Worth the build up for the terrific ending. 

The Good Die Young has a stellar cast including legendary Gloria Grahame and a a young Joan Collins along with stalwarts Stanley Baker, Richard Basehart and John Ireland. Directed by Lewis Gilbert who went onto fame helming such films as Alfie, You Only Live Twice, The Spy Who Loved Me, Educating Rita and Shirley Valentine. 

SAVAGE DAWN (1985)
Well this is a pretty good fun outlandish 80s action film with plenty of bad-arse motorbike action in a desert town. We get crazy firearms, tanks, betrayal, revenge, insane military weapons, tractors and even lassos! Stars Lance Henriksen, Karen Black, George Kennedy, Richard Lynch, William Forsyth etc. With characters called Tick, Stryker, Virgil, Zero, Meatrack, Joyboy, Spyder and Lipservice you know you've entered deep into the 80s VHS shelves of bonkers late night action entertainment. 

Ms .45 aka Angel Of Vengeance (1981)

Abel Ferrara's Ms .45 seems to get better with age. This rape-revenge movie is not going to be for everyone. Set in the trendy but sleazy garment district of NYC at the start of the 80s our mute protagonist Thana (Zoë Tamerlis) works as a seamstress. After work one day she is raped in a laneway by a masked man, as if that's not bad enough, when she she gets home she is raped again by a different dude whom she kills. There's more carnage to come as Thana becomes totally unhinged and revolted by any sexual advances from men. The final costume party mayhem extravaganza is actually quite ethereal, befitting Thana's alternative title as an angel of Vengeance. If I spit On Your Grave (1978) is way too much for you perhaps you'll be able to hack Ms .45 but it's still bloody rough going. There's no doubt though that this is a spectacularly put together exploitation film which must have been very unexpected in 1981 after the dross of his debut feature Driller Killer (1979). Ms .45 belongs in the higher echelons of the vengeance and rape-revenge genres. Zoë Tamerlis is brilliant as Thana. Whatever happened to her? er....drugs and lots of them but she did co-write Ferrara's 1992 depraved cop classic Bad Lieutenant before dying in her late 30s of too much drugs. 

THE BLOB (1988)

Wow when I first put this on I thought geez I've underrated this for 30 years. I loved it with its outa space slime falling out of the sky, squishing out of hospital and oozing into the sewer system. But then after half way through comes the the buzzkill information that it's a government scientific military warfare experiment. I couldn't even be bothered trying to read the subtext. Was it anti-Reagan, anti-war, anti-government, anti-military, anti-who gives a fuck?! Why not just have a scary gloopy blob destroying everything in its path without the tedious politics. Still it is worth checking out for the excellent old school effects and the top mysteriously scary first two thirds. For 80s VHS sci-fi horror enthusiasts. A missed opportunity but then again it seems to have quite the cult following.

DOMONIQUE (1979)
This blu-ray was in the Vinegar Syndrome sale so I took a chance and it payed off! This is a quaint British horror film set in a bucolic mansion owned by a very wealthy couple. Inheritances, chauffeurs, gaslighting, death, ghosts, and other assorted monkey business takes place for a splendidly entraining evening of light spooky viewing. Top thriller/horror to watch with your grandma.

POOL OF LONDON (1951)

Here we go again! Another British crime movie of the highest calibre. This is a heist movie with twist then a few more twists and some romance. Basil Dearden directs so what could go wrong? Nothing. The pace, the plot, the scenic London being rebuilt post-WWII, the acting and just the whole vibe is enticing. Surely this one makes some of the canonical lists. Two Merchant seamen and best buddies Johnny Lambert (Earl Cameron) & Dan MacDonald (Bonar Colleano) get the weekend off whilst their ship is docked in London. Johnny finds a woman who he falls in love with while Dan is up to all sorts of shady shenanigans in the streets, pubs and dancehalls of post war London. The duo find themselves inadvertently involved in a jewellery heist. What will become of these two? 

This is right up there with the best British films of all time including Dearden's other top efforts League Of Gentleman, Victim, All Night Long, Sapphire, Blue Lamp, The Mindbenders etc. For my money Dearden is the greatest British director of all time to not cross the pond. A quick look at the Time Out & BFI lists of The 100 Best British Films Of All Time reveals no love for Dearden whatsoever, with no entries in either list, which is perplexing and a disgrace! Next time you read such a list have a good think and you'll realise they are in no way indicative of the greatest films of all time that they purport to be. There is always a narrative being followed or an agenda or some sort of commercial interest but you can become a heterodox thinker so make your own real list. I mean come on! 24 Hour Party People over every single brilliant film in Dearden's entire filmography, that's a bullshit list innit?

LINE OF DUTY THOUGH

But I haven't been in movie mode really because LINE OF DUTY SEASON 6. Anti Corruption Unit 12 are back in full swing! This season's special guest star is legendary Scottish actress Kelly MacDonald and she absolutely kills it as the dodgy copper DCU Joanne Davidson. Adrian Dunbar, Vicky McClure and Martin Compston as our AC-12 trio of Ted, Kate & Steve are brilliant once again. Anna Maxwell Martin returns as the god awful DCS Patricia Carmichael. Then there's Gregory Piper as PC Ryan Pilkington, the all grown OCG housing estate kid from series one and Nigel Boyle returns as the incompetent twat DSU Buckles. These are the greatest actors on telly right now and they put in an unbelievable ensemble performance. It is a joy to watch people at the top of their game and thanks to the writing of Jed Mercurio plus the art of his three directors (special mention to Gareth Bryn for helming episode four) it all comes together spectacularly. This is impeccably put together with not a second wasted. You cannot look away. There's no looking at your phone or knitting to be done during this extraordinary, meticulous and intense Cop V Cop drama!

First we had to watch the new season but then we had to watch all the previous seasons again. So now we're in the middle S6 again. One of the top three episodes ever is in the new season that being episode four. DI Steve Arnott even agrees. Of course the best ever is episode six of season three followed by episode four of season five. Fans you know what I'm talkin' aboot! But there's NOT a bad episode in the entire six seasons. So that's over 36 hours of television (pretty dense) perfection. Nobody can touch the Brits when it comes to telly of the outstanding variety!

Is this the end of the line for Line Of Duty though? I remember a few years back Jed Mercurio was promising seven seasons. The end of the sixth season feels like it's done and dusted though. It all seems wound up. There's only really a couple of questions about Ted Hastings past that remain unanswered. Maybe they could do a prequel of Ted as a youthful copper in his Northern Ireland days. Perhaps it's good to just leave it alone now though. I'm sure Jed's got some other fabulous ideas for other shows percolating in his brain. Maybe that is what's worth looking forward to.

I've watched a bunch of other films and old favourites that I couldn't be bothered writing about or reviewing again like all of the Umberto Lenzi & Sergio Martino poliziotteschi movies, Chopping Mall (1986), The Blood Spattered Bride (1972), Maniac (1980), The Night Train Murders (1975), Der Fan (1982), Bunny Lake is missing (1965), Endless Night (1972), 11 Harrowhouse (1974), The Trinidad Affair (1952), Blood On Satan's Claw (1971), Radio On (1979) and probably some others I've forgotten. 

FIRST TIME ON BLU-RAY FOR THESE CULT MOVIES

ONE ARMED BOXER (1971)
RELEASE DATE: NOW
Kung-fu blu-ray debut of One Armed Boxer on EUREKA CLASSICS. Jimmy Wang Yu the original One Armed Swordsman (1967) is back to fight an array of malicious martial artists in this cult Hong Kong movie from The Golden Harvest Co. After becoming famous as the one armed swordsman whilst under contract at The Shaw Bros Studio now he gets his arm severed again to become the One Armed Boxer...aww no. How does Jimmy do it because he actually has two arms in real life! Amazing, plus he also directs this one with one arm tied behind his back.

THE CRIMES OF THE BLACK CAT (1972)
RELEASE DATE: 6/7/21

One of my all time favourite Gialli gets the blu-ray treatment from Cauldron Films. This is set in the picture-esque city of Copenhagen, Denmark. Blind movie composer Peter (Anthony Steffen) becomes the amateur sleuth after his ex-girlfriend dies. The police don't think its murder but Peter knows better. I mean he's blind but even he can see its murder. Hold on to your hats: We get overheard conversations, a modelling agency, a fashion house, adultery, a deadly cat, a phoney drug addict, sex photo extortion, silk shawls, 70s restaurants/bars, pet shops, a bus chase, a shocking death shower scene, blackmail, a white caped murderer, a body count, a butler, red herrings, tape recordings and more. Unusually we get an incredible set piece on a construction site (?) with the blindman Peter having to dodge murderous machinery whilst on dangerous scaffolding. This is an intense action sequence that sets this Giallo apart. The best (Original review from 26/6/20). 

COLUMBIA NOIR BOX SET #4

RELEASE DATE: 20/10/21

Six More 40s & 50s crime films from Indicator Blu-ray. All debuting on blu-ray. Four of which I've never seen! We've got the lot here: Glamour, Guns, Nihilism, Femme Fatales, Gangsters, Spies, Hitmen, Seedy Cops on the take, Scuzzy NYC, Love and an array Creepy Miscreants. Acting from Kim Novak,  Abbe Lane, Fred MacMurray, Richard Conte, Jean Simmons etc. Directing from Phil Karlson, John Farrow, Richard Quine et al. Plus commentaries and introductions from the likes of Marty Scorsese, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Frank Krutnik etc. No Adrian Martin though (aww but why though?). Plus the usual Three Stooges shorts sending up noir motifs. Can't wait!

* I'm not gonna say we need a blu-ray of Cockfighter, After Hours, Night Of The Juggler, Straight Time or Minnie & Moskowitz any more. I give up.

What about The Well (1951), The Phenix City Story (1955), Don't Deliver Us From Evil (1971), Hollywood Man (1976), The House With The Laughing Windows (1976) or Possible Worlds (2000)? Come on blu-ray people! 

POSSIBLE WORLDS. Best film Of the century?

*RANT ALERT! BLU-RAY BUSINESS'S ARE THE NEW DJS!

It befuddles me that not one of these boutique labels has carved out a niche by getting hold of like the 20 best Krimi titles or why it's only been 88 Films championing Hong Kong's amazing yet neglected 60s/70's/80s/90s film legacy up until now that other business's have started barging in on 88 Film's Hong Kong film love. It's like nobody's out there thinking differently. All these labels seem to be covering similar stuff. Something tells me these blu-ray people can't seem to think for themselves and are a bit clueless except for 88, Indicator, Kino Lorber, Vinegar Syndrome and a couple of others. The rest seem keen to just follow trends and chase the same cult films as one another.

Early Krimi THE STRANGE COUNTESS (1961)

Labels like Studio Canal's Vintage Classics, BFI & Network are quietly brilliant because they just do their own thing without trying to be trendy or cool with their ye olde British flicks, British telly and miscellaneous excellent movies. Nobody ever raves about those labels and maybe that's a good thing as they are all about The Movies. One day I just realised that half the movies in my collection are manufactured by these labels.

I mean these  other blu-ray label people are hardly creative types. They are just releasing old stuff that they had absolutely nothing to do with when it was being made. Unless you are Warner Archive or William Lustig running your own fabulous cottage industry in Blue Underground which is keeping his own creative legacy alive and visible. There's nothing particularly cutting edge about this game. It's a bit like DJs in the 90s getting all this notoriety & adulation by simply playing records made by other incredibly creative/innovative artists. That's the crux of the entire curatorship problem. It's now historic. The creativity is finished long ago and never belonged in the hands of these new third party business owners. They are the end of the line. It's bottom feeding innit? The more I think about it, the fustier it all seems, a bit gross, sycophantic and sort of film necrophilia. The cult of boutique blu-ray labels is daft.

Joe Spinnel MANIAC 1980 (Bill Lustig)

I'd say most people probably pay no notice, as they should, and just say "Awesome I've found a blu-ray of Over The Edge! I love that movie. How good is Matt Dillon? Plus all those kids who were non-actors. Jonathan Kaplan rules and the soundtrack is so like excellent!" 

Poliziotteschi classic STREET LAW (1974)

It's puzzling and somewhat suspicious that Arrow are now getting involved in releasing Poliziotteschi Movies after 88, Code Red and others have been releasing that stuff for years. Plus Arrow??? They're slipping in quality and value with not one commentary on any of the the five films on only three discs in the Years Of Lead Box. They're cutting corners and losing respect! Why are we paying premium prices still for that box set, as good as it may be, that seems like it should be a budget product? I think something is definitely up over there at Arrow Films. They are no longer exciting. They're posting apologies and cancellations of blu-ray features. They're repackaging their old titles like Sergio Martino Gialli & Jules Dassin Noirs to make them look like new products. This of course will make obsessive collectors buy the same material again. There was even an instagram post earlier in the year saying they were dropping the excellent esoteric film buff's Arrow Academy line so they have changed their MO to what appears to be a more business-centric model as opposed to a bunch of movie fanatics putting out stuff they love. If I had to guess I'd say there's been a changing of the guard at Arrow HQ and their future is fading fast as it now appears to be being poorly run. Their time might be almost up if they don't get it together and keep the faithful happy....anyway whatever....

Grace Jones in COLT 38: SPECIAL SQUAD (1976)