THE DANMAN CAN

Describing the plot of  Tammy And The T-Rex  (1994) is sort of like telling a bad joke. Per IMDb: An evil scientist implants the brain of Michael, a high school student, into an animatronic Tyrannosaurus. He escapes, wreaks vengeance on his high school tormentors, and is reunited with his sweetheart Tammy. The film plays like a joke too but one that is so absurdly fun that you can't help but enjoy its campiness (if you're like me, anyway). It has a lot of the same energy as another cult film/play that I love, Psycho Beach Party (2000) (my review here ), with a touch of Frankenhooker  (1990) too (minus the nudity). Terry Kiser , of  Weekend At Bernie's   (1989) fame, plays the evil scientist,  Paul Walker  is Michael, and the titular (sorry not sorry) character is…um, brought to life by  Denise Richards  (who is actually pretty charming at times). John Franklin (Isaac from  Children Of The Corn (1984)) is also on b...

Hum  surprise releasing their fifth album  Inlet   (their first in 22 years!) is a small ray of light in 2020, a heavily emotional year for many people for various reasons. Rumors had circulated that the band had been working on a new album for years (I even chatted about this with their manager at a The Life And Times  show, which my friend Luke  photographed, a few years back). But no one expected them to drop the album with no announcement whatsoever. Inlet  is a grower, or should I say…it's a "shifter" (fittingly, the album's closer is even called "Shapeshifter"). What I mean by that is, past the initial excitement of hearing Matt Talbot and Tim Lash's trademark distorted wall of guitars kicking off the album opener "Waves", my first-time listen left me unsure how to feel. There were standout tracks ("In The Den", "The Summoning"), to be sure, and sections of particular songs captivated me as well. But as I listened t...

Though Joel Schumacher died just recently, my reason for watching Phone Booth   (2002) stemmed from having recently watched three of Larry Cohen 's films. Cohen wrote Phone Booth and it's interesting to think about how the film would have turned out if he had directed it (hint: it would have been very  different). In the hands of Schumacher, it's a fairly straightforward film, albeit one that does utilize some interesting techniques (split screen, multiple formats) to varying degrees of success. The script and pacing are tight and Hitchcock ian, the cast is very good, there's palpable tension, and the real-time high-concept nature mostly works. Phone Booth is an enjoyable slice of escapist cinema but is already a dated film for a few reasons. There are some stereotypes that thankfully don't take up too much screen time, but at this moment in U.S. history, I can't help thinking how differently the action would have played out and the protagonist's fate ...

On the surface,  Bone  (1972) appears to be a darkly comic home invasion satire of race relations. But when  Larry Cohen  is involved, you know that it's going to be so much more. There's plenty of material here (including racism and rape) that may prove offensive to a good number of viewers but that's intentional. Cohen is playfully pointing a finger at stereotypes and touchy topics—in particular making a comment regarding fear of minorities from "liberal" white society. Bone  was obviously made to be controversial in 1972, and while today this film would never be made the way it was, its subject matter is still very topical. A few aspects are no doubt cringy by 2020 standards but the overall message remains compelling. To quote Letterboxd user  DBC 's  review : "The rich white couple are defined by privilege, racial guilt, and moral decay, while Bone is portrayed as some kind of a funky blaxploitation Alex from  A Clockwork Orange  (1971...

Having just partaken in a double feature of Larry Cohen 's two 1973 Tommy Gibbs films ( Black Caesar   ( review ) and  Hell Up In Harlem   ( review ) yesterday, followed by the fun 2017 documentary about the maverick, King Cohen , today, I was in the mood to seek out films directed and/or written by him that I have yet to see and also to revisit some that I'd seen before but hadn't watched for many years. As I began to add films to my JustWatch queue (a great service to find out where films are streaming; not a sponsor) I was simultaneously looking up my and other users' ratings for films written and/or directed by Cohen on Letterboxd . Just prior to this, I had decided to watch Special Effects (1984), as it was one of the Cohen films I hadn't seen. But then I saw that I had rated the film on Letterboxd. Wait, really…I had already seen it (and only given it two stars)? So I checked my "Films Watched" log (yes, I keep a file, in addition to using LB,...

Hell Up In Harlem (1973), Larry Cohen 's third feature and the sequel to Black Caesar (1973) (my review here ), was rushed into production without a script and released only ten months after its predecessor. It shows—while there is some fun to be had, while it's nice that much of the cast of the first film returned, and while  Fred Williamson is again good, Tommy Gibbs' Papa's ( Julius Harris ) turn as criminal is unconvincing, his wife Helen's ( Gloria Hendry ) treatment is worse than in the first film, the rival Mr. DiAngelo ( Gerald Gordon ) is meh, and the whole thing feels pretty slapdash (even for Cohen). James Brown 's intended score was famously rejected and became his album (and hit song )  The Payback , so Edwin Starr  was enlisted instead. Starr's theme " Big Papa " is memorable and enjoyable, but Brown's album was #1 on the Soul Albums chart for two weeks, along with being his only studio album to be certified gold, and his ...

Black Caesar (1973), Larry's Cohen 's second feature and first (of three) with  Fred Williamson  is a solid slice of blaxploitation with a sweet score by James Brown —one of only two (both released in 1973) by the Godfather of Soul. A loose remake of Little Caesar (1931) starring Edward G. Robinson , Cohen's film stars Williamson as Tommy Gibbs, who as a teen growing up in Harlem was brutally beaten by a cop named McKinney ( Art Lund ), an incident which led him to a life of crime. As an adult, he joins the New York mafia and becomes the head of a Black crime syndicate, waging gang war with the Italian mobsters. Gibbs establishes a criminal empire, keeping a ledger of all his dealings to use as leverage over his business associates, including McKinney. Tommy has a strained relationship with his father ( Julius Harris ) and although he loves his mama and tries to do his best for her as his status rises and money flows in, his treatment of his wife Helen ( Gloria Hend...

It was interesting to watch Joe Begos ' second and third features back-to-back. With its gritty Super 16 mm look and a strong uninhibited central performance from Dora Madison  (who the film spends most of the running time with—she's basically in every scene),  Bliss   (2019), Begos' sorta vampire film, is a noticeable improvement from his first two films (my reviews here and here ). In addition to the benefit of being shot on film and having a lead that is willing to go the distance for the role, Bliss  feels like Begos making his own film for the first time. Yes, there are definitely elements borrowed from  Gasper Noé  and  Abel Ferarra , but it feels less like copying and more like expression this time—to the point where, in some regards, Bliss actually feels like a genuine grindhouse film from the early 80s. While a drugged-out artist who treats her friends and acquaintances like shit and spirals downward doesn't beg much sympathy and while t...

As with his debut feature, Almost Human (2013) (my review here ), director  Joe Begos ' follow-up is a bit too derivative of other films to set itself apart, but it's clear that Begos wasn't setting out to advance the horror genre with either release. The Mind's Eye (2015) again stars Graham Skipper as the lead, one of the things that hurts the film—Skipper is certainly earnest but his acting is so-so (and laughable in moments when it's supposed to be serious). In some ways, TME  is a step up from Begos' first film—the production values are higher, the action and f/x are better, and the score by Steve Moore  adds a level of credibility. But as the movie progresses, as with his debut, Begos relies too heavily on borrowing—this time from David Cronenberg / Scanners (1981) (my review here ) and Brian De Palma / The Fury  (1978). Story and characterization take a back seat for gory telekinetic set pieces, which are fun, but become pretty repetitive. The blu...

Portrait Of A Lady On Fire   (2019) is a very good film, written and directed by  Céline Sciamma . I greatly enjoyed most aspects of it. It's a critical darling, was nominated for and won a bunch of awards, and it's an audience favorite. I don't ever aim to be a naysayer but I don't quite share the same passion for it, at least after a single viewing. POALOF is an incredibly handsome-looking film. It was shot in 8K, so, while it's nice that The Criterion Collection released the film on Blu-ray , it really deserves an 4K Ultra HD disc (and Criterion really needs to catch up to other boutique labels and start releasing UHDs). I watched the film on Hulu, so it looked quite nice but the darker scenes suffered, as well as some of the colors, brightness, and details, naturally. I would love to revisit the film in 4K, purely to marvel at the technical facets. The languid pacing and cinematography of POALOF  call to mind  Ingmar Bergman  and  Stanley Kubrick ...

Ghosts V: Together   and  Ghosts VI: Locusts   (both 2020) find  Nine Inch Nails  leaning heavily into the  Brian Eno influence and I'm here for it. Both albums sound more like Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross ' film score work so it puzzles me why these are considered "NIN" albums. Neither sounds anything like the previous Ghosts I-IV  (2008) release either, which is cool, but again, I'm unsure why these pieces were given that moniker. In any event, these two albums were a nice surprise drop and are great ambient soundtracks that compliment various types of activities.

Mayhem  (2017) has an incredibly far-fetched high-concept premise, but it's a fun slice of hyper-violent escapism. As the ID-7 "Red Eye" virus—which removes people's inhibitions and moral integrity—spreads through the office complex where lawyer Derek Cho ( Steven Yeun ) works, it causes the employees to act out their darkest impulses, including murder. Anyone infected by ID-7 is absolved from any acts they commit while under the virus' influence. The office has been put under quarantine by the CDC and a neutralizing agent has been released into the building, which will take eight hours to obliterate ID-7. This also happens to be the day that Derek was wrongfully fired from TSC and refused to sign the severance package he was offered. Teaming up with Melanie Cross ( Samara Weaving ), a client who was rejected a loan extension on her house, they fight their way amidst the chaos to the top floor to enact revenge on the corporation's partners and hopefully rig...

Scream Blacula Scream (1973) is neither a better nor worse film than its predecessor  Blacula (1972) (my review here ). There's no deep characterization nor much added to the lore of the titular antihero, outside of his being resurrected via voodoo (which plays a large role in the film). I must admit, I was hoping for a Bride Of Frankenstein (1935) style fate for Pam Grier , but her presence is nonetheless one of the film's strongest aspects. Another highlight is William Marshall 's proclamation of "The name…is BLACULA!" (I wonder if this influenced  John Carpenter  to write similar dialogue for Kurt Russell in Escape From New York   (1981) (my review here )). While the production values are about the same as the first film,  SBS  has a more tragic tone that seems to be emphasized in particular during the traumatic finale, which Grier really sells, and which gives the film an extra bit of pathos.

As in several Italian Westerns  before it—including Death Rides A Horse (my review here ) and Day Of Anger (my review here ) (both 1967)— The Grand Duel (1972) (aka The Big Showdown ) features an older gunfighter ( Lee Van Cleef ) and a younger protagonist ( Alberto Dentice , as Peter O'Brien, in his only credited film role) who (sort of) team up. TGD was  Giancarlo Santi 's (himself with only three director credits) directorial debut, having cut his teeth as Sergio Leone's assistant director on films such as The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1966) (my review here ), Once Upon A Time In The West  (1968) ( review ) and the aforementioned DRAH . Van Cleef plays Sheriff Clayton, who cleverly captures and arrests Philip Vermeer (Dentice) a prison escapee (serving a sentence for the murder of Ebenezer Saxon, the "Patriarch" of Saxon City, who in turn Wermeer believes killed his father) with a $3,000 reward on his head posted by Saxon's three sons David, Eli ...

Following their trend of combining horror and blaxploitation in  Blacula (1972) ( review ) and Scream Blacula Scream (1973) ( review ), American International Pictures  continued to do so in 1974 with Sugar Hill . It's a fairly basic tale of revenge and the cinematography, editing, and acting are nothing spectacular, but it's a fun film with some cool zombies (with some painful-looking contacts), and Sugar ( Marki Bey ) has sass and class. Plus I got a kick out of Don Pedro Colley  maniacally grinning and laughing throughout as the Haitian Vodou loa Baron Samedi .

On the surface  Keoma (1976)—widely regarded as one of the best "twilight"  Italian Westerns  (the genre had basically run its course)—may not appear to be a standout. There are plenty of familiar elements at play, but it's the way that this film uses the genre’s familiar tropes and bends them just so to create a lyrical and melancholic drama with an almost Shakespearean quality that makes it so memorable. Keoma  is the tale of its titular character ( Franco Nero ), an ex-Union soldier who returns home to find his half-brothers in cahoots with Confederate tyrant Caldwell, who rules the town. Through the use of brilliant flashbacks, the film drops its lead into memories of his past, being tormented by his half-brothers due to his mixed race. As a baby, Keoma was saved by an older woman ("The Witch", who crops up at key moments throughout and may or may not be real) during a Native American massacre. Upon returning home, Keoma himself saves a pregnant woman ( ...

The first time I watched The Limits Of Control (2009), almost six years ago, I wasn't crazy about it. On "Take 2", T LOC still sits almost near the bottom of my Jim Jarmusch film rankings, but I definitely appreciated it more and awarded it an extra half star for its rating. That seems to be a common occurrence for me with some of Jarmusch's films—I connected with both Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) (my review here ) and Broken Flowers  (2005) (my review here ) more upon rewatches. Frequent Jarmusch collaborator  Isaach De Bankolé  plays the lead, a mostly mute and nameless hitman (credited as "The Lone Man") who meets various contacts throughout the running time who give him information that leads to the next part of his mission. In a way each section, much like Jarmusch's Coffee And Cigarettes (2003), could serve as its own short film, given the somewhat non sequitur-like nature of each. TLOC  is by far Jarmusch's most deliberately slow fi...

Horror anthologies tend to be hit or miss. Creepshow  (1982) (my review here ) is probably the most well-known example of one that works and is rightfully considered a classic. Tales From The Hood (1995) follows the same type of formula that audiences are accustomed to when it comes to anthologies (four moralistic stories and a wraparound) but with the unique perspective of a Black writer/director ( Rusty Cundieff ) and an almost entirely Black cast. Cundieff and co-writer Darin Scott  infuse their film with more sociopolitical content than the average anthology, tackling subjects such as police corruption, domestic abuse, institutional racism, and gang violence (all still very topical, unfortunately). There's an emotional weight present here that is again absent from many horror anthologies, but there is also fun to be had and over-the-top effects to be appreciated. As with many anthologies, some of the stories are stronger than others, but TFTH is a film I can see myself...

By virtue of its synopsis alone, Knife + Heart (2018) sets itself apart—a French  giallo about a gay porn producer set in 1979 with a score by M83 . Let that all sink in. You'd be hard-pressed to name more than a handful of other films with that combination of unique elements. Director Yann Gonzalez 's (the brother of M83's primary member Anthony Gonzalez) sophomore feature stars singer/model/actor Vanessa Paradis  as Anne, the producer/director of low budget gay blue movies. Her relationship with her former lover Lois ( Kate Moran )—who edits her films—is what you might call strained, due to Anne's extremely obsessive and inappropriate behavior toward Lois. As members of her regular cast and crew start to get offed by a crazed killer who wears a gimp mask and wields a unique killing weapon (which I won't spoil), Anne eventually sets out on a quest to investigate the mystery with the aid of a clue (a nice tie back to Dario Argento ) given to her by a police off...

Spike Lee 's newest joint is a mixed bag. Da 5 Bloods (2020) is the story of four African-American veterans who return to Vietnam to find the remains of their squad leader who was killed in battle and the fortune in gold that they left hidden behind.  Da 5 Bloods  attempts to comment on many things—racism, war, greed, patriotism, brotherhood—but none satisfyingly. This is partially due to the unfortunate tonal imbalance of the film. There's always humor in Lee's movies but a lot of it falls flat here. Because it's a Spike joint, you know that he's not going to be subtle, but the execution on this one just feels so messy. There are a few dramatic beats that are so shockingly telegraphed and/or poorly edited that it robs them of their emotional weight. And on that editing front, the over 2 and 1/2 hour length of D5B  is really felt—there are plenty of scenes that could have ended a minute sooner than they do. D5B also falls prey to numerous storytelling cliches an...

Liquid Sky   (1982) is a truly bizarre, unique, and highly influential cult film. I first saw it when I was 13 or 14 years old and it left a definite impression. If you love weird, transgressive cinema,  Liquid Sky  delivers one of a kind neon thrills with its blend of amateur acting (including brilliant dual androgynous performances by Anne Carlisle ), early '80s NYC backdrop, Punk/New Wave fashion, a squonky/eerie  Fairlight CMI  score, and experimental style.

Rollerball   (1975) presents a dystopian future (set in 2018) where war no longer exists. In its place a violent sport captivates society, corporations have replaced countries, and the spectacle of Rollerball is used to control the masses by stripping away individuality. One top player, Jonathan E. ( James Caan ) presents a threat to the corporate control by fighting for his personal freedom. Independent thought could lead to revolt and the corporations can't have that so they attempt to convince Jonathan to retire. Rollerball   has an excellent, prophetic premise and great production design and cinematography, yet it still doesn't quite fully deliver as a piece of cinema. Caan mumbles his way through the film in an odd but good performance. It's a pretty slow film outside of the game sequences, which provide some decent action, but nothing mind-blowing. The drama at the center of the film is murky, and the themes and characters are never satisfyingly explored.  Death ...

With The Suspicious Death Of A Minor (1975),  Sergio Martino  and prolific screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi attempt to blend a poliziottesco  (Italian crime film) with a giallo  (murder mystery) but the comedic overtones ultimately undo it. I just couldn't get into this one, despite appreciating the valiant effort by Martino/Gastaldi to create a mashup of genres—they just never gel right and the tone suffers big time. Not to mention that the protagonist is pretty much a creep (picture Dirty Harry but skeevy to boot). I have no issues with unsympathetic leads, even ones that do terrible things, but the comedy elements only serve to undermine the serious ones in the case of this particular film. On top of that, this isn't even a terribly shocking film; it's kind of a snoozer. And while Italian films of the ‘70s and ‘80s were known to borrow liberally (i.e. rip-off) from both American films and their own productions, the theme song for TSDOAM  hews a little too ...

I've long considered Wes Craven 's The Serpent And The Rainbow   (1988) underrated within his filmography. Based on Wade Davis 's non-fiction  book of the same name , TS&TR explores Harvard anthropologist Dennis Alan's ( Bill Pullman ) journey to Haiti in the midst of a revolution to investigate a supposed zombie drug used in Vodou on behalf of a pharmaceutical company. Cathy Tyson , who enchanted audiences two years earlier in Neil Jordan 's Mona Lisa , portrays Dr. Marielle Duchamp, who aids Alan in his quest. Zakes Mokae  plays an exceptional villain as Dargent Peytraud, a brutal commander of the Tonton Macoute , who takes a disliking to Alan's snooping. There is a lot to appreciate here—from the performances ( Paul Winfield and Brent Jennings also turn in memorable supporting roles) to  Brad Fiedel 's score to strong cinematography to incredibly creepy, nightmarish and anxiety-inducing imagery. There are also excellent special effects on displ...

What do you say about the film that basically invented the blockbuster, that made Steven Spielberg  and John Williams household names, that made people afraid to go in the ocean, that was the highest-grossing film of all time (until Star Wars dethroned it two years later)—beloved by millions, the favorite film of many, quoted to this day—that has had every aspect of its production and success written about numerous times? I'll just say that while I do love Jaws (1975) and have continuously enjoyed it, it's not quite the all-timer for me as it is for many. Part of the reason for that I think is that I didn't see the film until my twenties. Had I been exposed to it at a younger age and grown up with it as a child, I could absolutely see it being more impactful. I've also always found it strange how it ends up on pretty much every top "horror" film list. I understand it, to an extent. There's no denying that there are horrific elements but I've neve...