093 - A fistful of dynamite

Synopsis: A Mexican bandit and an Irish terrorist find themselves involved with the revolution

Director: Sergio Leone

Actors: Rod Steiger, James Coburn, Romolo Valli

Date: 1971

How viewed: Lovefilm

Rating: 2/5

David Meyer says:
Leone opts for a light opera of noise and laughter, featuring his usual slapstick violence, goopy sentimentality, outrageous humour, and atrocious dubbing. 

I say:

Blimey, this is a real dog's dinner of a film - a family of Mexican bandits (headed by Rod Steiger - completely mis-cast - with little idea of what a Mexican accent is) join forces with an Irish Terrorist on the run (James Coburn - even more totally mis-cast - with no idea at all of what an Irish accent is)  with the aim of robbing a bank - only to find themselves caught up in the middle of a Mexican revolution (Pancho Villa, Zapata, et al). For an 'action' movie, the film is soooooooo slow, with lots of long close-ups of the protagonists faces, and (most of the time) a completely inappropriate soundtrack. The only saving graces are a couple of explosions / crashes - and a short period when they are in the bank releasing prisoners when the soundtrack suddenly kicks in in full force. The film is composed of numerous set scenes - but it's like every other chapter is omitted - suddenly we're in a different location with no idea why or what's gone on since the last episode. Surprisingly disappointing. 

092 Gates of Heaven

Synopsis: Documentary about pet cemeteries

Director: Errol Morris

Actors: n/a

Date: 1978

How viewed: Lovefilm

Rating: 2/5

David Meyer says:
A quirky film, slow, hilarious and rewarding

I say:

Again (see 078 Vernon. Florida) I benefitted from the introduction by Nick Broomfield who likened this film (ostensibly about pet cemeteries) as an insight to the American dream. The film falls into 3 sections - the first regarding the ultimate failure of one cemetery (despite the best intentions of the owner), and the 3rd regarding the (relative) success of another - the one (I think) where the pets were re-buried after the failure of the first - but the most haunting section is in the middle where one woman sits in her doorway and talks about her life - in fact of course all of the interviewees (who talk directly to the camera - you never see or hear Errol Morris's voice or know what questions were asked) talk about their lives rather than the subject in hand (pet cemeteries). All the interviewees are extraordinary and reveal so much - but it's hard just watching endless monologues (I fell asleep at one point). Here's the middle section - just enjoy that - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P1pTey4rpI

091 - Beyond the valley of the dolls

Synopsis: Parody on the evils of the the 60's Hollywood rock scene

Director: Russ Meyer

Actors: Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Michael Blodgett

Date: 1970

How viewed: Found on Archive.org

Rating: 2/5

David Meyer says:

When the realisation strikes that no movie could be this moronic on purpose, the sophisticated viewer will discover a knowing lampoon of the Hollywood party scene and the latter days of hippie excess.

I say:

The film follows the progress of the 3 girls in a rock band, who venture to LA to find fame and fortune - which they sort of do, and it all goes along fairly predictably, with endless parties, evolving relationships, psychedelic colours, sex and drugs - and the eventual redemption for the pure of heart - BUT the film goes completely off the rails when one of the main characters suddenly goes on a gory killing spree - and there's a bizarre epilogue preaching the dangers of sex drugs and rock 'n' roll. In many ways its a confusing film - Meyer is quoted as saying his intention 'was for the film to simultaneously be a satire, a serious melodrama, a rock musical, a comedy, a violent exploitation picture, a skin flick and a moralistic expose' - and it certainly comes across as a bit of a mess! However, it was actually better than I was expecting - so bad it was good (though good is a relative term). Much of the music is OK, there's a brilliant fast-scene shot when the girls first go to LA, and Dolly Read was eminently watchable. 

090 - Dogs of War

Synopsis: Mercenaries overthrow West African dictator

Director: John Irvin

Actors: Christopher Walken, Tom Berenger, Jobeth Williams, Colin Blakely

Date: 1980

How viewed: Lovefilm

Rating: 3/5

David Meyer says:
An intelligent, hard-boiled, unapologetic war movie, based on an unapologetic best-seller [by Frederick Forsyth]

I say:

Well, this is certainly better than I expected it to be. Despite an all-action first 5 minutes, with the gang of mercenaries forcing their way onto the last plane out of some war zone, the film follows Christopher Walken apparently settling back into life in San Fransisco. However, he's soon tracked down by a guy who wants to invest in some West African state, but needs the current dictator out of the way. Walker initially goes on a reconnaissance mission (the best bit of the film), and then is persuaded (for a bucket load of money) to reform his gang of mercenaries, go back, and take out the dictator - which they do, of course, in the final 15 minutes. So, there's actually not much violence, rather there a lot about getting the necessary weapons, getting them across borders, and planning the attack. Interestingly there's no subtitles - so when people speak French, or Italian or Fanti (??) there's a real sense of not quite knowing whats going on. What else to report?  Walken looks proper scary all the way through the film, but that's a given! Slightly bizarre to see Kenny Ireland and Jim Broadbent in very minor roles (as cameraman/soundman) trying to make a documentary about the goings on in the West African state! 

089 - Out of the Past

Synopsis: Classic 1940's film noir

Director: Jacques Tourneur

Actors: Robert Mitchum, Kirk Douglas, Jane Greer, Rhonda Fleming

Date: 1947

How viewed: Lovefilm

Rating: 4/5

David Meyer says: 
Director Tourneur's sense of hopelessness and existential dread find expression in a desolate compendium of noir characteristics: violence, sexual obsession, alienation, betrayal, and (justified) paranoia, all presented in eerie, shadow-laden lighting, and dreamlike camera work.

I say:

Blimey, this is such a convoluted story - it starts out OK (in flashback) private detective (Mitchum) hired (by Douglas) to track down missing girlfriend (Greer), finds her, falls for her, they run off together, but are found and she disappears. Years later the guy who hired him contacts him again. His girl has returned to him, and he wants Mitchum to retrieve some documents that show he (Douglas) has been avoiding tax. it's a set-up of course (to revenge the fact that Mitchum and Greer ran off together), but from then on everyone is betraying everyone and eventually everyone gets their comeuppance (i guess). Some of the reviews reckon that this is THE classic noir film with the classic femme fatale (Greer), and that the confused storyline doesn't matter (and is par for the course for noir), and maybe I just haven't seen enough of the genre to judge, but it certainly is enjoyable. Interesting to see a relatively early Robert Mitchum film - one sort of thinks of him as old and grizzled - but here he's younger (30) but you can already see the classic traits. Jane Greer is extraordinary as well - wildly switching from innocent girl to cold blooded killer. And there's some great dialogue - Mitchum saying 'If I'm going to die, I want to be the last'. A couple of points about the review in Robert Meyer's book (the first time I've noticed glitches) - he calls Mitchum's character a hoodlum (no, he's a private detective), and also lists Jack Elam as one of the starts (but he's not in the film at all), sadly, because Jack Elam is one of my all time favourite actors - and here's a photo, just to make up (or compound!) for the error.  

088 - Rockers

Synopsis: Rasta buys motor bike, has it stolen, gets it back.

Director: Theodoros Bafaloukos

Actors: Leroy Wallace, Richard Hall, Monica Craig, Gregory Isaacs

Date: 1979

How viewed: Lovefilm

Rating: 2/5

David Meyer says:
For such a live-action cartoon, Bafaloukos provides a mature level of social realism. 

I say:

This comes across more as a series of reggae music videos than a joined up film, and apparently, for those who know about these things, most of the top reggae artists at the time crop up somewhere along the way. Anyway, the flimsy storyline is that the top reggae drummer (Horsemouth) decides to go into record distribution, borrows money, buys a motor bike, the bike gets stolen, but through a girlfriend, finds out that the local gangster has it with tons of other stolen loot in his warehouse. There then follows a nice twist where Horsemouth and his mates rob the gangster's house and the warehouse and leave everything out in the streets for the locals to help themselves. That's about it - the guys all strut about (they have a strange way of walking), dress in their finery, smoke tons of dope, everyone knows everyone, and half the film seems to be taken up with meeting friends and slapping hands, and it's just all taken at such a slow pace (maybe that's simply how it is in Kingston Jamaica!!) What else? I usually watch most films with the subtitles turned on, but was a little concerned that that wasn't an option - but it's because the film already has subtitles - the patois is so strong it's impossible to the untrained ear to pick it up - but sometimes even the subtitles need interpretation!  

087 - At close range

Synopsis: Adolescent gets drawn into crime, and even the love of a good woman can't save him

Director: James Foley

Actors: Sean Penn, Christopher Walken, Mary Stuart Masterson

Date: 1985

How viewed: Lovefilm

Rating: 2/5

David Meyer says:
He [Foley] shows the frustrations such a modern pastoral life produces and the violence that can provide the only relief

I say:

Another true story, of a dysfunctional family in rural Pennsylvania. Brad Jr (Penn) is drifting through his adolescence when his father (Walken) turns up, and Brad Jr is seduced by his money and fast cars. He joins his father's tractor stealing (that's what you do in rural Pennsylvania!!) gang, but after a while it goes pear-shaped and a lot of people end up dead. It's pretty predictable stuff (though somewhat scary given that it actually happened), and it's difficult to have much sympathy with Penn (perhaps there's not enough back-story). Walken, as always, even at this stage of his career, is charmingly terrifying (even with bizarre hair and a moustache!), and the cast includes Tracey Walter (about as different from his character in Repo Man (one of my favourite films) as is possible), and Keifer Sutherland (who I hadn't noticed until the last couple of minutes) who, when you see him, makes you suddenly think 'blimey what's Jack Bauer doing there???'