THE DANMAN CAN

Focus On Film   Episode 35  is up! Download the MP3  HERE In this episode: February 2016  Criterion Collection   Titles Announcement Best & Worst Of The Month  – RETURN OF THE FLY (1959), MULHOLLAND DR. (2001), TOMORROWLAND (2015), STEVE JOBS (2015) Criterion Most Wanted "Focus On Film Theme"  & commercial music:  Daniel Sardella

I'm very proud to present this  Movie Matters  Gialloween  episode, which I co-hosted. Details of the episode and the download link are below, and please follow  Movie Matters  on  Facebook  and  iTunes ! For this, the sixth annual  Movie Matters Halloween Special ,  Lee Howard  and  Michael Mackenzie  welcome back to the hosting chair  Demented Danman aka Focus On Film 's Daniel Sardella . On this occasion we give our autumnal 'frightivities' a twist of yellow as we hand-pick three gialli to dissect and discuss. The movies under the analytical knife in this 'Gialloween' triple bill are: Paolo Cavara 's stylishly sadistic THE BLACK BELLY OF THE TARANTULA  (1971), Massimo Dallamano 's undeniably sleazy but still deeply affecting 'schoolgirls in peril' mystery WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SOLANGE?  (1972), and finally an 'American giallo', the deliriously unhinged and highly controversial psychosexual thriller DRESSED TO KILL  (198

Spectre (2015)   has kind of weird tone and pacing for a Bond film but that made it interesting at times. I hated the theme. I really enjoyed some of the action sequences, particularly the train fight which was a nice nod to From Russia With Love   (1963) (there’s also a reference to 1969’s  On Her Majesty’s Secret Service ). A particularly introspective Bond  film. Overall uneven, but still a good entry.

The acting is pretty uneven and the tone shifts quite a bit in the final act (not necessarily a bad thing), but I really enjoyed the references to THE BEYOND , HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY  and THE FOG   and the f/x were great.

♥♥♥    Darkness:  Ah, Blix. Come closer. Are you not the most loathsome of my goblins? Blix:  Truly, master. Darkness:  And is your heart black, and full of hate? Blix:  Black as midnight. Black as pitch. Blacker than the foulest witch.   Lily:  This place, holds more magic for me than any palace in the world.  Blunder:  She was so sweet. I could eat her brains like jam!   Oona:  I could be anything you want me to be, even your heart's desire.   Blix:  Higher, higher, burning fire. Making music like a choir!    Jack:  You don't really mean to eat me, do you?    Meg:  Oh, indeed I do! (cackles)   Darkness:  We are all animals, m'lady.

Maserati go for a very warm sound on their newest LP and even add some vocals!  Definitely an early 80s rock/pop/new wave/electro thing going on here and I dig it.