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.