Sisu (2022)

Finnish director (& writer) Jalmari Helander did Rare Exports (2010, on my top of 2011 & here), based on his 2003 short film and the high-concept action Big Game (2014). Took him a while to do his third feature, Sisu (2022), his best to date. Sisu means in Finnish a form of crazy courage & determination against all odds. 

The main character is inspired by a real sniper from the "Winter War" in WW2, Simo Häyhä, aka The White Death. It's set in Lapland in 1944, and what better villains than the Nazis? It starts with a lonely man discovering the mother lode into the wilderness (the Ecstasy of Gold), like in the vignette of Coen's bros. 2018's The Ballad of Buster Scruggs with the Gold prospector played by a scrubby Tom Waits. Then he starts a journey western style until he meets the Nazis, here a convoy of bad, bad Nazis retreating (Sven Hassel's style). Nazis in Nordic cultish films were seen in Dead Snow and its sequel by Tommy Wirkola, but those were (Norwegian) Nazi zombies, and in Anders Banke's Frostbitten (Sweedish vampires nazis). 

Sisu premiered in Toronto Film Festival last Fall on Midnight Madness and picked by Lionsgate -US/ Sony (intl.) for distribution (Intercomfilm in Romania). Even though the film can now be found on the torrent sites I strongly advice those in for the ride to go and watch it on the BIG screen, it's absolutely worthy, due to the great cinematic compositions in widescreen by Kjell Lagerroos (2.39.1), glorious colors, the sound design, music (could've gone with a song on the End Credits-a bit of Morricone/Leone homage done a la Hans Zimmer in Broken Arrow) and spellbinding landscapes. 

Finn Jorma Tomilla is Aatami Korpi, surnamed by the Russians Koschei-"the immortal" . Tomilla was in Rare Exports the father hunter alongside his son, Onni Tomilla, who was in Big Game and here is the tank driver, Schutze. Norwegian actor Aksel Hennie (Headhunters, Max Manus, The Trip) is the very bad baddie, SS officer Bruno Helldorf, he reminded me of a cool younger Mads Mikkelsen, but he probably fares better than MM in the upcoming Indiana Jones V-th chapter. 

Korpi is like Rambo in the 1st film, First Blood, and like Mad Max ( a subplot is similar to Mad Max: Fury Road) and The Man with No Name. Surely a lot of spaghetti westerns went into the mix. Helander brings also John Woo into the inspiration for the film. 

The action sequences could be from Raiders and Indy 3 (the tank and under the car stunts) up to James Bond-esqe exploits (mostly the plane sequence).

People compare this with John Wick but there is no resemblances, the dog thing was part of Mad Max 2 and so many films way before the Keanu franchise. First Blood is the main ingredient here. Also Inglorious Basterds comes to mind, especially for the structure and lettering of the Seven Chapters (which are in fact classic 60's-70's film lettering).

But most of all the coolness comes from the fact it's Finnish (though I would've loved the nazis to speak German and not English...:( and to cut to the last scene before any lines...much better than any recent fare of this type. I hope Helander will keep on making his films and not become some gun-for-hire in the Hollywood up-and-down hills...So far it looks like it might be another Sisu film or maybe announced and postponed Jerry and Ms. Universe.

                                                                   The Red band trailer!

Check it out and see first if it's your kind of film ride, cos it's hyperviolent and kinda doomy/gloomy in its whole pulpy construction. With a lot of Finnish black humor. Perkele!

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

4 awards at Sitges Film Festival 2022, best film, best actor, cinematography and music !

Rammstein-Deutchland

Finally, a videoclip ! in a long time...Epic, visceral, immoral, funny, satirical, over the edge, politically inKorekt, full of (self) references and Uberlong.. eine kleine film...
created and directed by Specter Berlin the new video by Rammsteain, premiered HEUTE, und morgen die WELT ! Uber Alles,  guys ! Loved the Black Joan of Arc...or was it ?  und the credits on a piano version of Sonne !

the Nwe album is out May 17th.

Special Oscar la Cinemateca Patria -partea a doua-

Special Oscar la Cinemateca Patria, Brasov -a doua săptămână

Luni 23 februarie
20:00 Seara Filmului European / Special Oscar
La Dolce Vita (Italia, 1960) copie nouă, remasterizată acum !!!
Regia: Federico Fellini
Cu: Marcello Mastroianni, Anita Ekberg, Anouk Aimée
Dramă, comedie
Durata: 174 min.
Palme d'Or la festivalul de la Cannes
4 nominalizări la Oscar și Premiul Oscar pentru cele mai bune costume
In memoriam Anita Ekberg

Marți 24 februarie
20:00 Seara filmului asiatic / Special Oscar
Kagemusha (Japonia, 1980)
Regia: Akira Kurosawa
Cu: Tatsuya Nakadai, Tsutomu Yamazaki
Dramă, istoric
Durata: 162 min.
Palme d'Or la Festivalul de la Cannes 1980
Premiul César pentru cel mai bun film străin
2 nominalizări la Oscar

Miercuri 25 februarie
20:00 Seara Doc And Roll / Special Oscar
Aproape celebri / Almost Famous (SUA, 2000)
The Extended Cut (39 de minute în plus): Untitled !
Regia: Cameron Crowe
Cu: Billy Crudup, Patrick Fugit, Kate Hudson
Comedie, muzică
Durata: 161 min
4 nominalizări și premiul Oscar pentru cel mai bun scenariu original.
In memoriam Phillip Seymour Hoffman

Joi 26 februarie
20:00 Comedy Classics / Special Oscar
Nebraska ( SUA, 2013)
Regia: Alexander Payne
Cu: Bruce Dern, Will Forte, Stacy Keach
Comedie dramatică
Durata: 117 min.
6 nominalizări la Oscar
Premiul pentru cel mai bun actor la festivalul de la Cannes 2013-Bruce Dern

Vineri 27 februarie
20:00 Film Cult / Special Oscar
Ticăloși fără glorie / Inglourious Basterds (SUA,2009)
Regia: Quentin Tarantino
Cu: Brad Pitt, Mélanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz
Război, acțiune
Durata: 152 min.
8 nominalizări și un premiu Oscar
Premiul pentru cel mai bun actor la festivalul de la Cannes 2009- Christoph Waltz
In memoriam Rod Taylor

Sâmbătă 28 februarie
11:00 Matineu copii
Cartea Junglei /The Jungle Book (SUA, 1967)
Regia: Wolfgang Reitherman
Animaţie
Durata: 78 min.
Dublat în limba română

17:00 Golden Classics / Special Oscar
Ce verde era valea mea / How Green Was My Valley (SUA, 1941)
Regia: John Ford
Cu: Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O'Hara, Anna Lee
Dramă, ecranizare
Durata: 118 min.
5 premii Oscar

19.30: Mari regizori / Special Oscar
Master and Commander: La capătul Pământului / Master and Commander: The Far Side of The World (SUA, 2003)
Cu: Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, Billy Boyd
Aventură
Durata: 138 min.
In memoriam Samuel Goldwyn jr.
9 nominalizări și 2 premii Oscar

Intrarea pe baza de voucher (se poate achizitiona un produs: apa, dulciuri etc. Valoare voucher = 6 lei redus (copii, elevi, studenti, pensionari) sau 9 lei intreg.
www.cinematecapatria.ro

Rod Taylor RIP

Acum 2 -3 nopti umblam prin varful de dvu-ri prafuite si regasec DARK OF THE SUN (aka The Mercenaries. aka Katanga) unul din filmele mele preferate pe care l-am pus deoparte, si mi s-a facut megapofta sa ma uit la el. E unul din cele mai bune filme de razboi, cu mercenari si e regizat de Jack Cardiff, unul din cei mai buni DOP's ever. Necrologul lui l-am scris aici as DARK DARK OF THE SUN.
Muzica seamana cu Morricone, cu un pic de Ortolani, dar e Jacques Loussier, si QT a folosit-o in Inglorious Basterds

Eroul (anti-eroul ?) din film este ROD TAYLOR, unul din primii actori carora le-am stiut numele in copilarie ! Tough guy, aussie too ! Masina timpului, Pasarile, Duminica la new York ! Si e primul Mare disparut pe 2015 :( in movieland ! Australianul cu ochi albastri avea 84 de ani si a plecat definitiv cu Masina timpului pe 7 ianuarie 2015.
Azi daca ma intrebi, rolul meu preferat al lui Rod Taylor e definetly Dark of the Sun, si in 36 Hours, un thriller alb-negru halucinant scris de Roald Dahl !, in care joaca alaturi de recent disparutul James Garner, si de comeback, rifful australian din Welcome to Woop Woop (1997)! Tarantino, megafan al lui Dark of the Son, i-a oferit un ultim rol minunat, in Inglourious Basterds, anume cel al lui Winston Churchill !
*interviu cu Taylor despre QT aici
Dincolo de George Pal, Cardiff, Hitchcock, John Ford, John Huston, Taylor a jucat in Zabriskie Point al lui Antonioni !!! A jucat cu John Wayne in The Train Robbers (1973). Un interviu din epoca il descria: The Last of the Hollywood Hellraisers. Parerea mea e ca taylor a fosdt Australianul hellraiser nr. 2 din Hollywood, dupa the original Oz hellraiser, mr.Errol Flynn.

Not seen yet by me, Gli Eroi (1973), al lui Duccio Tessari, cu Rod Steiger.
Not seen yet by me, Fate is the Hunter (1964) Mystery Thriller alaturi de Glenn Ford, regizat de Ralph Nelson (care se gaseste integral pe youtube)

Interviu cu Rod Taylor (la min 6,20 vb despre Orson Welles !)

necrolog in Variety
site oficial:
www.rodtaylorsite.com

ON JAMES BOND: Producer Cubby Broccoli wanted me to screen test for James Bond when he was preparing "Dr. No" in 1961. I refused because I thought it was beneath me. I didn't think Bond would be successful in the movies. That was one of the greatest mistakes of my career! Every time a new Bond picture became a smash hit, I tore out my hair. Cubby and I have laughed about it ever since.

- Rod Taylor, interviewed in Starlog magazine, July 1986

Cat People (1982) asta seara la Cinemateca Patria

Vineri 28 noiembrie la Cinemateca Patria, Brasov:
ora 20:00: Seara fantastică/ Film Cult
Oamenii-felină / Cat People (SUA, 1982)
Regia: Paul Schrader
Cu: Nastassja Kinski, Malcolm McDowell, John Heard
Horror, dramă
Durata: 118 min.

Tagline: An erotic fantasy for the animal in us all.
Cat People (1982) este remake-ul filmului omonim al lui Jacques Tourneur din 1942. La exact 40 de ani distanta, Paul Schrader face un film straniu, cu sensibilitati de pop art si un erotism flamboyant (plus tusa de incest), cu o distributie stranie dar spellbinding-Nastassja Kinski (as Irena Dubrovna, numele vine din filmul original), Malcolm McDowell, Annette O'Toole si...John Heard, pe muzica electrica a lui Giorgio Moroder, cu care Schrader a facut si American Gigolo (1980). Un score senzational, atmosferic, nominalizat la Globul de Aur (ca si piesa-titlu-Oscar robbed).

Scenograf (production designer) este genialul Ferdinando Scarfiotti (omul lui Bertolucci-Conformistul, Ultimul imparat, The Sheltering Sky, dar si Barrocco de André Téchiné), creditat la fel ca si la Scarface al lui De Palma ca "visual consultant", pentru ca nu era in sindicat. Culorile de orange, si verzuliu predomina, asigurind conceptul vizual extrem de special.
Piesa lui David Bowie, Cat People (Putting Out Fire), (compusa de Moroder) este de-a dreptul incendiara, Tarantino a refolosit-o in soundtrackul de la Inglourious Basterds intr-un moment -cheie.

E unul din filmele mele preferate din adolesecenta, prima oara l-am vazut la video, alb-negru, prin 1984, si eram pe vremea aceea (ca si acum :) indragostit de Nasty (ce nu face un Tess la cinema la vremea lui :), Bun companion cu The Hunger, care iese un an mai tirziu, al lui Tony Scott. Are un onirism aparte si un erotism senzual pervers - se simte pasiunea regizorului pentru starul sau (Schrader a avut o idila tumultoasa cu fata lui Kinski pe platou), si un parfum de decadenta si subversivitate.

"Previously, I've made films about daydreams - this is my first film about nightmares . . . It's about what goes on when the lights go out - the unconscious world inhabited by erotic fantasies, and what Cocteau [Jean Cocteau] calls the 'sacred monsters' . . . When you're dealing with the fantastic, you need a place where people would accept it (the myth) . . . New Orleans [where this film is set] is one of those towns where you think almost anything can happen - and probably has!"

---Paul Schrader---

Brian G.Hutton RIP

mda, total neobservat, aflu din pura intimplare, pe 19 august s-a dus si cel ce ne-a dat Where Eagles Dare (1968) si Kelly's Heroes (1970), doua din filmele mele (si ale lui Tarantino :, de unde si ideea filmului guys on a mission, devenita Inglorious Basterds). Ambele cu Clint. Si The First Deadly Sin (1980, cu Frank Sinatra) si High Road to China, ultimul sau film in 1983...Brian G.Hutton (G de la Geoffrey) avea 79 de ani si a fost actor inainte de a se apuca de regie, a jucat in westernuri precum Gunfight at OK Corral si Last Train from Gun Hill.
necrolog in Hollywood Reporter

LMA Enzo G. Castellari

Astazi il maestro Enzo G. Castellari (Enzo Girolami) a implinit 76 de ani. Auguri !
L-am ratat anul trecut la festivalul Grossmann, unde era invitat de onoare, mare pacat ca nu am ajuns !

Filmul meu preferat, Quel maledetto treno blindato, ACEL BLSTEMAT TREN BLINDAT, la cinema la noi in 1978, despre care am scris pe larg aici
Unul din cel mai chull filme ale copilariei mele (alaturi de Lumea Atlantidei, Taramul uitat de timp, Revansa, Sub patru steaguri, Seaua de argint, Pentru un pumn de ceapa, Zorro-astea pina la Razboiul stelelor si Superman). (2014: adaug Tunurile din navarone...si Uraganul ca atunci nu stiam ca e prost)...Probabil cel mai bun comando de razboi (Cinci pentru infern revazut nu e atit de khull, exceptindu-l pe Klaus Kinski), pina la 10 ani. Folosind hipnoza regresiva
s-ar putea afla ca am patit ceva in timpul vizionarii acestor filme di guerra (mi-a sugerat un prieten de curind), din moment ce primul film pe care l-am vazut ever a fost Ziua cea mai lunga.

read more"> asa sau:
http://aldmovieland.blogspot.ro/2007/09/film-cult-82007-acel-blestemat-tren.html
si care, banuiesc ca stiti, s-a numit in engleza Inglorious Bastards si a fost referentiat si updatat de Tarantino in INGLORIOUS BASTERDS, filmul meu preferat al lui QT, alaturi de Reservoir Dogs.
In curind o sa dau filmul lui Tarantino la Cinemateca Patria, si sper in double bill cu Quel maledetto treno blindato !!!!

DJesus Uncrossed !

Christoph Waltz a fost la SNL !!!

Terry Gilliam in Romania !

Acum putin timp Terry Gilliam a fost vazut in Romania in compania lui Mircea Dinescu. Si nu, nu merge la Cetate :)(rebotezat Divan). Lumea se intreba de ce a venit, e simplu, va filma aici, incepind cu 22 octombrie, la Buftea (Media Pro Studios). Nu, nu e Omul care l-au ucis pe Don Quichote, ci The Zero Theorem. Despre film, care e un SF brainy, mai multe informatii pe situl lui T. Gilliam si aici.
Iata ce a pus TG pe pagina sa de facebook (via mein freund mr. Bimmler:)


Announcement! I'm heading of to Bucharest to start work on my new film, The Zero Theorem. It stars everybody's favorite Nazi, the great Christoph Waltz. Very original script about a man waiting for a telephone call that will give meaning to his life. Some other things happen as well. It's profound and funny in more or less equal measures. We're going to have fun. I'll keep you posted as the cast expands.

Terry Gilliam

Good Luck 2 Terry ! and hope to see you soon ! Also mr. Hans Landa !

Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967)

da, ar putea fi si o fraza care sa descrie Inception si multe alte lucruri.
Eu am folosit-o la moartea lui Brando, parafrazata ca one=eye, in obituariul scris pentru liternet...
acum revad pe TCM filmul pe care imi propusesem de mult sa-l revad pe dvdul pe
care-l am din colectia Brando, in format corect 2.35.1 si cu culoarea respectiva, cea dorita de Huston, filtrul argintiu /sepia pe tot parcursul filmului, asa cum vede ochiul paunului lui Anacleto, ceva grotesc.
cronica Ebert din 1967, 4 stele din 4:

"The photography is restrained, shot in a process which drains almost all the color out of color film, leaving only reds and pinks and an occasional hint of blue or green. The result is a bleak landscape, within which lonely and miserable people try to account for themselves."

articol cool despre film aici (tcm site)

Mult inaintea vremii sale si produs clar de film independent desi produs de un studio (Warner Bros.) care si-a blestemat zilele ca staruri importante si un regizor inconfortabil dar cu carisma la mofturosele staruri care le aduceau bani, vor sa
si-l aleaga, au dat unda verde. Initial Montgomery Clift, care a murit inainte de incepeera filmarilor asa ca rolul s-a dus la Brando. Care a motivat cinic paycheckul de 750.000 de $ plus 7 1/2gross points (Foggettaboutit...). Si Liz Taylor care a acceptat pentru Clift si a ramas in cast. Desi se petrece in Carolina de nord, a fost filmat in Italia, linga Roma.

Romanul scris de Carson McCullers a aparut in 1941, bazat pe un caz real, socant, petrecut la Fort Bragg. E si debutul lui Robert Forser, o psiho-drama "southern gothic", film experimentala cu o influenta ultra saboteur (Taxi Driver, Apocalypse Now, True Romance, American Beauty), parerea mea e ca in cadrul final, pan-ul e citat de QT in Inglorious Basterds, sau daca nu, acolo s-ar putea sa fie folosit (x3) pentru prima data intr-un film mainstream. Plus insertul descriptiv sec.
Hartbreathing moment: o cavalcada monstruoasa pe muzica lui Toshiro Mayuzumi,
in rest atmosfera de piesa de teatru, de Tennessee Williams si Arthur Miller.

says the director (pus la zid de la Liga Crestina care a condamnat filmul fireste-e si unul din primele filme despre homosexualitate latenta si are mai mult miez cabalin decit Equus)

"I like Reflections in a Golden Eye. I think it is one of my best pictures....scene by scene - in my humble estimation - it is pretty hard to fault."

(John Huston)

pe faimosul sit Trailers From Hell (Joe Dante & co), Dan Ireland comenteaza doct trailerul, care aici e aratat in full technicolor:
btw, intregul film e pus pe youtube, daca vrea cineva sa-l vada acolo pe bucati
4 stele din 5, 8 out of 10

Franceso Die Masi-tribute-

so...au zis ca a ciordit Desteapta-te Romane la Inglorious Basterds...

so...a ciordit el de la Morricone tot stilul plus harmonica in LUPUL SINGURATIC>..
au ciordit de la el...tot din Lonely Wolf McQuade, adica LUPUL SINGURATIC:

Marco Beltrami in in 3:10 to Yuma
si tema din "Guns and Superchargers" e in LAST ACTION HERO !!! fuck hell, Mike...

dupa All Music Guide (Mark Deming)

Composer Francesco De Masi, who scored well over 200 motion pictures during his career in the film industry, was born in Rome on January 11, 1930. De Masi's father was active in politics and served as Italy's ambassador to Romania, but De Masi showed a talent for music in his youth, and as a teenager he studied composition at San Pietro a Maiella in Naples under Achille Lango, who was also his uncle. When Lango was contracted to write music for a motion picture, he hired De Masi to serve as his assistant while working on the project, and the young man became fascinated with the process of making music for the movies. After completing his studies, De Masi moved to Rome to pursue a career in the cinema, and in 1951 he wrote his first film score for a documentary entitled Fiat Panis. De Masi wrote and arranged music primarily for documentaries during his early career, but in the '60s and '70s he became known for scoring Westerns during the height of the "spaghetti Western" boom, including such cult favorites as Il Pistolero di Arizona (aka Arizona Colt), Ammazzali Tutti e Toma Solo (aka Kill Them All and Come Back Alone), and C'e Sartana...Vendi la Pistola e Comprati la Bara (aka Sartana's Coming, Get Your Coffins Ready). However, De Masi's repertoire represented an eclectic variety of horror films (Orgia de los Muertos, aka Terror of the Living Dead), wartime dramas (Quel Maledetto Treno Blindato, aka The Inglorious Bastards), crime thrillers (I Familiari delle Vittime Non Saranno Avvertiti, aka Crime Boss), "sword and sandal" epics (Ercole l'Invincibile, aka Hercules the Invincible), and all other sorts of pictures, and though the bulk of his music appeared in Italian or Spanish productions, he wrote the score for the popular Chuck Norris vehicle Lone Wolf McQuade

and worked with Basil Poledouris on music for the Judd Nelson comedy Making the Grade. When not busy with his career in film scoring, De Masi led and conducted several major symphony orchestras in Italy, and was a gifted horn player; his discography includes recordings of major works by Mozart, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky. De Masi died in a hospital in Rome on November 6, 2005, after a battle with cancer.

Paris-When it Sizzles (1964)

"Gabrielle: What's the story ?
Richard Benson: It's an action/suspense, uh, romantic melodrama with lots of comedy, of course. And, uh, deep down underneath, a substrata of social comment."

___________________________________________

"A marshmallow-weight hokum"
Variety (also quoted a line from the film as an apt description of the film itself: "contrived, utterly preposterous and totally unmotivated")
&
"a multimillion dollar improvisation that does everything but what the title promises" / Time

as avea o intrebare pentru Tarantino, daca replica lui Michael Fassbender "yes sir, Paris-When it Sizzles" din Inglorios Basterds, se leaga de filmul lui Richard Quine din 1964, care a fost o placere sa-l vad, finally ! Nu pot sa-l trec la recuperari, pentru ca nu am auzit de el acum 20 de ani ci mult mai curind. Si desi titlul te-ar duce la un muzical, nu e ! E o comedie post-moderna (mai mult screwball decit romantica) despre un scenarist alcoolic de la Hollywod, Richard Benson (William Holden) care are deadline la un scenariu pe care nu l-a scris si pe care il concoteaza acum cu ajutorul unei secretare (Audrey Hepburn). Scris de George Axelrod (Breakfast at Tiffany, Candidatul manciurian si autorul pieselor The Seven Year Itch si Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?), bazat pe filmul lui Julien Duvivier din 1952 La Fete de Henriette, a fost re-ecranizat ca Alex si Emma in 2003.

Holden jucase cu Hepburn 10 ani inainte in Sabrina (se zice ca au avut un affair), se indragostise groaznic de ea si acum era disperat. Hepburn intre timp se maritase cu Mel Ferrer, care are un cameo multiplu in film. Iar Holden devenise intre timp mai alcoolic ca personajul sau din film (cred ca ce bea pe ecran e foarte pe bune).

I remember the day I arrived at Orly Airport for Paris When It Sizzles. I could hear my footsteps echoing against the walls of the transit corridor, just like a condemned man walking the last mile. I realized that I had to face Audrey and I had to deal with my drinking. And I didn’t think I could handle either situation

.
(William Holden in autobiografia sa Golden Boy)

ceea ce s-ar putea numi a troubled production e fost pe atunci tinut secret de publicistii filmului. Se pare ca a fost chiar Paris-When it Sizzles ! Sau Fizzles ! cum citeam intr-o cronica. Eleanor Quin are o cronica plina de amanunte picante pe TCM al carui citat final e,

"Miraculously, Holden’s shenanigans were largely kept out of the press but the film ended up crashing anyway. Critics uniformly panned it and audiences didn’t fall for the once-powerful Holden/Hepburn combination this time. Over the years, however, the film has earned a reputation as a guilty pleasure for those who enjoy in-joke movie spoofs and an absurdist storyline played out against the glorious backdrop of the City of Light."

Richard Quine e sever !!
Titlul filmului din film e THE GIRL WHO STOLE THE EIFFEL TOWER. Si filmul acesta se scrie si se intimpla in timpul acestui weekend nebun de Bastille Day (14 iulie). Sunt glume de fratii Marx, de Hellzapoppin, de Billy Wilder sau de Woody Allen, unele atit de cinico-sarcastice asupra Hollywoodului si a meseriei de scenarist, ducindu-te in urma, pe vremea lui Sunset Boulevard, unde Holden era Joe Gillis, aspiring/struggling screenwriter. Am citit undeva ca Orson Welles ar fi vrut sa regizeze filmul dar nu l-au lasat. Not sure it's true, dar anyway, Audrey Hepburn, asa Funny Face cum era, avea toane de mega-vedeta si l-a dat afara pe DOP-ul Claude Renoir, legenda franceza, astfel les french au facut greva. Pina la urma a fost inlocuit de Charles Lang, iar Hepburn si-a pus parfumierul creditat pe ecran (Givenchy, o premiera in istoria...cinematografului). Marlene Dietrich a primit pentru un cameo de 3 secunde o blana si o limuzina (cele care apar in cadru). Frank Sinatra cinta..circa 30 de secunde. Tony Curtis are un cameo necreditat care se extinde pina la rolul # 3 din film. Noel Coward a primit pentru 3 zile de filmare 10.0000 de dolari. El este fabulos in rolul productorului cinic Alexander Meyerheim, care o arde la Hotel-Du-Cap la Cannes, "in the trenches", cu starlete linga piscina, asteptind scenariul lui Benson. Replici pline de auto-citate (self consciousness/stream of consciousness), referitor la filmele franceze minimaliste nouvelle vague si un regizor, "Richard Roussen" (imi aduce aminte de filmele romanesti minimaliste) sau glumitze legate de filmele lui Audrey H. sau faptul ca, dupa Benson, "My Fair Lady, e de fapt aceiasi poveste ca Frankenstein",:-) fac parte dintr-un curs de screenwriting 101m (si lichid). Parcul de pe generic apare si in Charade, la fel ca si mini-teatrul de marionate, pentru ca filmarile la Sarada au inceput 3 zile dupa ce s-a terminat"sfiriala".

mai multe info si linkuri pe wikipedia.
"

I've got an idea. I've got an idea! First good one I've had in four months. No, that's not true. A few weeks ago I had an idea to give up drinking, but it didn't photograph."

(Richard Benson)
William Holden a fost internat in mijlocul productiei la dezalcolizare si a proptit un Ferrari intr-un zid, astfel scurtindu-si rolul din secventa centrala de film horror. Un aer de The Party se degaje, poate de aceea Blake Edwards l-a luat pe William Holden in SOB, (1981), satira sa inflamanta asupra Hollywoodului, si regretabil, ultimul rol al lui Bill Holden, disparut prematur la 62 de ani din pricini mai mult sau mai putin alcoolice. Paris...mi-a facut pofta de un alt film cu el, si am luat proaspat primitul western al lui John Sturges din 1953, cu el, Eleanor Parker si John Forsythe, just RIP, Escape at Fort Bravo.. Cu sudisti, nordisti si indieni mescaleros, si Holden brav si galant si sexy si shirtless.
Best time and most fun I had in a long time at the movies !

un extras copios din film de pe situl TCM !
dvd extras (Paramount, The Audrey Hepburn Collection): un trailer simpatic si hyperkinetic
10 din 10, 5 din 5 !!!

Christoph Walz si Der Humpink

un schetci cu oscarizatul colonel Landa in stilul lui Peter Sellers si Monty Python (via AC) !!!
ieri pe drum vazind turmele de oi ma gindeam si eu la ceva gen Hummping sau "mais ou sont les pasagers?"
anyway, niiinge in Arad !

Operation Kino

the real one ! Quentin a facut-o pe bune, a salvat un cinema din Los Angeles, the New Beverly, faimos cinema de Grindhouse, care acum va proiecta double features, in poza selectia lui Jason Reitman (Shampoo si Boogie Nights). Tarantino l-a cumparat acum cu totul. Acesta a folosit si ca practica pentru Mélanie Laurent:

when he wanted Mélanie Laurent to immerse herself in her Basterds role as a projectionist, he brought her to the New Beverly’s projection room to train on its projectors (with classic 1940s Simplex-XL projector heads). As her final exam, Laurent had to project one of the midnight screenings of Reservoir Dogs—including all the preceding previews and cartoons—alone in the booth, unbeknownst to the audience. She aced it.

E Dio disse a Caino (1970)

pe locul 28 in topul westernurilor spaghetti, acest film de Antonio Margheriti (aka Anthony Dawson), completez, completez, am vazut anul acesta 1 comando-Commando Leopard (mit Kinski als boseguy), un Vietnam-L'ultimo Caccaitore (1980), un canibali-vitenam-comando: Apocalypse domani/ Cannibal Apocalypse (1980), un indiana jones ripoff-I sopravvissuti della città morta aka Ark of the Sun God (1983), si un western (Ride the Hard Ride) de Margheriti, nu Marghareti cum zice Eli Roth in Ingloriuos Basterds, plus efectele speciale din Giu la testa. Acesta ar fi considerat cel mai bun western al lui Margheriti/Dawson.



tragedie antica, western gotic ? atmosfera horror de parca s-ar petrece intr-un castel, vintul suiera, intuneric, clopotul bate, muzica de orga, orasul e pustiu...
Kinski as hero? anti-hero coming for revenge, intunecat, instopabil.

m-am gindit mult la High Plain Drifter al lui Clint ca inspiratie de aici
e unul din rarele roluri principale (si pozitive daca pot sa ma exprim asa, nu includ Herzog) ale lui Kinski, care numai in 1970 a aparut in 7 filme (din care 6 italienesti de gen), dintre cele peste 50 care le-a facut cu ei (zice ca-l plateau cash si lua banii cu valiza).
Tricoul lui rosu in schimb nu m-a excitat (mi-a adus mainte de unul purtat de Terence Hill later on), dar poate au vrut sa dea culoarea profondo rosso sangue de la vendetta...titlul se explica intr-o grafica finala unde e dat citatul biblic
o cronica excelenta aici pe situl lui Margheriti in italiana
care zice ca Eastwood s-ar fi inspirat din lumina la Unforgiven, la ultimul act cam asa pare...
showdown-ul final intr-o camera cu oglinzi multiple, cuprinsa de flacari, citeaza din Lady from Shanghai (la fel ca si Man from the Golden Gun, etc)
muzica de Carlo Savina, cintecel nepotrivit pe generic, "Rocks, Blood and Sand"
(desi titul n-ar zice) cintat de Don Powell
copie dublata atroce in engleza, se vede clar ca toti actorii, inclusiv Kinski vorbesc italiana...

trailerul german cu vocea originala a lui der Klaus KK !
3 1/2 din 10/ 7 din 10

La battaglia d'Inghilterra (1969)

daca westernul spaghetti e numele de cod pentru italo-western, macaroni combat e cel pentru filme de razboi, gen WW2, trase dupa Dirty Dozen, cum sunt 5 per l'inferno (1969), Inglorious Basterds (Quel maledetto treno blindato), ale lui Castellari, Sub patru steaguri/Contro 4 bandiere (1979) al lui Lenzi (care are imagini din acest La battaglia d'Inghilterra aka Eagles over London(1969), care e mai bun si mai fun ca Battle for Britain al lui Guy Hamilton, facut tot atunci....(asta e mai aproape cu soap-ul de Pearl Harbor, Castellari are si "guys on a mssion" perpedes, un commando de infiltrare nazist, de fapt batalia aeriana e secundara...

un treatment inventiv de split screens care l-ar face invidios pe BDP, inspirate dixit Enzo, din Boston Strangler si Thomas Crown (of course). Aici sunt splice-uri care iau forma steagului britanic ! Si fac modelele statice sa arate super-realist !
Secventa de la Dunkerque dixit Tarantino "kicks Atonement's ass". Nu chiar, dar aia era singura non-boring din filmul ala ! E impressive, cu desfasurari de forte, (spaniole, Ole), zice-se la vremea aceea cel mai scump film italian !!!
Luigi Pistilli si Francesco Rabal au si fete de nemti cum am eu de indian pakistanez (birdy num num num), dar tocmai asta e chul. Van Johnson (eroul lui Castellari pe care si l-a dorit, desi a venit abia in a cincea saptamina de filmare) e airmarshall George Taylor, e un triunghi amoros cu Stafford sau un threesome demn de Strada Hanovra ! E si o referinta la Van Johnson in filmul lui Tarantino I.B., (tot pentru Castellari), ca si altele care se pot recunoaste din Battaglia in Inglorious..
cel mai slab element e eroul, Frederick Stafford (Castellari strongly agrees, "I don't Like"), agentul OSS 117 in 2 filme, luat si de Hitchcock in Topaze~
trivia: primul film macaroni combat Dalle Ardenne all'inferno (1967) regizat de Alberto De Martino (omul-puma!!!), era tot cu Stafford. ca si La battaglia di El Alamein (Giorgio Ferroni, 1969), 2nd macaroni course. De Martino trebuia sa regizeze si La battaglia d'Inghilterra, Castellari sa faca numai efectele speciale si action unit dar producatorii au fost atit de impresionati de munca lui, incit
i-au dat pe mina tot filmul !
format: 2.35.1
extras; bestiale, o scena taiata in care apare...Goering !
un doc event de 16 min de la Enzo castellari Night la Silent Theatre in LA., cu Enzo si QT (double bill cu Via della droga)
partea a doua a conversatiei dintre Enzo si QT (aici doar de 15 min); prima e pe dvdul dublu la Inglorious Basterds /Quel maledetto dar precious !

film 3 1/4 din 5, 6 1/2 din 10
Severin video a mai scos un dvd chul (si in blu-ray), Heil Enzo !
review:

Nine years before his WWII classic THE INGLORIOUS BASTARDS, Enzo Castellari virtually invented the 'Macaroni Combat' genre with this over-the-top sage of valor, vengeance and machine-gun mayhem.

(cinematik)

making of Stolz der nation

si making off-ul la filmul din filmul lui Tarantino, Stolz der nation/ Nation's Prize, cu inca un citat Brian De Palma (caruciorul din Untouchables via Potiomkin, in plus fata de fintina din Scarface), mockup Saving Private Ryan, cu interviu cu Josef Goebbles, Francesca Mondino, soldatul Frederik Zoller si cu Eli Roth in rolul regizorului Alois Von Eichberg ! Bo Svenson are si o replica dementa ! Priceless !!!
(Via AC)

Inglorious Castellari !!!

un interviu chul cu Enzo Castellari, intulat: Warrior of the wasteland !!!, apropo si de Caribbean Basterds, noul sau opus in care ripuieste (pardon omagiaza), Portocala mecanica,
shi situl lui Castellari aici
a aparut tot la severin video (pe 11 august)La battaglia d'Inghilterra cu Van Johnson si Luigi Pistilli aka Eagles over England, si scot si El maledetto pe Blu-Ray !

...more Basterds !!!

Empire strikes back, adica vine cu info noi,
am si una de la Relik, ca e si o piesa de Riz Ortolani in soundtrack ...
odata da 5 precursori, de la Acel blestemat tren blindat (Castellari, 1977),

la Dirty Dozen, Where Eagles Dare,

Tunurile din Navarone si The Good the Bad & the Ugly desi mai corect ar fi fost sa dea Kellyu's Heroes, pentru ca Fish Tank, piesa lui Lalo Schifrin din IB, e de aici...iar TGTBATUgly e anyway, Tarnatino's Bible ("best directed film of all time")
si The Eagle has Landed si Marea Evadare for that matter, k el a fost precursorul lui Dirty Dozen...

tot Empire a colectat un Tarantino A la Z, de la A K 47, trecind prin F oot Fetish,

la Z ed "Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead." , ca dubla referinta la John Boorman (Deliverance si...Zardoz!)

Mai e o idee interesanta de sequel:

a Basterds-in-the-USA spaghetti Western. Tarantino's childhood fantasies rained down justice on the KKK and he hints at a Dirty Dozen meets Birth Of A Nation-style bash-up. "Once they get through with Europe, they could go to the South and do it to the Kluxers in the '50s." After

si ca veni vorba de Basterds, iata si Lazy Basterds al lui Andrei Cretulescu de la Cannes !

Top 10 Sergenti

Biloxi Blues mi-a adus in cap un top ten de SERGENTI:
1. Lee Marvin as The Sergeant in The Big Red One (1980)

2. Warren Oates-sgt. Hulka in Stripes (1981)

3. R. Lee Ermey -Hartman- in Full Metal Jacket (1987) cu rol reluat ca fantoma in The Frighteners

4. Louis Gossett Jr. as Sgt. Emil Foley in An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)

5.Chris Walken as Toomey in Biloxi Blues (1988)

6. Don Rickles -Sgt. Crapgame in Kelly's Heroes (1970)

7. Tom Sizemore as Sgt. Mike Horvath in Saving Private Ryan (1998)


8. Scott Glenn as Sergeant Lee in Buffalo Soldiers (2001)

9. Ernest Borgnine, sadicul Fatso in From Here to Eternity (1953) si opusul lui
Stanislaus Katczinsky in All Quiet on the Western Frontpentru TV (1979)

10. Clint Eastwood (Sergent Thomas Highway) in Heartbreak Ridge (1986) pe care e bazat si Walt Kowalski din Gran Torino

These men are tough so...Stand..hut !

New entry (bonus), Til Schweiger as the infamous Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz in Inglorious Basterds


Ein Zwo Drei!