THE DANMAN CAN

A Bullet For The General (aka  El Chuncho Quién Sabe? ) (1966) is a serviceable " Zapata " Italian Western but not as good, in my opinion, as The Big Gundown (1966), Compañeros (1970) or The Mercenary (1968) (my review here ).  Gian Maria Volontè  is very good and  Martine Beswick is pretty good too, but Klaus Kinski  isn't given much to do and I didn't find  Lou Castel particularly compelling either. The film drags quite a bit, the story is pretty standard stuff for this sub-genre, the tone is pretty fluffy, the violence is bloodless, and the score by Luis Bacalov  doesn't distinguish itself from the many other films in this genre. Not a bad film, but neither is it an accomplished work.

Even though the juvenile humor is akin to Kevin Smith and even though the references to The Evil Dead (1981) (my review here ), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) (my review here ) and David Lynch  are a bit on the nose, I still really enjoy Eli Roth 's Cabin Fever (2002). A few of the jokes and some of the terms used wouldn't fly if the movie were made today, but there's lots of blood and laughs to be had at the expense of the mostly douchey characters and I still find myself quoting some of the dialogue from time to time. Of the virus themed films I've watched so far during this stay-at-home month (with another one coming up), this one is the least serious, the most fun, the goriest and also the silliest. I love a good horror comedy and I think this one holds up (whereas I've never been a fan of the Hostel  films or interested in anything else Roth has done).

Raw Force (1982) (aka Kung Fu Cannibals ) is truly an "everything and  the kitchen sink" movie. It's got it all—martial arts, explosions, nudity, an evil German, zombies, cannibal monks, piranhas! It's short on plot, most of the acting is poor, it's silly, it objectifies women and it's cheaply made but it's a total relic of the '80s and it's tailor made for B movie lovers.

Even though  Outbreak (1995) was released sixteen years prior to Contagion (2011) (my review here ), it's basically the Hollywoodized version of the latter film. That's to be expected with Wolfgang Petersen  at the helm—he's directed a handful of entertaining big budget films (including this one). But whereas Contagion takes an incredibly realistic and terrifying approach to a pandemic, Outbreak  opts for dramatic high stakes, movie tension, sympathy-inducing delivery (with some one liners for good measure), large scale action and stunts. There are some absolute scientific/medical faux pas throughout the film but the cast is solid and the theme of the caring, logic-minded doctor fighting the stupidity and corruption of the government remains as relevant as ever. Watch this one with some popcorn, but watch Contagion  if you really want to be scared (and decide that you should eat your popcorn with mittens).

With the sad news today that Stuart Gordon had passed away it felt like a good time to revisit his sophomore film  From Beyond (1986), which I hadn't watched since 2013. Unlike his debut  Re-Animator (1985) ( review ), which I saw on VHS at a tender young age (12 or 13, maybe?), I don't believe that I saw From Beyond   until I was 27 (on DVD). Regardless, I fell in love with it immediately (and now we have both films available in excellent Blu-ray editions from Arrow Video and Scream Factory ). While not the all-time camp classic that Re-Animator is, From Beyond  is still a blast and the second best H.P. Lovecraft adaptation from Gordon (of five), who also adapted that other most famous horror fiction writer,  Edgar Allan Poe , twice. Like Re-Animator , From Beyond  plays fast and loose with Lovecraft's 1934 short story , trading faithfulness to expand the story and really, let's face it, for the opportunity to deliver a gleeful mix of mel...

I've been a latecomer to Christopher Guest  films, only having seen Best In Show (2000) and  A Mighty Wind (2003) for the first time just shy of four years ago. Of the three, I think Waiting For Guffman (1996) might be my favorite (though all three are great). Much like those other two films when it comes to subject matter, with WFG  you don't need to have experience behind the scenes in theatre to find it a hilarious mockumentary of a small town stage production—not on the same level as  This Is Spinal Tap  (1984) but still extremely good. Guest and co-writer/co-star  Eugene Levy have a certain way of creating characters that are kinda sad, but relatable (and always funny). It helps that they regularly feature excellent actors (here at the top of their game) such as  Parker Posey , Catherine O'Hara and Fred Willard  (and of course Guest and Levy themselves) who take the material and improvise brilliantly.

A movie about a man traveling back in time to prevent a deadly virus from wiping out 5 billion people? Why not revisit it in the midst of self-quarantine during the  COVID-19  pandemic? Review

Greenberg (2010) was a box office bomb and is my least favorite Noah Baumbach  film, but it's still a very enjoyable little indie flick. I think I may have even enjoyed it a bit more on a rewatch, but I'm sticking with my star rating. Ben Stiller is perfect in the titular role of Roger—a 40-year-old man recently released from a mental hospital, housesitting for his brother in L.A., just "trying to do nothing" and finding it impossible. Greta Gerwig is also perfect as the brother's personal assistant Florence—a 25-year-old woman who becomes involved with Roger and seems to just go with the flow when it comes to most things (particularly relationships), without thinking things through too much. The trademark Baumbach awkwardness, honesty, and vulnerability is all there; it's just that the end product feels a little less focused than most of his output (though that kind of works for a character who seems to have no direction in his life). You can find m...

School Daze  (1988), Spike Lee 's second feature film, is an interesting time capsule and early example of the director's trademarks, which were already polished by his next and best known film, Do The Right Thing (1989) (my review here ). School Daze  features some wonderful performances, a few snappily choreographed dance numbers, vibrant costumes and in your face examples of colorism. It also contains some unfortunate homophobia, mistreatment of women, and the non sequitous nature of the story never quite gels into a coherent whole. There's plenty to appreciate here, but Spike would hone his skills at characterization and big idea filmmaking with his opus the following year. You can find my  Spike Lee Feature Films Ranked  list  here .* *I'm fairly certain I've seen a few more of his films but I don't remember them well enough to include them on the list yet.

After the letdown that was To The Wonder (2012) (still a good film, but a far cry from all of Terrence Malick 's previous work) and with neither the trailer for  Knight Of Cups   (2015) or Song To Song (2017) (which I have yet to see) appealing much to me, I've unfortunately been lukewarm on Malick for some time now. And to be clear I love his first five films. In Knight Of Cups —as is to be expected— Emmanuel Lubeski 's cinematography is simply stunning. I do appreciate what Malick does—he loves to capture the moments between  the scenes we traditionally see in narrative films. But what once felt naturalistic, poetic and engaging in his work now feels staged, meandering and a bit of a chore to sit through. Watching Christian Bale drift through random scenes with mouth agape, little to no reaction to what happens around him and basically no dialogue while impossibly beautiful but often vapid and naked women dance and shower him with attention, and dozens of big...

Leaving Las Vegas (1995) has been a big  gap in my Cageography basically since it was released. Watching this film led me to revisit Nicolas Cage 's IMDb page—of his 97 current actor credits, I've only seen 23 films in his filmography! This is not counting The Outsiders (1983), which I just revisited (my review here ), in which Wikipedia  claims he has an uncredited cameo. I would argue that I've seen basically all the Cage films that matter or truly interest me though. Cage and Elisabeth Shue 's performances are absolutely worth any hyperbole you've heard. Their work here is raw, riveting and real. And this is a heavy, depressing film. Cage plays a man who, having lost everything that matters to him due to his alcoholism, sets out for Vegas to drink himself to death. He quickly forms a relationship with prostitute Sera (Shue) when the two form a bond through their shared sorrow and need to connect. John O'Brien , the author of the semi-autobiographical 199...

Having just revisited Turbo Kid  (2015) (my review here ) a couple days ago, I was in the mood to also revisit directing trio RKSS '  Summer Of '84 ( 2018) (my original review here ), which I'd been meaning to do for some time anyway. I really enjoyed SO84  the first time I saw it and this rewatch was no different— Le Matos  deliver another stellar score, the actors all give good performances, and the atmosphere created is retro without being showy about it.

When it comes to rebel teen films released by director  Francis Ford Coppola in 1983, I prefer the more experimental, poetic qualities of Rumble Fish (my review here ), but I still really enjoy The Outsiders . The movie is a bit melodramatic and the actors feel like they're trying just a bit too hard, but teenagers are like that, right? Plus, it's got an unbeatable cast of young actors. It also features beautiful cinematography by frequent Brian De Palma collaborator Stephen H. Burum , employing frequent use of split diopter  and strong placement of the cast within the frame to create striking shots. It's a different experience (for me, at least) to watch The Outsiders  through the 2020 lens. The  1967 novel ,—once considered controversial for its portrayal of gang violence, underage smoking and drinking, strong language, and dysfunctional families—I'm sure seemed pretty tame by 1983 standards (and certainly does so now). It's also worth noting that both the b...

Turbo Kid (2015) is an endlessly fun and funny mashup of  Mad Max (1979) (my review here ), Escape From New York (1981) (my review here ), Indiana Jones and BMX movies featuring an impossibly adorable co-lead ( Laurence Leboeuf as female robot Apple), wildly creative gore gags, and a pulsing, head-bobbing synth score by Le Matos . Rather than subvert genre tropes, Turbo Kid fully embraces them and never stops being a blast because of it—what it lacks in deep characters, finesse and budget it makes up for in retro diversion. If you had to live in a post-apocalyptic future, who wouldn't want to live in one this colorful and playful, with a soundtrack as great as this?

I first saw The Void  (2016) just shy of three years ago and have been meaning to revisit it for some time. My star rating and overall feelings remain the same. The visual references to Hellraiser (1987) (my review here ), The Beyond (1981) (my review here ), H.P. Lovecraft and  John Carpenter films like The Thing  (1982) (my review here ), Prince Of Darkness  (1987) (my review here ) and Assault On Precinct 13 (1976) are neat but can be a bit on the nose. Lead Aaron Poole 's acting is inconsistent and the writing is a bit tropey, which can undermine the sense of dread at times. On the plus side, barring a few shaky cam scenes and a few that don't pack quite the punch that they need, the look and feel are very solid. The gore and creature f/x are the film's strongest suit—basically all practical, with almost no CGI in sight. That's thanks to Steve Kostanski , who—along with fellow Astron-6 member Jeremy Gillespie —directed this little horror movie that could, ...

I loved Contagion (2011) when it was originally released and I still love it now, apparently deciding it was a good idea to scare myself into accepting that a pandemic like the one that we are currently facing ( COVID-19 ) could potentially  turn out the way the one depicted in this film does (though, obviously, I certainly hope not). Contagion  is an incredibly realistic portrayal of the way in which a society, scientists and the government would and do react to the rapid spread of an infectious disease. I've seen numerous criticisms of the film point out that there are too many characters and that they are not given enough depth, but I don't think that's the point of Steven Soderbergh 's movie. Even though it's chock-full of big name movie stars, this isn't a film that is concerned with providing a narrative arc or memorable characters. No, what it wants to show you is how ordinary people, and those with more inside knowledge and power, act in the midst of...

John Frankenheimer is well known for having made a number of excellent dramatic (often political) action thrillers, including The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Seconds (1966), French Connection II  (1975) and Ronin  (1998).  Prophecy   (1979) was his first foray into the horror genre (he touched upon science fiction previously with Seconds ), which he only returned to once more (again with mixed results) in 1996 when he replaced  Richard Stanley as the director of The Island Of Dr. Moreau . Prophecy is unmistakably a B horror movie but it one of those B horror movies that actually has something to say, rather than serving only to spill blood (which I'm OK with too). Make no mistake—blood is spilled, innocent people are killed (often in unintentionally? humorous ways) and the mutant bear f/x are goofy (though really fun). But there is a solid environmental concern theme, the performances are all quite good, and one scene in particular exercises great suspe...

Wim Wenders ' Until The End Of The World (1991), in its original 287-minute director's cut, is an incredibly ambitious independent film of epic scope. Setting out to make the ultimate road movie—a sci-fi drama taking place roughly ten years in the future—Wenders' film, which cost over 20 million dollars to make, was a spectacular box office flop (grossing less than a million dollars in the US). The film's nearly 5-hour length might prove a test of even the most adventurous cinephile's patience but, for the most part, I didn't find it an issue. I'm sure it helps that I watched the first part (the film is split over two discs in the Criterion edition), took a nap, then watched the second part. UTEOTW  really is a film of two halves. The first one is mostly spent chasing our protagonist Claire across multiple continents, countries, and cities. The second takes place mostly in the Australian outback, where the sci-fi elements kick in. The plot is convolute...

I've seen six films based on plays and/or written by Tennessee Williams by five different directors, and yet they all bear Williams ' stamp. In the 1950s and 60s his tragic southern gothic melodramas attracted incredibly talented filmmakers who translated his works to the silver screen with flourish. The previous (and first) time that I watched Sidney Lumet 's The Fugitive Kind (1960) was just five days after the director's death in 2011. I remember liking the film but finding it slow and a bit long. Orpheus Descending (1957), originally written in 1940 as  Battle Of Angels , is the Williams play that served as the inspiration for Lumet's film. The play was a flop in both versions when they originally ran. In addition, Lumet's film was no great box office or critical success either, especially considering it was the first time that an actor ( Marlon Brando ) was ever paid a million dollars for a movie role. One thing that grabbed my attention more this t...

Review

Body Melt  (1993) starts off really strong with a frenetic indie energy that reminded me a lot of Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson . The plot revolves around people becoming involuntary test subjects for "health" products that instead cause them to hallucinate, mutate and, yes, melt. The story is pretty scattershot and I think part of that can be attributed to the fact that the film is based on four short stories. Body Melt loses steam here and there but it still remains a fun ride throughout and its sub 90 minute runtime works in its favor. Director Philip Brophy 's whacked-out film very much feels like a holdover from the 80s in its approach. There's the obvious comparison to Street Trash (1987) (my review here ) and other "melt" movies, but Cronenberg  and  Tsukamoto  also spring to mind. Like Street Trash , Body Melt is played purely as a comedy—with any horror that results caused by the film's gooey f/x (which are really enjoyable and impressive f...

I wrote in my original review of Phantom Thread (2017) ( here ) that I needed an additional viewing to properly gauge how I feel about it. Now that I've had that second viewing, I think I feel the same. That is to say, the technique is virtually flawless—the costumes, production design and acting is all high caliber. But  Thread   still  feels too straightforward for a PTA film. It's still my least favorite of his, but it's still very good and it looks fantastic in 4K on the UHD (though it looked fantastic when I saw it initially on 70mm too). You can find my  Paul Thomas Anderson Feature Films Ranked  list  here .

Sidney Lumet 's Fail Safe (1964) is a very good paranoiac thriller about an accidental nuclear crisis that features a fantastic cast filmed in striking black & white cinematography.  Henry Fonda had previously played a president in John Ford 's Young Mr. Lincoln  (1939)—well, almost, as the events of that film take place previous to Lincoln being president. Director Lumet's decision to leave the film scoreless was a bold one, choosing instead to let the camerawork, the editing and, sometimes, the silence provide the tension. While Stanley Kubrick was filming  Dr. Strangelove (1964) he learned that  Fail Safe was also in production. Due to the fact that the 1962 novel which Lumet's film is based on bears so many similarities to Red Alert , the 1958 novel which Kubrick's film is based on, the director and the book's author, Peter George , filed a copyright infringement lawsuit (which was settled out of court). As a result, Kubrick's film was releas...