'FROM THE SUBLIME...' 146.- THE HOUSE WITH LAUGHING WINDOWS (1976, ARROW 4K UHD).
In a remote rural village deep into Northern Italy's Valli di Comacchio region, young paint restorer Stefano (Bob Ross-lookalike Lino Capolicchio) is hired to restore a badly-damaged fresco painting depicting the alleged martyrdom of San Sebastian. As he learns the sordid background of the long-gone artist who made the fresco (Tonino Corazzari's Buono Legnani, mostly heard via audio recording) and other works of art depicting the ecstasy of death, Stefano starts flirting with and falling in love with young local teacher Francesca (Francesca Marciano). Then some of the locals start being brutally murdered, which Stefano thinks has to do with preventing him from finding out the truth about Legnani's true legacy and the small town's complicity. Co-written and directed by Pupi Avati ("Revenge of the Dead," aka "Zeder"), "House With the Laughing Windows" is less interested in check-marking giallo tropes than creating an artistic mood piece that makes repeat viewings (seen it twice already) rewarding. The absence of an English dub (Italian language only with subtitles) means you have to pay attention and not get lost early on, but the slow pace is rewarded with a decent body count and a truly f*cked-up reveal/resolution. 4K transfer is stunning, not a spec of dirt or film imperfection on this 50-year-old Italian love letter to appreciating art while stabbing hanging bodies with deep knives. 4.25 SHOTS OF SKY CLOUDS AS AIRPLANE ENGINES ROAR IN THE DISTANCE (out of five).
'... TO THE RIDICULOUS' TWO-FER! 147.- THE NEW BARBARIANS, aka WARRIORS OF THE WASTELAND (1983, BLUE UNDERGROUND BLU-RAY).
Or as it should be called, Temu discount Italian "Mad Max." One of three low-budget movies director Enzo G. Castellari prepped and shot in six months ("1990: The Bronx Warriors" and "Escape From the Bronx" are the other two), "The New Barbarians" mostly revolves around the lone driver of a souped-up car named Scorpion (Giancarlo Prete), his young mechanic friend (Giovanni Frezza, aka BOB from "House by the Cemetery!" 😲🥳) and ally archer Nadir (Fred Williamson, looking/acting like a feathered peacock in heat! 😅) surviving a post-nuclear holocaust that has wiped out most of humanity. Scorpion used to be part of a gang of murdering men calling themselves 'The Templars,' who target every human encampment for extermination. The constant run-ins between Scorpion and these Templars result in some pretty slick action scenes (exploding arrows, decapitated bike riders, car/bike crashes, etc.) until our anti-hero is captured by his enemies, resulting in... no spoilers, but WOW! 😲😱🥵 What the movie lacks in resources (no laser blasts for the weapons, just the 'pew pew' sound effect) it compensates for with old-fashioned ingenuity and shock value (again... THAT scene! 😦😰), leading to a memorable finale that ends things on a mini-high. A fun time if you can keep secret from your friends the surprise twist at the halfway mark that goes... where no man ever wishes it'd go. 🫣 4 LASER-PROOF, TRANSPARENT PLASTIC SHIELDS TO SHOW OFF YOUR PECTORAL MUSCLES (out of five).
BONUS: 30 DAYS OF PINK PANTHER & FRIENDS, DAY 27! 140.- THE PINK PANTHER: PINK, PINK & AWAY; DOWN ON THE ANT FARM (9/11/1993, YOUTUBE)
The Pink Panther speaks! Controversial at the time, giving the Panther the voice of Matt Frewer ("Max Headroom") is actually less important than the creative decision of bringing in the supporting cast of the 1964-1980 animated shorts as either background characters or allies/antagonists of the Panther. For the pilot episode, 'Pink, Pink & Away,' the cast of 'The Dogfather' are bank robbers that the PP tries to stop by dressing up as a superhero. When the dog criminals realize the kid is a good gamer, they use his skills to rob a diamond (in a plot very similar to the recently-released movie "Tuner"). In 'Down on the Art Farm,' the Ant and the Aardvark return as the PP tries to salvage his ant farm research that'll earn him a Nobel Prize. Both of these cartoons are mostly typical Saturday morning tomfoolery, but they sneak enough creative wild swings (the ending of 'P, P & Away,' the Panther shrinking to ant size to appeal to the Queen Ant and her subjects to help him fight the Aardvark, etc.) to make me want to see more. An unexpected and pleasant surprise... despite the PP talking. 👎😕 4 HUMAN CANNONBALL DO-IT-YOURSELF KITS (out of five).
In 'Who's Smiling Now?' a rookie Pink Panther detective is teamed up with the legendary 'Inspector' (who looks/sounds a lot more like Peter Sellers than the 60's 'The Inspector' shorts ever did) to try and solve the case of the stolen Mona Lisa painting at the museum. I like that even though PP can speak, very often he stays quiet or defers his thoughts to Inspector's "deductive" reasoning. The clues lead the pair to a circus, where all manner of silly hijinks yield the actual art thief. In 'Rob'n Hoodwinked' the Panther's musical instrument is snatched by a Little Man King, so he tries to break into the castle to get it back with the help of 'The Dogfather' crew pretending to be Robin Hood and the Merry Men... until PP runs into the real 'Robyn' Hood. Who knew that, as Junesploitation's ending, I'm pumped to watch all these 90's 'Pink Panther' cartoons starting in July. 😁4.15 OVERSTUFFED CIRCUS CLOWN CARS (out of five).
Not really compelled by what is happening at any time, but it’s gorgeous to look at and listen to. Imagine all that free production value just from shooting in those ancient Italian villages.
Kill, Baby, Kill is among the best of his films. Like a lot of examples of 1960s Italian horror, the script is the least important aspect of the film. (A woman channeling the spirit of her dead daughter to kill people is not the most interesting story idea.) The atmosphere is the key aspect, and Kill, Baby, Kill has plenty of that. The scenes with the witch doctor are ones that I always enjoy re-visiting.
Michelangelo Antonioni, existentialist exploitation master. Pier Paolo Pasolini is a director who had his hand in the arthouse and more exploitative stuff, particular with Salo and the literary adaptations before his death.
The translation of the title is a student in a university preparation program. It is a female student in this case.
This is not the side of Italian s-e-x comedy that I enjoy. Gloria Guida is the student who enjoys leading men on. The English title of film, THE TEASER, therefore is very appropriate. At first, she targets her classmates and teachers, but soon she meets an older man with whom she quickly gets infatuated. The humor is annoyingly zany, and what there is of a plot structure is designed to get to as many n-u-d-e scenes as possible. A dull watch overall and one that confirms my allergy to Alvaro Vitali, one of the most cast male actors in the genre.
My first Michele Soavi film is also his first feature film, a really tasty giallo-flavored slasher. An egomaniacal director forces his browbeaten actors to stay in a studio overnight to keep rehearsing his crappy play about a serial killer in a freaky owl mask. They don't realize that they are locked in with a psychopath who has just escaped from a mental hospital and also has a flair for the dramatic. I always thought that a strong setting is a crucial element of a good slasher, and the half-empty theater space with all its nooks and crannies is a terrific place to play cat and mouse with a homicidal maniac. I also appreciated how there's no hemming and hawing about the kills, they are are quick, decisive and brutal.
'FROM THE SUBLIME...'
ReplyDelete146.- THE HOUSE WITH LAUGHING WINDOWS (1976, ARROW 4K UHD).
In a remote rural village deep into Northern Italy's Valli di Comacchio region, young paint restorer Stefano (Bob Ross-lookalike Lino Capolicchio) is hired to restore a badly-damaged fresco painting depicting the alleged martyrdom of San Sebastian. As he learns the sordid background of the long-gone artist who made the fresco (Tonino Corazzari's Buono Legnani, mostly heard via audio recording) and other works of art depicting the ecstasy of death, Stefano starts flirting with and falling in love with young local teacher Francesca (Francesca Marciano). Then some of the locals start being brutally murdered, which Stefano thinks has to do with preventing him from finding out the truth about Legnani's true legacy and the small town's complicity. Co-written and directed by Pupi Avati ("Revenge of the Dead," aka "Zeder"), "House With the Laughing Windows" is less interested in check-marking giallo tropes than creating an artistic mood piece that makes repeat viewings (seen it twice already) rewarding. The absence of an English dub (Italian language only with subtitles) means you have to pay attention and not get lost early on, but the slow pace is rewarded with a decent body count and a truly f*cked-up reveal/resolution. 4K transfer is stunning, not a spec of dirt or film imperfection on this 50-year-old Italian love letter to appreciating art while stabbing hanging bodies with deep knives. 4.25 SHOTS OF SKY CLOUDS AS AIRPLANE ENGINES ROAR IN THE DISTANCE (out of five).
'... TO THE RIDICULOUS' TWO-FER!
ReplyDelete147.- THE NEW BARBARIANS, aka WARRIORS OF THE WASTELAND (1983, BLUE UNDERGROUND BLU-RAY).
Or as it should be called, Temu discount Italian "Mad Max." One of three low-budget movies director Enzo G. Castellari prepped and shot in six months ("1990: The Bronx Warriors" and "Escape From the Bronx" are the other two), "The New Barbarians" mostly revolves around the lone driver of a souped-up car named Scorpion (Giancarlo Prete), his young mechanic friend (Giovanni Frezza, aka BOB from "House by the Cemetery!" 😲🥳) and ally archer Nadir (Fred Williamson, looking/acting like a feathered peacock in heat! 😅) surviving a post-nuclear holocaust that has wiped out most of humanity. Scorpion used to be part of a gang of murdering men calling themselves 'The Templars,' who target every human encampment for extermination. The constant run-ins between Scorpion and these Templars result in some pretty slick action scenes (exploding arrows, decapitated bike riders, car/bike crashes, etc.) until our anti-hero is captured by his enemies, resulting in... no spoilers, but WOW! 😲😱🥵 What the movie lacks in resources (no laser blasts for the weapons, just the 'pew pew' sound effect) it compensates for with old-fashioned ingenuity and shock value (again... THAT scene! 😦😰), leading to a memorable finale that ends things on a mini-high. A fun time if you can keep secret from your friends the surprise twist at the halfway mark that goes... where no man ever wishes it'd go. 🫣 4 LASER-PROOF, TRANSPARENT PLASTIC SHIELDS TO SHOW OFF YOUR PECTORAL MUSCLES (out of five).
BONUS: 30 DAYS OF PINK PANTHER & FRIENDS, DAY 27!
ReplyDelete140.- THE PINK PANTHER: PINK, PINK & AWAY; DOWN ON THE ANT FARM (9/11/1993, YOUTUBE)
The Pink Panther speaks! Controversial at the time, giving the Panther the voice of Matt Frewer ("Max Headroom") is actually less important than the creative decision of bringing in the supporting cast of the 1964-1980 animated shorts as either background characters or allies/antagonists of the Panther. For the pilot episode, 'Pink, Pink & Away,' the cast of 'The Dogfather' are bank robbers that the PP tries to stop by dressing up as a superhero. When the dog criminals realize the kid is a good gamer, they use his skills to rob a diamond (in a plot very similar to the recently-released movie "Tuner"). In 'Down on the Art Farm,' the Ant and the Aardvark return as the PP tries to salvage his ant farm research that'll earn him a Nobel Prize. Both of these cartoons are mostly typical Saturday morning tomfoolery, but they sneak enough creative wild swings (the ending of 'P, P & Away,' the Panther shrinking to ant size to appeal to the Queen Ant and her subjects to help him fight the Aardvark, etc.) to make me want to see more. An unexpected and pleasant surprise... despite the PP talking. 👎😕 4 HUMAN CANNONBALL DO-IT-YOURSELF KITS (out of five).
Doh, my bad! The above review was No. 148. 😇
Delete149.- THE PINK PANTHER: WHO'S SMILING NOW?; ROB'N HOODWINKED (12/11/1994, YOUTUBE)
In 'Who's Smiling Now?' a rookie Pink Panther detective is teamed up with the legendary 'Inspector' (who looks/sounds a lot more like Peter Sellers than the 60's 'The Inspector' shorts ever did) to try and solve the case of the stolen Mona Lisa painting at the museum. I like that even though PP can speak, very often he stays quiet or defers his thoughts to Inspector's "deductive" reasoning. The clues lead the pair to a circus, where all manner of silly hijinks yield the actual art thief. In 'Rob'n Hoodwinked' the Panther's musical instrument is snatched by a Little Man King, so he tries to break into the castle to get it back with the help of 'The Dogfather' crew pretending to be Robin Hood and the Merry Men... until PP runs into the real 'Robyn' Hood. Who knew that, as Junesploitation's ending, I'm pumped to watch all these 90's 'Pink Panther' cartoons starting in July. 😁4.15 OVERSTUFFED CIRCUS CLOWN CARS (out of five).
#JUneSPLOItaTION Day 27: Italian Cinema!
ReplyDeleteKILL, BABY… KILL! (1966) dir. Mario Bava
Not really compelled by what is happening at any time, but it’s gorgeous to look at and listen to. Imagine all that free production value just from shooting in those ancient Italian villages.
Have you watched anything else from Mario Bava?
DeleteKill, Baby, Kill is among the best of his films. Like a lot of examples of 1960s Italian horror, the script is the least important aspect of the film. (A woman channeling the spirit of her dead daughter to kill people is not the most interesting story idea.) The atmosphere is the key aspect, and Kill, Baby, Kill has plenty of that. The scenes with the witch doctor are ones that I always enjoy re-visiting.
LA NOTTE (1961):
ReplyDeleteMost unrealistic part: A guy in his late thirties stayed awake all night.
Michelangelo Antonioni, existentialist exploitation master. Pier Paolo Pasolini is a director who had his hand in the arthouse and more exploitative stuff, particular with Salo and the literary adaptations before his death.
DeleteLA LICEALE (1975, dir. Michele Tarantini)
ReplyDeleteThe translation of the title is a student in a university preparation program. It is a female student in this case.
This is not the side of Italian s-e-x comedy that I enjoy. Gloria Guida is the student who enjoys leading men on. The English title of film, THE TEASER, therefore is very appropriate. At first, she targets her classmates and teachers, but soon she meets an older man with whom she quickly gets infatuated. The humor is annoyingly zany, and what there is of a plot structure is designed to get to as many n-u-d-e scenes as possible. A dull watch overall and one that confirms my allergy to Alvaro Vitali, one of the most cast male actors in the genre.
Stage Fright a.k.a. Deliria a.k.a. Aquarius (1987)
ReplyDeleteMy first Michele Soavi film is also his first feature film, a really tasty giallo-flavored slasher. An egomaniacal director forces his browbeaten actors to stay in a studio overnight to keep rehearsing his crappy play about a serial killer in a freaky owl mask. They don't realize that they are locked in with a psychopath who has just escaped from a mental hospital and also has a flair for the dramatic. I always thought that a strong setting is a crucial element of a good slasher, and the half-empty theater space with all its nooks and crannies is a terrific place to play cat and mouse with a homicidal maniac. I also appreciated how there's no hemming and hawing about the kills, they are are quick, decisive and brutal.