Longlegs (2024)

 Longlegs does not have such looong legs, falls short in some aspects.

Or the advertising has been so huge, "the best since this and that", serial , it's not even about serial so much.

Takes elements of not only The Silence of the Lambs but a combo of Lambs with Manhunter/Red Dragon, Zodiac, Se7en, X Files, Carrie< Carrie's mom, Rosemary's and Omen, too much Satan and Satanism for me, I'd rather go with Late Night with the Devil or Oddity or Maxxine (that being a fun film as opposed to this one, bleak, dark and all tense), of recent horror fare.

No one mentions David Lynch and the Twin Peaks vibe, or a Lost Highway kind of creepiness.

It's set in the mid 90's in Oregon and it follows a female FBI agent (Maika Monroe, who gives everything to the screen), investigating a 30 years old odd killing spree of a mysterious character known as Longlegs (Nicolas Cage in one of his career high), with which she seems to have a strange connection.

Inspired by the Satanist craze of US in the Nineties, and a real creepy case (see here). 

It's a heavy film, filled to the max, volume of scares and movie tricks to do that amped to the max. 

It's Osgood Perkins' fourth feature film, and all of them are horror films. I've seen them all in time, Gretel and Hansel (2000) is espcially a retelling of that creepy (this is the main word of this review ;) fairy tale, more like a nightmare, very stylish and scary. Did I say creepy ? Osgood is the son of Anthony Perkins, the legendary star of Psycho, but he seems to live and dream in that (creepy creepy) House up the Hill. 

The music is by Osgood's brother, Elvis, under the pseudonym of Zilgi ! Creepy music ? Yes ;)

But music plays a greater part on the plot, from T. Rex (Bang a Drum, from which the film quotes directly & two more Bolan songs), to Lou Reed, Bowie and even a weird connection to Duran Duran's Rio. Plus Longlegs himself seems to be a failed rock musician. He also kinda sings in it !

Definetly the Nicolas Cage Award of 2024 !!!

7 out of 10 / 3 1/2 out of 10 

-for A splendid Nic Cage (some would say Creepiest-a cross of Marilyn Manson and Mickey Rourke's worst lifting), great costumes too, absolutely fantastic sound design, photography gimmicks, I didn't go for the subliminal s**t, too many tricks of the trade. Absolutely fantastic 'cos such a low budget and indie film has such universal success (budget 10 mill. $, BO 'til now Ten times more!!!) , bravo Oz and Good ;)

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)

There's been 36 years til Beetlejuice.

Beetlejuice 2 aka Beetlejuice Beetlejuice does not feel like a cash-in but a really feel-good movie.

They had the most fun doing it, I had most fun watching it.

In short, It Rocks !

Also Tim Burton's back. With a Bang. He seemed to have got his Juice back. C'mon, from Dumbo (2019) he didn't do any film for the big screen, he directed some episodes of Wednesday in Romania (4 actually!). Also Dumbo? Why? His last great film for me was Sleepy Hollow in 1999, Big Fish being too pretentious (they thought is Oscar material, like a more fantastic Forrest Gump...), I have a soft spot for Dark Shadows (2012), which I saw again 2 years ago and accepted it as it was. Sweeney Todd is grand guignol but Burton didn't fulfill his early promises that became with the shorts animated (Vincent & Frankenweenie) went into Beetlejuice, his 1st "Burtonesque" film. Pee-Wee was just an essay ;). That's what made us (me and some buddy) say in the mid 2000's that Burton is the most overrated director. Well, make room, there's plenty who took that place ever since. So, take it as you please, BB is Tim Burton's comeback film, a fun to watch, fun to make, roller-coaster of sandworms and a true Burton-o-rama.

Warning, this is for the fans of the original, it got all the ties so if you haven't seen the 1988 original, pls. do. Now it's streaming on Max, they were smart enough to put it in today. 

BB opened the Venice film festival and opened worldwide on 6.9.24 or the American way -9.6.24, all reversed adds up to 6.6.6 but that is another story.  

Michael Keaton (who just got 73!!!) is even wackier than in Beetlejuice, and he looks exactly the same!

Winona Ryder looks great as grown-up (& still haunted) Lydia Deedz.

Ctaherine O'Hara is back as Delia Dee.

And Jenna Ortega (Wednesday) is in as Astrid, Lydia's daughter /less troubled teenager than Winona was in the original.

They got rid of Jeremy Jones -Charles Deetz-(who's now a known sex offender :( in a very classy and smart way (the stop motion animation sequence is a blast!) 

Monica Bellucci is an addition to the cast as Delores (a sort of Corpse's Bride), with nods to Mario Bava in an insane Italian B & W sequence, she is now Burton's partner (lucky Tim ;)

Justin Theroux is Rory, Lydia's producer & manager.

Also Burn Gorman (The Offer) is Father Damien (!).

Willem Defoe is here in his 1st part on a Burton film, as Wolf Jackson, he's great ("Keep it real") but I can't think of how it would have been if Christopher Walken would have accepted this part as he was offered it initially (at least that is what I read). 

Oh, and that excellent Danny de Vito cameo...

Groovy soundtrack (Songs by Donna Summer, Richard Harris-yes, that Richard Harris !, The Bee Gees, Scott Weiland, Sigur Ros, Richard Marx-!-), fantastic musical scenes (MacArthur Park, Tragedy, Day-O choir), and a great score by Danny Elfman (& Steve Bartek), with all the riffs of the old one. 

There's also a riff on a classic Brian De Palma film that I won't spoil here ;) , i spotted the Monty Python fattest man in the world riff (from Meaning of Life), but hey...

Probably the most fun film about Death and the Underworld !

7 out of 10/ 3 1/2 out of 5.  

It's a seven for me because it's too light in its darkness, and some character scenes are really just expository and you don't feel the suspense or the weight of death upon life or life upon death. But then again, you have Bob in it...

Kaos (2024)

 Fullfill thy prophecy

or

ther will be KAOS

It might as well be the best thing on TV this year (so far...), except Ripley... 

(streaming on netflix)

brush up your Greek and drink up your Meander water, I mean yr Olympus yoghurts..

TBC...

Blink Twice (2024)

Worth a trip to the theaters !

and Blink Twice

Blink Twice is a term used for people who are in danger. 

It's stylish, it's widescreen, it's evil under the sun (plus champagne and strawberries), wild soundscape and it's pretty creepy (add some black humor too) !

a bit of woke (...2024?!), but also some R rated weird cutting and ambiguity.

I really enjoyed this in a theater, I'd somehow make it a double bill with Rose Glass 's film Love Lies Bleeding.

Blink Twice is Zoe Kravitz's directorial debut at 35, I guess ya all know who Zoe is (from Hollywoodland royalty -Lenny K. and Lisa Bonet). 

She co-produced and co-wrote the film, which she started in 2017 as "Pussy Island" ! Rewroted as the #metoo movemement moved on. Of course MGM blinked 'til the title was changed. See here why. & how.

Channing Tatum (Zoe's fiancee) plays his 1st mature and risque part on the screen (ok, he was in Foxcatcher 10 years ago...), Slater, a cross of Jeffrey Epstein  (for power) and Arnie Hammer (for charisma) as a rich Tech CEO who has his own island where he brings selected people to party...

Cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie from the Whitney Huston biopic) is all spellbound by this and on board for the ride, this is her story and her POV.

A new entry in the "evil rich people" doing bad s**t on an island (that started with The Most Dangerous Game in 1932 and recently goes into The Hunt, The Menu, Ready or Not, The Invitation, even Old) . Just that BT is better, way more stylish, poignant and...fun.

More value to the screen:

-Cinematographer Adam Newport-Berra's first main credit, vivid colors & panache. 2.39: 1. Shot in Yucatan, Mexico.

-A very effective soundtrack by Chanda Dancy 

-and songs (James Brown, Chaka Khan -Ain't Nobody, one Yoko One song-Don't Be Scared. Really ;)? 

-Strong supporting cast, including the likes of Haley Joel Osment, Christian Slater, Kyle MacLachan and Geena Davis. Slater in particular seems to have a groovy time. He's the one with the Polaroid camera.

...So what you need to do, is to Follow the Red Rabbit ;)

7 out of 10/ 3.5 out of 5 !!!

The Killer (2024)

 *not to be confused with David Fincher's thriller with the same name of 2023. 

This is John Woo's THE KILLER, his own remake to his famous cult film The Killer from 1989, that premiered (streaming :( on Peacock on Aug. 23 2024.

it's woke but is more than that.

It is John Woo's French film, it's an homage to Le Samourai (1967) even more than the original Killer was. In the circumstance of recent Alain Delon's demise, this works more nostalgic than intended. Shot in Paris of no limits A budget and in touristic spots, plus the church from the original and the pigeons TM. And a goldfish. A samurai (!) sword. A black hat. And a crossword pun. And bikers on relanti. In flames. Woo-ish. 

Woo will be 78 this September (22), so he's not getting any younger. His influences on the action cinema were in the '90's. That's why they called him overseas, after hardboiled (1992). He started with Hard Target (soft spot as I was a publicist on it, back in 1994's Media Pro Pictures distribution), moved on to Broken Arrow and hit the mark with Face/Off. His last great film was Mission: Impossible in 2000. After the failure of Paycheck he went back to China but I didn't resonate with any of his films there (actually I only saw the 1st Red Cliff). 

The man is surely a woman now -Zee-Nathalie Emmanuel-from the Fast & Furious series ( a la Nikita, there's even a quote of that, and that's Tcheky Karyo's cameo) and the cop -Sey-Omar Sy-international star since Inotochables- is black. The singer is given more to do and done, and the plot is mambojumbo-ish to the maxxx. The remake has been in the works from the 90's and I think it's great that finally Woo gets to re-do it and in Paris of all places. The script is credited to Brian Helgeland, Josh Sanders and Matt Stueken (surely not all together, , but Woo sure added up his own marks. The whole thing is marred by the need to switch to English all the time, and keep some French just for the picturesque. 

But Omar Sy could've been Belmondo. Le Flic.And Nathalie Emmanuel, Delon, Le Samourai.

Woo's daughter, Angeles Woo is acting in it as a killer. Name of her character, Chi Mai ;)

She's also a co-producer.

Lots of juicy parts, Eric Cantona is a Top gangster, Said Taghmaoui is an Arab prince, Diana Silvers is Jenn, the singer, victim and target, Sam Worthington is Finn, the contracter of Zee, he does a Strong Irish accent complete with the annoying "beat of my heart' bit in Irish. A stand-out, stunt woman Aurelia Ager as the baddie blonde evil henchie with ponytails Juliet, her 1st real acting part (hope she goes Zoe Bell's way). 

The music is key, Marco Beltrami at the helm, with Buck Sanders helping him, doing an Ennio Morricone tribute, with whisting, a woman operatic voice, complete with a song (that integrates the film-"Introuvable", sang by Jorane), Eric Serra style. There's even a cue from Le Samourai, "Costello dans la ville", from the score by Francois de Roubaix. 

Very well lit cinematography by Mauro Fiore, Antoine Fuqua and Oscar winner for Avatar cinematographer. Edited by Zach Staenberg, the guy who cut all the Matrix trilogy.

So, it's flawed, it's naive but I could feel it's goodhearted as opposed to cringe, and someone else would've done it worse. 

It looks like a Europacorps prod. from the 90's, it's been in development for so long, Universal studios bound, and though it ended on streaming.

Pity it wasn't in theaters, even if it's not John Wick (a series that took from Woo big time), it's his Grandfather and granddaughters. Inc. 

3 out of 5, 6 out of 10 !

L'insoumis (1964)

L'insoumis (1964) or The Unvanquished (in Engish) an early gem in Delon's filmography, little seen but famous for one shot in pop culture, The Smiths' album cover The Queen is Dead (1986).

A political thriller/film noir/doomed existential love story by arthouse auteur Alain Cavalier (Therese), and the only film Delon did with him. It is the first from Delon's production company (his first too, Delbeau) and it seems the film was a flop then and AD had an injury during filming, so he wasn't so happy with it at that time. But the film grew-given the further influence of a final shot into an iconic cover I suggest you to go for it. This is a one to (re)visit, especially now with the final dissapearence of "Le fauve", le Grand Delon.

I found it on youtube in a very good copy, with burned English subtitles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7L4y9KduN8

There is a little bummer, this cut has 101 mins, and the original cut is supposed to have 114 mins.  I understand the cuts were made by the French then, this is the film released by MGM, with whom Delon had a 5 picture deal at the time. Alternate English title, Have I the Right To Kill.

Written by Cavalier with Jean Cau, based on a real story, though they said it's not (and got sued by the real judge person).

Exquisite black and white Cinematography by Claude Renoir.

Great music score by Georges Delerue.

1961. Delon is Thomas, a Luxembourgois Legionnaire, deserter from the Algerian war (still superhot at that time, this is even before Battle of Algiers-1966), is recruited by the OAS to kidnap a young judge (Lea Massari) that came from Lyon to Alger to defend two Arabic "terrorists". And he somehow falls for it...

cool review & info here

8 out of 10 / 4 out of 5

1 minute of making of

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2jicS4Zfl0

RIP Alain Delon

 Le Samourai est parti definitivment....il est le dernier de son temps perdu...legende.

88 years Alain Delon roamed the world, changing cinema, loving women, breaking hearts, making friends out of making enemies, loving integrity, creating outrage, playing cops, flics, private dicks, gangsters, doctors, gitans...He is considered by many the most handsome man ever on the silver screen. 

He and Bebel were France incarnated on the screen and in person, old France, younger than Gabin, Ventura, but old lions. The Leopards. La race des seigneurs.

Le clan des siciliens, Plein Soleil, La Piscine, L'insoumis, Jeff, La tulipe noire, Les Aventuriers, Borsalino, Le Cercle Rouge, Flic Story, Pour la peau d'un flic, Zorro, Mr. Klein, La mort d'un pourri, Notre Histoire. Oui, Antonioni et Visconti aussi.

I met him at TIFF in 2017, it was an honor ! 

Can't say more now, listen to him singing a cheesy song about moviemaking, "Comme au Cinema".  I just love it...

In his own words here.

https://x.com/CinemaOnSundays/status/1825084162522382441

Adieu l'ami...

RIP Gena Rowlands

John Cassavetes' muse (and wife and partner) is gone now at 94...

Gena Rowlands

Gloria ...A Woman Under the Influence...Minnie (& Moskovitz)

Alien: Romulus (2024)

"ANDY: Did you hear about the claustrophobic astronaut?... He needed a little space."

In Space no one hears you laugh. Or sneeze. Or does it?

Now finally out in theaters (it was first to premiere on streaming on Hulu). Saw it last night on the avan-premiere. The lighting, sound, sound fx, music, design, all it's super well done, on an A budget (shot on the Origo studios in Budapest). But too many references and beaten paths, a lot of plants but no payoffs, and a shorter running time (15 minutes easily less instead of 119) would've helped the pacing. I would've dropped the last act-or the final bit of the third act- in setting that for another film, also the premise on the Jackson colony planet, gritty and grim, with rain, poverty and darkness reminded me of the colony in Outland (1981) or the Mars environment in Total Recall (1990).  That could've been used more imo.

Alien: Romulus is a reboot, a sequel, set on the timeline between Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986), and functioning on the mythology of the Prometheus (my thoughts here) and Alien: Covenant (my thoughts here), these two movies existing now in the Alien universe before the original Alien.

Weyland-Yutani are everywhere, as is the Romulus/Remus theme (children Raised by Wolves), another theme Ridley introduced in his 2020 series that were mixing the Blade Runner android themes with the Alien Synthetic beings-that being and remaining Ridley's obsession-"More Human Than Human" (Tyrell being in the same universe as Peter Weyland's "Building better Worlds").

Uruguayan Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead 2013 remake, Don't Breathe), a good choice for directing, was chosen by Ridley who supervised the film and gave him notes. Alvarez and his buddy, Rodo Sayages (also director of Don't Breathe 2) wrote the script but took their notes and nods to all the franchise tropes.

The characters though are like pawns, younger actors, some annoying, ready to be sacrificed for the more important Directive, the WY priority. Just think of the original Alien cast and weep...Obvious cue, Rain (Cailee Spaeny from Civil War) is all and all from Ripley. 

The Andy Android (David Jonsson) is a step (& color) forward, instead of good/bad you get two chips, different sides of the same coin.

Another link to THE Alien (the 1979 film that is) is the Rook character, based on Ash, due to the Ian Holm regeneration on CGI & AI symbiosis. 

The music score, (key word: Pounding!) by Benjamin Wallfisch (partner of Hans Zimmer on Dunkirk & Blade Runner 2049, solo on It and The Flash) has the most references to the iconic score of Jerry Goldsmith for Alien, then James Horner for Aliens and Hans Gregson-Williams for Prometheus, plus a rendition of The Rheingold/Valkyrie Richard Wagner's anthem used in Alien: Covenant. 

“Dear Fede, Good luck. Good health. Good hunting. Don’t f–k up. Very best wishes, Ridley Scott.”

A great conversation between Ridley and Fede Alvarez here. Very cool.

But this is no longer (sir) Ridley's toy, neither is Fox's, its boss being now Disney (where the Alien films can now be streamed, on +!!!)  and that's Weyland-Yutani Industries in the Real world making Science Fiction just science 1.0.1. And horror tru. But No One hears whoever Scream. 

So, Romulus it's not innovative cinema but it's well done, some good practical FX, as opposed to only CGI, nice camerawork, claustrophobic widescreen (2.39: 1), Galo Olivares' 1st major credit, he did Gretel & Hansel for Osgood Perkins in 2000), and as I said lights & strobes, shadows, colors, flashes, fast movements- effective filmmaking. I reckon it will be a box office tie, at 80 million $ budget plus marketing and publicity costs this should make at least $300 mill to get a sequel.

But hey, we got one coming up ! The Alien Hulu F/X series led by Noah Hawley (the creator of Fargo series, so there's some hope ;). Streaming in 2025. 

3 out of 5, 6 out of 10 (for the qualities mentioned above). 

At least it's Rated R ;) Also, it's been Seven long years (und a Pandemic) since the last Alien film on the big screen. 

-also to be seen on the big screen. Full sound and scope. 

Crime and Passion / Ace Up My Sleeve (1976)

Ace Up My Sleeve (1975) aka Crime and Passion, a more commercial but dumber and more banal title, released in the US as an AIP release. Rated R no less ;)

Omar Sharif, Karen Black, Joseph Buttoms,  Bernhard Wicki in an Euro-Trash picture that kind of nobody saw or cares about...

It made me curios because of the cast in checking Ivan Passer's filmography, which I rechecked due to Cutter's Way And then I found it on you tube in its entirety, widescreen and with German titles (they called the film Frankenstein's Spukschloss -Horror Castle of Frankenstein !!!). I guess it'll stay there, and here's the link. It's a real curio. Shot in Austria, in the winter on the ski slopes it features some great ski sequences, some car chases and crashes, weird and kinky sex & sweets/pastry eating (Karen Black tops it ;), Sharif's character Andre Ferren is a sex nut...

Anyway (s;), you gotta see this as I won't spoil stuff as the plot goes bonkers and further in the snows, act 3 is chaos itself, especially the ending -even a Shining resemblance.

Co-written by 5 people (not at the same time;), including Passer & William Richert (Winter Kills) the film says it's based on James Hadley Chase's novel Ace Up My Sleeve, but it seems it bares no resemblance at all. Some interesting details about the changes here !

Music by Vangelis of all people...does not fit the film at all...great score tho...it has all the Vangelis DNA. The music can be heard here

The reviews are delightful: 

"Crime and Passion" is not only one of the silliest films ever made but one of the most inexplicable"

Robert Ebert in 1976

min 57.50 "-naughty naughty massage, sir? "

Omar Sharif in Top Secret mode !!!

She'll be wearing silk pajamas when she comes...

Cutter's Way (1981)

 Out of the Past....comes Cutter's Way (1981). Thought about it for a while...

Saw this when I bought the DVD 20 years back or so...through the grapevine it came through the Coen bros' Big Lebowski, as it's one of the influences for the film.

Revisited now...

As we stand today probably the best known Ivan Passer film (my tops go to Born to Win -1971, best ever George Segal performance, as in Cutter, John Heard as Alex Cutter is his career best and a unique performance)

Based on the 1976 novel "Cutter and Bone" by Newton Thornburg. Title was changed in order to avoid a confusion on a film comey about two surgeons (!!!)

Passer wasn't the 1st choice to direct as neither Bridges and Heard were to act in it. But the Gods of Cinema found a way...

Uncanny& unsetting music by Jack Nitzsche, in the style of the one he did for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, featuring glass harmonica and zither. 

“The film moves with an easy uncoerced swing: moment by moment, scene by scene, we are unsure what to think or where we are going. It is a fascinating, organically grown drama.”
 – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

“[Heard] is one of America's great lost actors.”
 – Antonia Quirke, The Financial Times

Bill Wyman -Drive My Car (2024)

Bill Wyman put out an album at 87. Drive My Car, some wonderful covers (among which a nice rendition of Thunder on the Mountain from Bob Dylan's and 3 originals. Sounds a lot like J.J. Cale....

87? Eighty-Seven ? This is definitely the oldest rock musician's album yet. 

Also Wyman (former Rolling Stones bass player and co-founder) is retired from over 30 years (1993). In 1997 he formed The Rhythm Kings aka  Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, more of a club band. He joined the Stones for last year's Hackney Diamonds, playing the bass on the "Live By the Sword" song.

Surely on my Top albums of 2024. Made my Day (and what a Day :)

Review on Louder, here. 

                                                             "....but drive it Slow !!!"

MaXXXine (2024)

MaXXXine ends the X trilogy, continued with prequel Pearl (2022). Of course he just made it up as he went along...

It might be Ti West's most ambitious yet, more Meta and auto-referential. Plus the whole Hollywood puns and the 80's cheesy sleazy world of addiction and decadence. It's also the most self-ironical, self-conscious film of the three, more like a parody than the others, cynical, tongue-in-cheek, movie universe based, locked & loaded.

This is an article mentioning 7 films related to MaXXXine. Psycho (again!, after Pearl) and De Palma's Body Double (complete with a Frankie Goes to Hollywood sequence !)

Adding to that Sunset Blvd., What Happened to Baby Jane, Profondo Rosso,  Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains, even Chinatown... the elevator from 8 Millions Ways to Die, a showdown at the Hollywood sign...  

And that damn Alligator has a cameo, this time on the small video screen, not from Tobe Hopper but from the Sergio Martino's the Great Alligator (1979) ;)

an interview with Ti West (here's my notes on his western, In a Valley of Violence, and the cult film The Sacrament), on the Konbini video store series, about his models, references, favorite flicks here or below: 

His BFI top films list is a classical (and classy;) one.

RIP Nicu Covaci

Cei ce ne-au dat nume ...se duc acum cu totii...

Nicu Covaci a fost Phoenix, "insa eu"...

19 aprilie 1947-2 august 2024. 

RIP....End of an Era...

Fotografie de Cristian Radu Nema de la premiera filmului lui, Phoenix: Povestea, pe 16 octombrie 2022, cu Nicu in forma festiva, alaturi de Laura Baron.

more later...

i-am vazut, ca o intreaga generatie care i-a asteptat cu infrigurare dupa fuga lor din 1978, in Parcul copiilor, in toamna tirzie aului 1990. 

RIP John Mayall

 Just back from the Brezoi Open Blues Fest when this came as a sad closure...John Mayall has gone on July 22nd.  He was 90.

John Mayall is/was Mr White in the Blues. Groundgreaker. Bluesbreaker. As in John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers.

Saw him twice in Bucharest, in the 90's and in the new millennium, in 2012, same venue, Sala Palatului. In 1995 his guitarist sidekick was the sensational heavy Texan Buddy Whittington. It mesmerized me that second time he was selling his own CD's, first artist I saw doing that...(setlist and pictures here!)

Jeff Beck gone, Only Clapton remains. His homage to Mayall here:

BBC obit here.

RIP Shelley Duvall

Shelley Duvall was 75 just for three days (born July 7th 1949).

Shelley is Wendy, Jack Nicholson's victimized wife in Kubrick's The Shining (1980) and that is the part she will remembered most. She lived a personal ordeal through that shoot, got a Razzie for it and meanwhile Razzies rescinded her prize (interesting article here).  After that film her career and personal life never fully recovered.

But she worked for Robert Altman too, in seven films with highlights on Three Women (for which she won best actress in Cannes!), Nashville and Popeye !

She was also in Woody Allen's Annie Hall. 

RIP...

a nice article on her from El Pais

Love Lies Bleeding (2024)

Love Lies Bleeding (2024) is a mesmerizing little film that has it all, bodybuilding, crime, gun nuts, lesbian love, revenge, rednecks, and Bronski Beat's "Small Town Boy". Just that here there's Small Town girls. 

Love Lies Bleeding is also a cascading Red flower, but the title could come from a Don De Lillo novel. Or not. Just learned that the film was originally set in Scotland but moved in the USA for "scale".

Set in 1989's New Mexico.  Kristen Stewart's performance as Lou is so intense, but I've seen her before in Spencer, Seberg, Personal Shopper, Clouds of Sils Maria doing arthouse, here she does the perfect Indie performance, with a high note of her real sexuality. But the revelation of the film, with a background of real body building, is Katy O'Brian as Jackie. Also Anna Baryshnikov, the daughter of maestro ballerino Mikhail Baryshnikov, stands out as blonde Daisy. Dave Franco as JJ is good too. And man, Ed Harris as Lou senior, is in super evil bad mode. Which is perfect. His hair extensions are a standalone highlight.

LLB opened at Sundance Film Fest to rave, then it went to Berlinale.

Rose Glass writes and directs stylishly and with a certain peculiarity, it's her second film after Saint Maud (2019, which I'm gonna check), shades of Wild at Heart but with an LBGT, Flashdance, Thelma & Louise, Near Dark and even Rust and Bones. She brought with her from Europe (Brexited England that is) her Saint Maud cinematographer, Ben Fordesman, who does a great widescreen job (2.39.1) in Americana scope. 

Great atmospheric music score by Clint Mansell (known better as Darren Aronofski's composer), plus songs of the period. Discovered some cool obscure or cultish tunes, that work perfectly in the film-Nona Hendryx-"Transformation", Gina X "Nice Mover", & "Kaddish" included.

LLB it's now in Romanian cinemas (as Dragoste, minciuni și sânge), limited release, see it there !!!

IM 18 !!! Restricted to all Minors ! In the US it's Rated R. 

7 out of 10 / 3 1/2 out of 5 !!!

RIP Ion Rițiu

Ion Rițiu enchanted my childhood. He was Rică Păsărin, the lead in Duelul (1981) by Sergiu Nicolaescu,Sergiu Nicolaescu, his last "comisar" film in Ceaușescu's times. Up to Supravietuitorul (2008), in which he gave Rițiu a part too, 30 odd years later. 

He was the rich bad boy gone mad in Sergiu s Ciuleandra (1985), Puiu Faranga,on the Liviu Rebreanuțs book adaptation. 

Next on an officier in Noi, cei din linia întâi (1985).

He was also the ottoman boss, Baiazid in Mircea (1988). 

Last film, Poker (2010), also by Le Serge. Actually Sergiu NicoleascuSergiu Nicoleascu was the only one who gave him film parts. Why? :(

I saw him as a kid on a theatre play in Oradea or Cluj. Hollywood type of charisma, nice diction, ultra photogenic old style (30s). I was charmed.  He worked as a theatre actor in Târgu-Mureș. Dan Alecsandrescu, my mom's youth friend, the theatre director there put him in many plays.

Ion Rițiu was 73 (born 4 Dec. 1950).

Obit from Gândul

RIP Robert Towne

Considered the greatest American script, Chinatown (1974) was Robert Towne's masterpiece. He won an Oscar for it but Roman Polanski, the director, helped shaped the script and especially the downbeat ending.

Too bad they didn't do the third movie (Cloverleaf), but with the failure and fights over the sequel, The Two Jakes (2000), Towne and Jack Nicholson's friendship (who offered to direct!) had a huge fallout. They got over it eventually.

His great script of the early 70's were The Last Detail and Shampoo for Hal Ashby. He wrote uncredited scenes for Bonnie and Clyde and The Godfather, The Missouri Breaks, Warren Beatty's films (he was also great friends with Beatty and later on with Tom Cruise, who hold him in high esteem). 

When they messed up his script for Greystoke, the Legend of Tarzan (directed by  Hugh Hudson), so he signed the screen credit with the name of his dog (P.T. Vazak), and that name got nominated for an Oscar !!!!

He was considered the best script doctor in town and did great rewriting work on A list films for Big Bucks, and got to (co)write humdrum big budget High concept bonanzas like Mission: Impossible and Mission: Impossible 2 (The Chimera gimmick)  or troubled productions like Days of Thunder. for Simpson/Bruckheimer and Tony Scott. Also on Crimson Tide for Scott and the same producers  (dictated famously over the phone !!!). 

Towne also directed four films, with mixed results, from the sports-themed Personal Best (1982) to Tequila Sunrise (1988, what that menage a trois was about?), Without Limits (1998, another sports-themed flick) and Ask the Dust (2006, based on the John Fante novel, which he wanted to do since the early Seventies !), that was also his last work.

He started in Hollywood working for  Roger Corman. He wrote the Tomb of Ligia for Corman, on his series of Poe adaptations.

Bob Towne was 89. He was more like a Rock star in Hollywood than the reclusive screenwriter type. There won't be guys like him anymore, that's for sure...

Bastarden (2023)

Easily the best Danish film in years and a Career Top for Mads Mikkelsen.

Bastarden in original Danish, Promised Land in English, and Bastardul now in Romanian theaters.

It was proposed by Danmark for the Oscars but The Zone of Interest happened...

It opened in Venice last fall in the competition but won only a SIGNUS award.

Nikolaj Arcel's return to filmmaking in his own home after the disastruous Dark Tower (why?..). His previous films in his homeland and Scandinavia were all very good (Royal Affair, Kongsgame and the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). 

Based on the book "The Captain and Ann Barbara" by Ida Jessen. And loosely on a true story. In 1780 and so. In Jutland, the windy wasteland of the Danish kingdom. Captain Ludwig Kahlen is on a mission, to colonize and fertilize the empty fields of Jutland.

It plays like a classic western, epic drama, but done with a very felt naturalism.

Something that got to do with potatos. cartofeln ("decât cartofi" ;).  Fistful of potatos. With a cold shiver of Danske cinema realism. 

Great atmospheric score by Dan Romer.

Brilliant and exquisite widescreen cinematography by Rasmus Videbaek (Arcel's aquired DOP).

Strong performances all over, esp. by Amanda Collin ('Mother' in Raised by Wolves) as Ann Barbara.

About Mikkelsen, I know him (as an actor) from his first film Pusher (in which he was Tony-he was also in Pusher 2), which I saw in Prague in 2000 from the Terminal Bar Video Collection. Saw him in Refn's follow-up Bleeder,Bleeder, in Valhalla Rising, in the cannibal comedy The Green Butchers, in TIFF in Flame and Citron, in B-EST in The Hunt,  showed at Cinemateca Patria A Royal Affair (his 1st film with Arcel), enjoyed at home during the "pandemic" Another Round / Druk. He was impeccable in all his American/Hollywood fares, from King Arthur on to the Hannibal series, in Casino Royale-a brilliant Le Chiffre,  SW-Rogue One, up to his latest baddie, in Indiana Jones V.

soft spots for Riders of Justice, Arctic, even Polar. 

Even high-end commercials like Le Fantome.

He won best actor on Danish Oscars (Robert prize) for this, and best European Actor of the Year 2023.

To be seen in theaters !

9 out of 10/ 4 1/2 out of 5

Lucero-Bikeriders (SOTD)

Now in the film The Bikeriders (my thoughts here)

Lucero is Ben Nichols' band and the song is from 2005's Nobody's Darlings album. Based on photojournalist's Danny Lyon book The Bikeriders (1968).  See the photos in the video below.

Kathy met a girlfriend at a place around Grant,

Swore if she got out alive she'd not go back again,
Fellas didn't know her and they scared her half to death,
Hand prints on her jeans, she would have just got up and left,
That's when she saw Benny standing over by the bar,
Sat back down, and waited 'til he came over to talk,
Later on that night as she was walking out the door,
Benny started up his bike, and the boys came out for more

Ooooh...

They picked her up and put her on the back of Benny's bike,
Now Kathy's been with Benny Bauer ever since that night,
She's tried to leave him many times, can't quite get away,
Seen more jails and courts and laywers than she'd like to say,
Benny's always been a fighter, that'll never change,
Kathy takes him home and heals him up, it's all the same
He made it from the club room all the way out to the street,
They beat him with the barstools but he made it on his feet

Ooooh...

Kathy's runnin' to her boy, picks him up and takes him home,
And Benny's crying "Kathy please, I'm sorry don't you know?"
I'm sorry don't you know, I'm sorry don't you know?
At a bar they call Stop Light the fellas drink their beer,
Women with their hair done up, they make it very clear,
Which one of the fellas is all theirs and can't be touched,
They're tellin' me that motorcycle rider just give up,
They're talkin' to the pretty ladies, everyone they can,
I never seen the trouble caused all by just one dance,
If Benny don't get himself shot tonight I wish he did,
When he gets home

Ooooh...

Now Kathy's datin' Benny and he keeps her by his side,
Kathy's still the cutest girl these boys will ever find,
Riders line up BSA's out on the scrambler's tracks,
Levis jeans and a leather jacket numbers on their backs,
Benny's bike is too big to race up 250 class,
They make him start way up the hill, up by the railroad tracks,
Tomorrow they'll all ride across the Illinois state line,
Motorcycle Blessing at the St. Christopher Shrine

Ooooh...

Kathy's walking out the door leavin' Benny all alone,
And Benny's crying "Kathy please, baby don't you go"
Baby don't you go, baby don't you go
Kathy you mean it this time, just leave in the middle of the night,
His wallet's on your table, boots on your floor,
The car is parked right outside your back door,
So leave him asleep in your bed and,
You're halfway to Chicago before good-bye is said

Ooooh...

Bluesferatu@Bran Castle 6.07.24

 Not 2 be Missed, our show of the Year ;)

event here

&

https://www.facebook.com/events/1470842583640074

tickets on @iabilet.ro

Communique:

"Nosferatu - Eine Symphonie des Grauens", de F. W. Murnau (1922), este unul din cele mai importante filme mute.
Muzica originală s-a pierdut, așa că s-au făcut nenumărate partituri pentru el și este un favorit live al festivalurilor de film și nu numai.
Dar niciodată nu s-a cântat Blues pe el. Un blues mai psihedelic, dar ce blues, Bluesferatu!!!
Muzica originală este compusă și interpretată live de muzicieni brașoveni, Robert Watzatka ”Watzzy” - chitară, Ionuț Constantin ”Yokko”, Costi Popescu - tobe, Ilyes Botond ”Boti”- chitară , Mihai Nedea - keyboards, Ovidiu Mihai - bas, anume: Proiectul Bluesferatu!
Anul trecut l-am prezentat pe 28 septembrie în premieră mondială la Brașov, în cadrul Transilvania Blues Festival - și în avanpremieră la Banca de Cultură Apollonia și la Hub 2068.
Acum va fi proiectat pe un ecran în curtea castelului Bran (exterior), cel mai potrivit spatiu pentru Bluesferatu & Co să se dezlănțuie - în aer liber, la lumina lunii. Muzicienii vor cânta live în fata ecranului pe toată durata filmului - 95 de minute!
Un concert - eveniment: Bluesferatu 2.0. sau Bluesferatu Comes to Bran!!!

Biete: 100 RON in pre-sale si 120 RON in seara concertului !

Un proiect produs de Alin Ludu Dumbravă și Vlad Popescu pentru Asociația Arts & Events.

Partener principal – Castelul Bran
Powered by BCR.
Partener enologic: Stoker Wines
Parteneri media: Rock FM, Hit FM, Zile și Nopți

B. There and Let There B. Bluesferatu !!!

Announced just now the trailer for Roger Eggers' Nosferatu,null out this Xmas, it's a good preparation for it

The Bikeriders (2023)

"They felt undesirable. They felt unwanted. And that's why they ended up together." 

(Jeff Nichols)

In cinemas now The Bikeriders, Jeff Nichols' sixth film. Was not a big fan, but saw them all, from Shotgun Stories in Bucharest BIFF to Mud even in Cannes in Bunuel, ,Take Shelter, Midnight Special to Loving (which somehow left me unloved)...

This was supposed to be released last summer but the studios had no faith in it. Went to Mill Valley Fest, won directing, sat a bit, now it's out. See it on the big screen, it's widescreen, (2.39.1) & the sound  is awesome (as is the soundtrack)!

Based on a photo-book that looks great, by Danny Lyon who documented the life and runs of a bike gang (the Chicago Outlaws MC, name changed in the film to "The Vandals"), first published in 1968 and republished tons ever since. 

It's like  Goodfellas on bikes. No Pesci character tho. Tom Hardy was great, found an inner space for the part. Jodie Comer's accent drove me nuts, Austin Butler (elvis) too young and rough for the part. Supporting wagon- but they could've handled more. Michael Shannon-Nichols doppleganger, in his every film, Damon Herriman-one of my faved aussies (Mr. Inbetween, Quarry, Justified, OUATIH, Mindhunter), Boyd Holbrook, Norman Reedus. And mind the "Benny Blanco from the Bronx" syndrome 

Anyway, for Nichols kudos for the atmosphere and reconstruction of that era, his best and most ambitious flick yet.

3 1/2 out of 5, 7 out of 10 !

With this heard about a new band (new for me that is), LUCERO, Nichols' brother, Ben Nichols' band and on the closing titles, his/their song from 20025, Bikeriders (from his band's album Nobody's Darlings) . Pretty punk, reminded me of Wayne Kramer, Dropkick Murphy's and Headstones.

Ben was the one who told his brother about the book and pushed him into doing this film. BTW, Jeff dropped out of the A Quiet Place prequel in order to get this done. Great idea ;)

*****

The soundtrack of Jeff Nichols’ The Bikeriders:

“Lonely Room” by Mickey Murray

“I Wanna Holler But the Town’s Too Small” by Gary U.S. Bonds

“Declaration of Independence” by Count Five

“Talkin Bout You” by The Animals

“Come and Get It” by Leroy Tooks

“Out in the Streets” written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, Performed by Adrienne Pedrotti, Michelle M. Kahan & Leila Louise Henley

“Out in the Streets” by The Shangri-Las

“My Babe” by Dale Hawkins”

“Get Up and Get Out” by Clint Stacey

“Chino” from “The Wild One” by Leith Stevens

“Raunchy” by Bill Justis

“That’s All I Need” by Magic Sam

“Mama Talk To Your Daughter” by Magic Sam

“Road Runner” by Bo Diddley

“Mannish Boy (Electric Mud Version)” by Muddy Waters

“I Feel Free” by Cream

“New Orleans” by Garry U.S. Bonds

“Hush Little Baby” by Deon Jackson

“Baby Please Don’t Go” by Them feat. Van Morrison

“Master of War” by The Staple Singers

“Bet You’re Surprized” by Aaron Neville

“I’m Going Home” by The Sonics

“I’ll Never Learn” by The Shangri-Las

“I Can See” by Liberty Bell

“Oh Love” by Brother T. and Family

“I Don’t Know Who to Blame” by Pugsley Munion

“Down On the Street” by The Stooges

“Treat Him Right” by Mickey Murray

“I Don’t Worry Myself” by Johnny Adams

“Vandalize” by Ben Nichols

“Come Softly To Me” by the Fleetwoods

“Bikeriders” by Lucero

RIP Donald Sutherland

Last Wednsday I was in TIFF at the Dolce far niente dinner ;) when a message shattered me.

I shared Keifer's post on FB, about the death of his father, Donald Sutherland, 

saying ONE OF THE LAST OF THE ONLY ONES (quoting the Danny & Dusty song)

The greatest Canadian actor of all times for sure, Sutherland was 88 now, would've been 89 in less than a month (born July 17, 1935).  Still active as an actor, almost 200 films to his name, and unbelievably he didn't win an Oscar ever. Shameful, but they gave him a Honorary Award in 2018, just like with Peter Fonda and other Greats. I met him briefly at a Dec. 1st Buftea studios Media Pro Party when he shot there An American Haunting in 2005,  he was also in Romania in Cold Mountain, the nightmare of waiters in Poiana Brasov because of his contractual clause of non-smoking around him ;)

one of The Dirty Dozen 

one of the M.A.S.H. (Hawkeye)

John Klute in Klute

1900  (absolutely brilliant part !!!)

Fellini's Casanova -masterpiece and a career best

Don't Look Now 

Homer in The Day of the Locust

Liam Devlin in The Eagle Has Landed

The Eye of the Needle

Ordinary People

my soft spot for Kelly's Heroes

The Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1979 

X in JFK

a Soviet colonel in Citizen X 

The  Puppets Masters (1994, saw and did promo when on HBO, a sort of Body Snatchers by Robert A. Heinlein)

His last great part was in Mr. Harrigan's Phone (2022), based on a Stephen King's story, on Netflix. Before that I loved him  in 2019's The Burnt Orange Heresy as the reclusive painter Jerome Debney.

Before that Ad Astra as the Kurtz in space figure. He was John Paul Getty in Danny Boyle's Trust miniseries, a much superior fare on the kidnapping of the Man's nephew than Ridley Scott's film.  But more popularity came as President Snow in the Hunger Games series.

LaRoy, Texas (2013)

"It's important to finish things once we start them."

(Dylan Baker as Harry)

LaRoy, Texas is a smart rehash of noir fare (neo-noir), that works as a re-modelling of Coen bros' Blood Simple and also The Man Who Wasn't There.

Similar to recent The Last Stop to Yuma Country, but smarter, bigger, better-plotted. 

It's also a debut feature, from writer-director Shane Atkinson, who won 3 awards at the Deauville Film Festival last year, Special Prize, Jury and Audience Prizes.

TBC