What I Watched in March 2025

I was only able to get out to see one film last month but it was brilliant. I highly recommend BLACK BAG (2025)! If you are seeking an intelligent, adult espionage tale that deserved more of an audience than it got. I suspect this movie will gain legions of fans over the next couple of years.

The List

THE PEOPLE WHO OWN THE DARK (1976) – 8 (rewatch)

CRY OF THE WEREWOLF (1944) – 6 (rewatch on Blu)

THE SOUL OF A MONSTER (1944) – 6 (very odd noir/supernatural horror)

 

THE SADISTIC BARON VON KLAUS (1963) – 8 (rewatch)

DICK TRACY’S DILEMMA (1947) – 7

 

THE DAMNED DON’T CRY (1950) – 8 (sharp noir drama with Joan Crawford)

DICK TRACY VS GRUESOME (1947) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)

BLACK BAG (2025) – 8

 

TRAP (2024) – 4 (wow! Does this go off the rails. Repeatedly.)

 

MYSTERY HOUSE (1938) – 6 (fun murder mystery)

 

KING OF CHINATOWN (1939) – 6 (what a cast in this Anna May Wong vehicle!)

 

FIVE TOMBS FOR THE MEDIUM (1965) – 7 (Italian version)

 

THE PLAYGIRLS AND THE VAMPIRE (1960) – 6 (rewatch) 

 

What I Watched in February 2024

I wanted to like ARGYLLE (2024). Indeed, I held out hope for it to work for more than two thirds of the running time. But there came a point when I had to accept the sad fact that it was simply not going to work. The movie has a promising opening where it seemed like it might be an interesting variation on the old idea of a clueless writer being fed information about real world events and incorporating it into her fiction. But the slow introduction of the hidden reality behind the titular master spy never finds a tone that allowed me to take the action scenes seriously. An army of bad guys get mown down without making things feel dangerous in any way while the mystery at the heart of the story never feels important. It doesn’t help that the script structures its reveals in a way that undermines information we have had before until I could no longer trust what we were being shown at any time. This pushed me into a detached viewing mode that further destroyed any chance of caring about the events onscreen. Which is a shame, as the cast is working hard to sell this mess! In fact, the only casting problem is Bryce Dallas Howard as the main character who gives the weakest performance. I don’t think this is all her fault as her character is the one whose reality is the most fluid throughout the story so it must have been nearly impossible to find firm ground from which to act. We can never trust that what she believes at any moment is going to matter – at all. There are so many resets for her character that by the end I was still waiting for another ‘clever’ reveal that everything we know about her wasn’t the truth. And I think it actually happens right before the credits roll. Damn, they blew this one!

ARGYLLE (2024) is a colorful piece of action fluff that promised dark, violent thrills along the lines of director Matthew Vaughn’s earlier KINGSMEN films but it lacks the narrative strengths of those (often silly) movies and becomes the equivalent of watching someone else play a video game. While the rules of the game keep changing. Its flashy enough but unfortunately also completely uninvolving. I was glad when it finally ended. 

The List

CONAN THE DESTROYER (1984) – 7 (rewatch on Blu – better than I remembered)

TOO SCARED TO SCREAM (1984) – 6 (Mannix vs mad killer)

ARGYLL (2024) – 5 (it just doesn’t work)

SUITABLE FLESH (2023) – 8 (unexpected and well-made Lovecraft adaptation)

23 PACES TO BAKER STREET (1956) – 7 (excellent thriller)

SUPERARGO VS DIABOLICUS (1966) – 5 (rewatch)

BOSTON BLACKIE GOES HOLLYWOOD (1942) – 6

SUPERARGO AND THE FACELESS GIANTS (1968) – 7

COLD LIGHT OF DAY (1989) – 5 (low budget British serial killer tale)

WEREWOLF VS THE VAMPIRE WOMAN (1971) – 8 (rewatch on Blu-Ray!)

THE DEVIL’S LOVER (1972) – 6 (Rosalba Neri lights up the screen)

STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME (1986) – 8 (rewatch)

THE DESERT HAWK (1950) – 6 (fun Arabian adventure)

FOOTSTEPS IN THE FOG (1955) – 8 (rewatch)

MY BLOODY VALENTINE (1981) – 8 (rewatch on Blu)

MY BLOODY VALENTINE (2009) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)

BEWARE THE BLOB! (1972) – 3 (what a mess)

MADAM WEB (2024) – 5 (if the lead actress had given a shit it could have been better)

THE ANGRY BLACK GIRL AND HER MONSTER (2023) – 7 (interesting Frankenstein variant) 

HORRORS OF THE BLACK MUSEUM (1959) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)

PARASITE (1982) – 5 (Charles Band post-apocalyptic creature feature isn’t awful)

INVADERS FROM MARS (1953) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)

What I Watched in January 2022

I enjoyed the first two Kingsmen films and went into this prequel expecting a similarly amusing but violent tone. Surprisingly, THE KING’S MAN (2021) has a very serious approach to the story of the genesis of the independent spy service and the film is quite effective for it. The style remains the same as the earlier films and in a few spots it teeters on the edge of going too far but it manages well as a visceral and oddly touching piece. Even the scenes that involve Rasputin and the various attempts on his life feels grounded because it is built on the back of the historical events. Likewise, the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand rings true both as a fascinating historical replay and also as a dramatic occurrence within the film’s story. Of course, by the third act the mostly over-the-top action swings back into place for a satisfying finale. It feels as if they might have been better off staying a bit closer to a sense of realism and kept the more reality-based tone established early on, but it is exciting fun. And those goats are jerks!

 

The List

MALAYA (1949) – 7 (Jimmy Stewart and Spencer Tracy as WWII rubber smugglers) 

PROBE (1972) – 6 (interesting spy-fi TV movie) 

THE KING’S MAN (2021) – 8 

MAN BEAST (1956) – 4 (typically clunky, inept Jerry Warren Abominable Snowman effort) 

THE DESIGNATED VICTIM (1971) – 7 (smart Italian take on Strangers on a Train - with a twist) 

BUSTING (1974) – 7 (Peter Hyams first film stars Elliott Gould and Robert Blake as buddy cops)

THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN (1957) – 8 (rewatch on Blu) 

SHERLOCK HOLMES IN WASHINGTON (1942) – 6 (rewatch) 

OUTLAW GOLD (1950) – 6 (solid B-western with Johnny Mack Brown) 

QUATERMASS 2 (1957) – 8 (rewatch on Blu) 

MICHAEL SHAYNE, PRIVATE DETECTIVE (1940) – 7 (rewatch) (twisty mystery)

THE UNNATURALS (1969) – 7 (rewatch) 

HERE COME THE CO-EDS (1945) – 6 (standard Abbot & Costello/Lon Chaney as a heavy) 

THE TRIUMPH OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (1935) – 5 (very clunky unless Holmes is onscreen) 

BALLAD IN BLOOD (2016) – 4 (Ruggero Deodato - not much happens but the nudity helps) 

NIGHT OF THE DEMON (1980) – 5 (fairly silly low budget Bigfoot horror)

THE MAN WHO WOULDN’T DIE (1942) – 6 (rewatch) (solid Michael Shayne mystery) 

MURDER ON A BRIDLE PATH (1936) – 6 (well done Hildegard Withers mystery) 

CHARLIE CHAN AT THE CIRCUS (1936) – 7 (rewatch) 

DANCE CHARLIE DANCE (1937) – 6 (fun comedy with Glenda Farrell - reminiscent of The Producers)

SEX HUNTER 1980 (1980) – 6 (erotic Suspiria influenced Japanese sex film) 

HUMAN MONSTER (1939) – 7 (rewatch on Blu) (Lugosi as a bad guy? What?) 

SILVER BLAZE (1937) – 7 (very well done Holmes tale even with the unnecessary addition of Moriarty)

SCHOOL OF DEATH (1975) – 7 (rewatch on Blu) (deliberately paced, excellent Spanish gothic) 

TRAIL OF THE MOUNTIES (1947) – 6 (short RCMP feature) 

VOICE OF THE WHISTLER (1954) – 6 (very bleak noir) 

PLANET EARTH (1974) – 6 (rewatch on Blu) (Roddenberry TV movie) 

FOES (1977) – 6 (interesting low budget UFO encounter tale) 

KING BOXER (1972) – 7 (a.k.a. Five Fingers of Death) 

LAND OF DOOM (1986) - 4 (rewatch on Blu) (post-apocalyptic tale) 

CALIBER 9 (1972) – 8 (rewatch) 

A STUDY IN SCARLET (1933) – 6 (creaky but good Sherlock film) 

THE GREEN KNIGHT (2021) – 8 

ROSE MARIE (1954) – 5 (beautiful but flat Mountie musical) 

THE HANDS OF ORLAC (1924) – 6 (silent madness!) 

MOONRAKER (1979) Poster Art

This mess of a Bond film has been on my mind recently. It seems that there is a Fan Edit of it currently out there on the inter-web that improves the film to a large degree. Color me curious. Hope I can find a copy someplace. 

 

Songs from THE MAN CALLED FLINTSTONE (1966)

Although I have never been a fan of The Flintstones TV series I was curious about the feature film Hanna-Barbera produced at the height of the show's popularity. In 1966 I'm sure a cartoon spy spoof seemed like a sure-fire hit and it seems to have been well received upon release. Strange how it's become so little discussed or seen these days. 

For me the biggest surprise was the six or seven songs that pepper the soundtrack turning this fun little adventure into a bit of a musical. And the songs are quite fun, too! 

The Bloody Pit #123 - INVISIBLE AGENT (1942)

We return to the Universal Invisible Man series of movies for a wartime adventure!

 

As the United States entered the World War effort in 1942 Hollywood joined in with dozens of films bent around the changed state of political events. A number of the movies produced at the time could be seen as propaganda pieces and INVISIBLE AGENT (1942) certainly fits that description. Picking up with the grandson of the original Invisible Man the story is a mixture of many elements. Our main character is pressed into service for the Allied fighting forces after Pearl Harbor turns him from isolationist to intelligencer. Parachuting into Germany our transparent hero searches for a list of infiltrated undercover Axis agents and then discovers a plot to bomb New York City! How will he warn the American Defense Department in time to stop the massacre of millions? And can he escape from the clutches of the dastardly Nazi army that seems to know he is lurking about? 

Troy and I pull this exciting film apart, examine its flaws and then rave about how much we love it. Sporting two excellent villains played by Sir Cedric Hardwick and Peter Lorre the movie manages to generate some real menace when they are onscreen. Both actors are so good as antagonistic German and Japanese representatives that watching them dance around each other waiting for a mistake is delicious. In fact, the only real problems we find with the film is the unfortunate need to indulge in some silly, out of place Nazi-humiliation scenes that are played for cheap laughs. I would argue that this sequence could have been best left out. Luckily, the movie has more than enough action to keep an audience riveted as the race to stop the Axis baddies ramps up to a special effects laden climax that is fantastic!

 

If you have any comments or suggestions thebloodypit@gmail.com is the address to use to make your feelings known. Thank you for listening and please rate and/or review the podcast wherever you catch the show. 

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Review - LUCKY, THE INSCRUTABLE (1967)

This is without a doubt one of my favorite Jess Franco movies. When I sit down for a Euro-Spy film I’m usually hoping for a serious espionage tale with a strong plot, great action, glamorous locations, beautiful ladies and a real sense of danger to the proceedings. But as I’ve watched more and more of the genre from its brief 1960s heyday, I’ve realized that what generally fuels these tales is a desire to not just play in James Bond’s sandbox but to kick the sand into the Bond franchise’s face. Even the most serious of the Euro-Spy films have at least a few moments in which they wink at the camera either in acknowledgement of the cinematic theft in progress or as a nod to what the audience might expect but that the smaller budget productions could simply not supply. If the film maintains a serious tone except for those few throwaway moments I can still fully enjoy the story and become caught up in the thrills. But if the film descends into silliness for the sake of cheap laughs I start to be distanced from the film and can only appreciate it at a much lower level. My general resistance to the overly humorous Spy thrillers is rarely overcome completely so when it IS overcome it’s a sign that (in my opinion) there is something really great being done by the filmmakers.

 

A good example of this is the brilliant relaunch of the French OSS:117 film series several years ago. Reimagined as a comedy thriller it managed to nail every target it aimed to hit while being both exciting and funny. But of the 1960s versions of spy comedies there are few that stand out as truly funny for me. I often wonder if they might have played better in their time as the Bond phenomenon swept the world than they do now. They almost had to, I guess. I suspect it’s similar to how the terrible/sad SCARY MOVIE franchise plays to big crowds on release but ages very poorly as the current events being mocked are left behind and forgotten.

But, back to LUCKY THE INSCRUTABLE! This film is great! Because I generally don’t like the overly humorous Euro-Spy movies I should not have enjoyed this at all but, against all odds, I did. Through some alchemy of filmmaking genius (yes- I said genius) Franco managed to make a funny, silly, witty, fast paced romp that, while never being credible in the least, is so damned amusing that I found myself being swept along. I swear I had a smile on my face for the whole film. I have no idea how well it would play in another language but the English dub is packed with quotable lines that more than once had me laughing out loud. 

Ray Danton is great as the smirking Secret Agent everyone knows (even when he’s in disguise) busy working his charms on ladies around the world as he attempts to track down counterfeit currency plates. The plot is, of course, just the thinnest of threads used to hang each gunfight, fistfight, romantic encounter, car chase or daring escape as we watch Danton and his co-stars have fun running through their various roles. Dante Posani plays a kind of sidekick accompanying our man Lucky on his adventure, Barbara Bold is present as a nice piece of tanned eye candy and the amazingly sexy Rosalba Neri shows up as a whip wielding Albanian General. Wow! Miss Neri’s character wasn’t needed in any way but I am SO glad she was present.

While the main target being skewered in this spoof/satire is clearly the Bond series Franco throws in a few other things too. Periodically there are still/posed shots with comic book-like word balloons commenting humorously on the action and when the film shifts location there is a full comic description (often in Italian so I’m not always sure what’s being communicated) to one side of the still moving image. It’s almost as if once things start moving, he didn’t want to slow down for anything. I suspect that if he had I would have focused on the silliness of the entire affair and had less fun. I also loved Franco’s two separate cameos – one as a man stabbed in the back who still somehow delivers his important message to Lucky and the second as a train hopping hobo who is found sleeping under a cow. You kind of have to see it to understand.

And did I mention the fantastic score by Bruno Nicolai? It’s a classic of the genre with a theme song I cannot get out of my head. I’ve known the music from this film for years from a Nicolai compilation CD but having the visuals finally linked to the sound is wonderful. Everything about this film says ‘We’re having a good time; we hope you are too’. 

Luckily, I found Lucky’s antics to be completely captivating and I can heartily recommend the film to the curious Euro-Trash enthusiast. I can honestly say that I laughed for almost the entire running time and I can’t say that about most comedies of any vintage. I really wish a good Blu-Ray of this film would get a release. The bootleg I watched is a passable way to see this gem but it deserves much more exposure.

Trailers From Hell - FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (1962)

And here, once again, is Brian Trenchard-Smith walking us through the trailer for the second Bond screen adventure. Lots of information in this one, too! 

What I Watched In August

I'm one of those people who feel that the Mission Impossible film series didn't become worth worrying about until the third entry in the cycle. The first two films were made by directors that I admire but both were just terrible films. Each had good segements and admirable bits and pieces but never really came together as a decent film. But they were box office hits and I'm glad of that because ever since the third film I've really enjoyed this series of action movies.

I think some people are over-praising this entry in the run and calling it one of the best films of the year. That's going a bit far by half but it is a top-notch example of what Hollywood action movies can be. The cast is fantastic and it's an absolute blast to see Cruise and Henry Cavill on screen at the top of their game and kicking ass. This movie has several action scenes that I think are some of the best of the entire Mission Impossible series. The bathroom fight is a sequence that I think is simply brilliant from beginning to end and worth the ticket price on it's own. Even some of the more espionage-centric sequences are excellently well played too with secrets and lies playing a large part of the proceedings. The cast really gets to dig their teeth into a convoluted plot line that actually does require the audience to pay attention to understand who might be doing what, when and where.

The place the film loses me is in the over-the-top helicopter crash/cliff side fist-fight ending set-piece. It's fun repeatedly stretches credulity until I was just rolling my eyes too often to take it seriously. But, up to then, it's a great ride.

THE LIST 

BLUE DEMON: DESTRUCTOR OF SPIES (1968) - 6

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT (2018) - 7

DOOMWATCH (1972) - 7 (rewatch)

THE MAZE (1953) - 6 (rewatch)

TARZAN'S SAVAGE FURY (1952) - 6

LADY FRANKENSTEIN (1971) - 8 (rewatch on Blu)

A CANDLE FOR THE DEVIL (1973) - 8 (rewach)

THE SLAYER (1982) - 6 (interesting horror tale)

EL CAMINATE (1979) - 9 (rewatch in Blu)

THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHOALIN (1978) - 8

TOMB RAIDER (2017) - 4 (uninvolving adventure wastes fine cast)

THE SECRET OF THE BLUE ROOM (1933) - 7 (rewatch)

FOUR'S A CROWD (1938) - 7 (romantic comedy with Errol Flynn and Olivia De Havilland)

THE UNLIVING (2005) - 3 (rewatch)

HOT FUZZ (2007) - 8 (rewatch)

SKIN TRADE (2014) - 5 (not bad action tale)

UNDERCOVER MAN (1942) - 5 (standard Hopalong Cassidy film)

LAKE OF DRACULA (1971) - 8 (rewatch) 

Re-Viewing Bond - FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (1963)

One year after the release of Dr. No and its worldwide success, EON productions returned to Ian Fleming's superspy series with From Russia with Love. Once again hewing very close to the source novel, they produced a compact, witty film that combines the finer qualities of Fleming's work with the sophisticated sense of style that director Terence Young brought to the Bond pictures.

Again the story focuses on the international terrorist organization SPECTRE and its ongoing criminal activities. Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the leader of the organization, is first introduced here (seen only from behind), devising a smart Cold War plot to pit Britain's MI-6 against the Soviet KGB for profit and to exact revenge for the death of their agent Doctor No. Ex-KGB official and new SPECTRE member Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya) is put in charge of a scheme to get James Bond to steal a Russian "Lektor" code machine, which she will then take from him. The plan is simple — get beautiful, low level Soviet embassy employee Tatiana Romanova (Daniela Bianchi) to feign love for Bond and promise the Lektor in exchange for British citizenship and James' company. Miss Romanova is based in Istanbul and has daily contact with the encryption device, so she will be able to be convincing as a mole. Since it isn't common knowledge that Klebb has left Soviet employment it's a simple matter for her to force Tatiana into the ruse without the girl realizing she's helping SPECTRE rather than Mother Russia. Knowing that something so obvious has to be a trap, secret service chief M (Bernard Lee) still sends Bond to Turkey on the off chance they might get the machine. In Istanbul Bond makes contact with Kerim Bey (Pedro Armendariz), the head of British operations for the country. Bey tells Bond that he should enjoy his stay in Turkey as a vacation because the chances of this defection being real are ridiculous. But almost immediately SPECTRE assassin Red Grant (Robert Shaw) launches attacks on both sides to manipulate the situation to the terrorists' advantage. When a bomb goes off in Bey's office, the escalation of violence convinces the agents that something must be done and makes them both realize this mission isn't going to be a milk run. Hastily Bond and Bey firebomb the Soviet Embassy and spirit the Lektor and Tatiana aboard the Orient Express, heading west. But Grant is following close behind, with orders to kill both of them and claim the Lektor.

From Russia with Love is one of my favorite films in the Bond series. It's serious, clever and never descends to the cartoonish levels of some the later movies. Viewed as part of the series it is a slight improvement over Dr. No with better pacing and a more interesting plot. Strangely, the idea of SPECTRE pitting rival nations against each other is not taken from the book. In the novel it's the Russian spy agency SMERSH that puts the plot in motion but I really prefer the movie's twist as it adds a level of nastiness that I like in espionage stories. Amidst Bond's interlude with a band of gypsies, his careful romance of Tatiana, and the sly machinations of Grant as he gooses Bond along, there's a smart undercurrent of exactly what I like to see in spy tales. Both Bond and Grant are very intelligent and know that at times they are being played, but also feel that they are good enough at their jobs to win through. Watching smart people battle each other in a logical way is the best part of a well-written spy thriller. One of the things this film does well — that other Bond films don't — is focus on the human element in the story.

As the series progressed there was a tendency to focus on the action and spectacle until at times the motivations and the plot became nothing more than a thin trail of crumbs linking giant stunt pieces. From Russia with Love is the antithesis of that approach and serves as a good template for what the current Bond producers should strive for. This film keeps the audience in their seats with suspense and character instead of chases and explosions. Of course, the film does have a few pyrotechnics but the most memorable action scene is the incredibly brutal fistfight between Bond and Grant in the small confines of a train compartment. (That's a far cry from a laser gun battle in low Earth orbit!)

This film also sports two firsts for the series: the first pre-credits sequence and the first appearance of Desmond Llewelyn as Q, here called by his actual name, Major Boothroyd. The importance of Q to the films is obvious to those of us who love the gadgets, but it was amazing to learn that the pre-credit bit was not originally planned. Editor Peter Hunt came up with the idea when piecing the film together. Never let it be said that film editing isn't a creative or crucial job!

Re-Viewing Bond - DR. NO (1962)

When MI6's operative in Jamaica, Commander John Strangways, is killed leaving a bridge game, M (Bernard Lee) sends England's "blunt instrument" — secret agent James Bond (Sean Connery) — to the island to investigate. M mentions that the Americans seem to think that the recent toppling of many of their rocket launches from Florida are connected to something in the Jamaica area. Convinced that there's something large behind Strangways' death, Bond thinks that the commander's recent look into the business of local Chinese national Doctor No is the cause of the agent's disappearance. Strangways had made secret trips to the doctor's island of Crab Key and returned with some radioactive rock samples. Finding that the local government files on Doctor No and his private island are mysteriously missing, 007 suspects the Colonial Secretary's beautiful Chinese assistant of being involved. When an attempt on his life is made as he drives to meet her, he's convinced.

Following her trail to a local geologist and bridge partner of Strangways', Bond realizes that all clues lead to Doctor No and his island. Enlisting Quarrel, a local sailor and CIA operative, Bond sails to Crab Key to scout for information. Once there, he finds beautiful Jamaican native Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress) poaching valuable seashells. 

He also learns that the good doctor plays very rough. Before any message can be relayed to the authorities, they're chased into the island's interior and Bond and the girl are captured. Completely at their host's mercy, Bond realizes he has very little time before yet another American rocket is toppled. And this time No intends to salvage the warhead for his own sinister purposes.

While rarely named a favorite of fans, Dr. No is also never singled out as one of the true duds of the 56-year-old series, either. Much like the next three sequels, this one follows the outline of the original source novel pretty closely. The plot, locations, characters and flavor of Fleming's book is kept almost intact with only a few additions and deletions made that push the story into more cinematic areas. The changes made to the book are mostly cosmetic — the mined resource of Crab Key was guano, not bauxite; a deadly caterpillar native to Jamaica was used in an attempt to kill Bond, not a tarantula; Quarrel was an old cohort of Bond's specifically requested for this mission; Doctor No was not a member of SPECTRE but a (self-professed) maniac out to dominate the world; there was no messing about with radioactive power. Of course, a few moments from the book were best lost in the translation, including 007's battle to the death with a giant squid (!) and No's ignominious end beneath a huge pile of bird crap. Some changes were done to curtail nudity (damn those censors!) and speed the story along, while keeping the budget manageable, but a few of them are a bit odd. I'm still not sure why there was a need to include CIA man Felix Leiter here, when he serves absolutely no purpose. But overall this is a very good adaptation of the book, one that keeps a good deal of the tone and intent in place while introducing us to a character for the ages.

Dr. No is a great spy thriller with strong direction and many great performances. This is the film that made Sean Connery both a star and a household name, of course, and it's easy to see why. His performance is so self-assured that it's hard to imagine a more perfect actor to tackle the role. The way he moves and carries himself exudes a sense of suave style and coiled energy that fairly crackles off the screen. Connery is always believable as Bond and for this type of film, that's half the battle. If we believe the character we are willing to follow him through almost any bizarre situation. And Dr. No certainly provides its share of those.

What I Watched In October

BLADE RUNNER 2049 is one of my favorite movies of the year. Of course, I'm pretty clearly the target audience for it as I've loved the original for more than thirty years and have watched various versions of that 1982 film more than 50 times. Strangely, I must admit, I might like this sequel better than the first film. I'm not sure if that is because, having been so familiar with the earlier movie, it's much easier to let this film wash over me and tell it's story without skewed expectations for what it will be. For me, BR2049 feels like a perfect tonal and thematic continuation of the original, shifting the larger question asked from 'What is Human' to 'Do memories make us Human'. It even asks the question of what it means to know our past is a lie but to have nothing else to hold on to give us a sense of self. And it does all this within the context of a mystery tied to both the past and an uncertain future.

When I learned this new film was two and half hours long I feared it would feel protracted or thin. While the film played I was even trying to decide which segments might be removed to cut the running time down with out messing up the story. But, by the end, each piece I thought might be choppable proved itself to be necessary to the film and it's absence would detract from the whole in some important way. This is not a film that will please most people just as the 1982 film was rejected at the time and is still merely a cult item. Both Blade Runner movies ask its audience to consider big questions about the nature of humanity, artificial human intelligence and the possibility of a soul. These are not the kinds of things a mass audience was ever going to embrace. Much like the first film I'm just so happy this new one exists as it reaffirms my faith the Hollywood can occasionally produce intelligent, cerebral science fiction that can cause a deeper conversation than rating it's degree of 'coolness'.

I've come to the realization that if Matthew Vaughn makes a film I'm going to probably love it. Because KINGSMEN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE is a sequel I fully expected it to be the least of his six films as director but it was just as unexpectedly brilliant and outrageous as the first film. It's only crimes were a lack of freshness that is somewhat unavoidable in a follow up and the pretty silly resurrection of a key character offed in the original. Both crimes are forgiven! I had a goofy smile plastered on my face for the duration of this funny, dirty, hyperkinetic spy adventure. These movies are exactly the kind of film Bond fans dreamed up in their kinkiest, most over the top imaginings. If you liked the first film you'll get a lot of joy out of this one too. 

What do you get when you cross the comedy GROUNDHOG DAY (1993) with the film noir D.O.A. (1949)? HAPPY DEATH DAY! In this comedic horror film we meet a college student suffering through a birthday so bad that it ends in her being brutally murdered. The twist is that she keeps reliving this crappy day over and over with each new variation ending in her demise no matter what she does to prevent it. She goes from puzzled to disbelieving to angry to disheartened to defiant as she attempts to discover who the masked person is that hates her enough to hunt her down repeatedly. This isn't a great movie but it is very well done, quite funny and very well played by Jessica Rothe in the lead role. She is onscreen for 95% of the running time and has to make us believe that this spoiled, unlikable sorority girl can become a better person as she travels through her painful adventure. She does an admirable job and I liked the eventual answer to the mystery as well. This is a fun horror film! 

The List 

THE WITCH'S CURSE (1962) - 6 (Maciste in Scotland and Hell) 

ONE DARK NIGHT (1982)- 6 (rewatch of a better print) 

SWEET HOME (2015) - 6 (Spanish horror film) 

KISS OF THE TARANTULA (1976)- 5 (not bad low budget shocker) 

THE HOWLING (1981) - 9 (rewatch) 

ONE MYSTERIOUS NIGHT (1944) - 5 (OK Boston Blackie film) 

KINGSMEN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE (2017) - 8

THE MUTILATOR (1984) - 3 (low budget slasher) 

SCREAM OF THE BANSHEE (2011) - 3 (lame supernatural horror) 

HOUSE OF DRACULA (1945)- 6 (rewatch) 

BLADE RUNNER 2049 (2017) - 9 

MILL OF THE STONE WOMEN (1960) - 8 (rewatch) 

SON OF DRACULA (1943) - 6 (rewatch) 

BODY BAGS (1993) - 7 (rewatch) 

THE WITCH (2016)- 8 (rewatch) 

THE COMPANY OF WOLVES (1984) - 8 (rewatch) 

THE MARK OF THE WEREWOLF (1968) - 6 (rewatch of the Spanish version) 

THE MAN WHO CHANGED HIS MIND (1936)- 6 (rewatch)

THE CURSE (1987)- 3 

CURSE OF THE DEVIL (1973)- 6 (rewatch) 

HACK-O-LANTERN (1988) - 3 (terrible slasher/satanist tale) 

HAPPY DEATH DAY (2017) - 7 

RED CLOVER (2012) - 4 (Leprechaun monster horror tale) 

MARK OF THE DEVIL (1970)- 6 (rewatch)

HALLOWEEN (1978)- 10 (rewatch) 

DRACULA'S DAUGHTER (1936) - 7 (rewatch)

MIDNIGHT OFFERINGS (1981) - 6 (TV movie about high school witches) 

HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH (1982) - 8 (rewatch) 

ATOMIC BLONDE (2017)

From the moment I saw the first trailer for ATOMIC BLONDE I knew I was going to see the film. First of all, I love Charlize Theron and will watch her in almost anything. She's beautiful, talented and completely captivating on screen and this would be far from the first film in which she had proved herself as an action hero. Hell - she was arguably the star of MAD MAX: FURY ROAD.

The preview trailer for ATOMIC BLONDE made it clear that the movie was going to be an action filled cross between John Wick (with whom this film shares a director) and the James Bond movies. As far as spy thrillers go this one is a throwback in more than one way. First of all, plot-wise it is very old school. Hell - the plot actually involves the recovery of microfilm and even in a movie set in 1989 that's a story point that perhaps was out-of-date by even 1985. But as with any good James Bond film the McGuffin is hardly the point. We are here for several reasons, none of which involve microfilm or paper documents or anything else that the hero may actually be hunting for. We're here to revel in dark characters, interesting situations and - above all - stylish, exciting action. Luckily this film succeeds on that count easily.

Theron plays Lorraine Brown, an MI6 operative who just has just returned from Berlin and as she is debrief by her handler Toby Jones and a mysterious CIA figure played by John Goodman she explains how she may or may not have succeeded in her most recent assignment. Since we've already seen how bruised and battered she is after this little German adventure we're already interested to see just how everything went down. Watching Theron as this world weary agent trying to stay on task amide multiple nefarious players with clashing agendas is incredibly entertaining for me. One of the things I love about espionage tales is seeing the harsh price paid by field agents who often have to trust their instincts as well as their training to survive deadly encounters. Shifting loyalties, questionable motives, bad choices and hidden desires can alter the calculus of a situation for the worse leaving only seconds to decide on the correct option. ATOMIC BLONDE takes the spy thriller back to the days of more carefully plotted, dark stories that refuse to spoon feed the audience the pieces that the main character is struggling to understand right along side of us. I found that refreshing and maybe it's enough of a throwback to raise eyebrows and interest in modern viewers.

There's been a lot of talk over the past few years about doing some interesting casting in the James Bond franchise with the idea of Idris Elba possibly taking the role. I doubt that will ever happen (no matter how much I'd love to see it) but I would say that this film is probably the starting point for a parallel female James Bond series. Theron is excellent in the lead, the supporting cast is fantastic and the period detail is phenomenal all the way down to the smart choices made in the soundtrack. I'm sure there is an actual score written for this film somewhere in the mix but all I can remember are the mood setting songs from the  1970's and 1980's that set everything in place and push the story forward in interesting ways. Much like this summer's  Edgar Wright film BABY DRIVER, ATOMIC BLONDE uses songs as an integral part of it's storytelling effort. They aren't just there to set the scene and to remind you of the time. They actually become an important part of the storytelling, showing you why and how characters are acting and thinking in the ways they are. ATOMIC BLONDE isn't the best movie I saw this summer but it was damn good and it's one that I know I will enjoy revisiting many times in the future. Fingers crossed for a sequel!

Alice Cooper's THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN Theme Song

I wish some enterprising, clever person would find a way to marry this song to the film's opening credits, but I'm willing to take this version for now.

DANGER!! DEATH RAY (1967)

Thanks to YouTube (and an alert by eagle-eyed Christopher) I had the chance tonight to see this little Italian/Spanish Euro-Spy production without the Mystery Science Theater fellows distracting me. Gordon Scott was one of the screen's better Tarzans and his various Italian made sword & sandal epics are usually entertaining so I was happy to give this effort my full attention. Gordon is solid as the heroic agent playing him a well as the script allows. Sadly the film is a slapdash affair with a story that is both thin and a bit meandering. A scientist that has just successfully created  a death ray more powerful than a laser (whatever than means) is kidnapped by a group of criminals intent on selling his invention to the highest bidder. Scott plays an international spy Bart Fargo sent to recapture the scientist and foil the dastardly villain's scheme. There are the usual assortment of car chases, fist fights and gun fights along with a few beautiful ladies livening up the scenery. Of course, a few of the ladies turn out to be baddies but that's all in a day's work for professional espionage men so kisses are deployed to defuse some boudoir troubles. 

Overall this isn't a bad Euro-Spy film but it isn't very good either. It has some good sequences, believably nasty villains, great locations and a score that isn't bad even if it's often used in ways that should have been rethought. On the downside the script is pretty weak with the ragged string connecting the various set pieces together sometimes getting close to breaking. This being a Spanish co-production means that a few Paul Naschy co-stars show up in juicy roles including Alberto (Hunchback of the Morgue) Dalbés as the head bad guy (spoiler!) and the lovely Sylvia (Night of the Howling Beast) Solar as a femme fatale leading our man Bart into a death trap.

The weakest part of this obviously low budget production is the truly terrible miniature work throughout. There isn't a single successful shot of miniature car crashes, hovering helicopters or embarrassing toy submarines in swimming pools. I guess I'm just used to better special effects of this type from Italian films simply from my viewing of Antonio Margheriti movies but the shots here really are dreadful. They don't destroy the film for me but they are a distracting element. If you're a fan of the genre this one is worth a MST3K-less viewing but don't go in expecting too much and you'll get some fun out of it.