Informative Entertainment.

I am officially melting. The weather in Finland has been way too hot and as a consequence my brain isn't really working properly.

When it's like this we all need entertainment, and if you can learn something while being amused, all the better.

I've mentioned OverSimplified History before, but that was a while ago. Since then he's made many amazing videos, including five about the first and second Punic Wars. They are as funny as they are amazing and I really hope you take the time to watch them. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go melt some more.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great week!  

 

 

 

 

Targets

On a recommendation and a whim I watched;

Targets (1968).

Unusually for this blog I'm actually going to spoil small parts of this movie, there is simply no other way to talk about it. I won't ruin the ending, so don't worry about that.

Targets has two storylines that merge in the end, but until then, they have nothing to do with each other, which is a slightly unusual setup.

In Storyline A we meet aging horror icon Byron Orlok. He is a veteran of countless old-school Gothic horror movies, but times are changing and he's had enough. His brand of horror feels so bland and silly compared to the real life tragedies he reads about in the paper every day. So after completing his latest movie, he quits. This causes quite a problem, because he has engagements he won't fulfill and the director of his latest movie, Sammy Michaels really wants him for his next movie.

The Orlok character is a clear homage to Boris Karloff, and the kicker is, he's actually played by Boris Karloff! Orlok is however pretty different than the real Karloff who never considered quitting. He loved the movie business. The director, Sammy is played by Peter Bogdanovich, who also directed the entire movie for real.

In Storyline B we meet Bobby Thompson (Tim O'Kelly) a normal wholesome young man. He has a good job in insurance. He's married to a great girl, and they live with his parents in their nice suburban home. He even gets along with his parents and likes to go hunting with his dad. The other side of Bobby is a bit darker. He collects guns and has quite an arsenal most of which he hides in his trunk. We quickly realize something is very wrong with him and before you know it, he embarks on a brutal killing spree, which he himself assumes can end only with his own death.

Bobby is inspired by Charles Whitman, who in 1966 committed the University of Texas shooting. In what was essentially a suicide note, Whitman asked to have his brain autopsied, and it showed he had a large tumor. This explained his sudden tendency to violence, his horrible headaches and the vicious killing spree.

In Targets we get no actual reason for Bobby's behavior, but at one point he complains about a headache, so I think we can guess what the reason is.

Targets is produced by the legendary Roger Corman who was impressed with Bogdanovich and told him he could make any movie he wanted but with two conditions. First, the movie had to contain footage from Corman's The Terror (1963) and he had to use Karloff for two days, since he owed Karloff two days of work. Turns out Karloff had so much fun he stayed on for five days for no extra pay.

So, do I recommend this movie? Yes, I do. Targets is not in my opinion a great movie but it was interesting and pretty suspenseful at times. I do think the two separate storylines confuse the tone of the movie, with the Orlok one being charming and pretty funny, while storyline B is sad and violent. The two parts don't mix well, but the ending works and brings the movie to a satisfying conclusion.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great week!

 

Relentless

I had a whole thing planned for this week, but summer finally arrived and my brain melted, making analytical thinking hard.

So, I decided to save my thoughts until later, and instead continue showcasing great standup comedians who passed too early.

This week I present Bill Hicks, one of the original angry comedians. I hope you enjoy.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great week!  

I Say Nay Nay

Last week I showcased the late Ralphie May, and this week I want to present John Pinette, another great comedian who also passed much too soon.

Unlike Ralphie, John works clean as they say in the business, so no warning today.

But that's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great week!  

 

 

 

Just Correct

This week I want to share the late comedian Ralphie May.

I don't want to ramble too much, but I need to point out that Ralphie was not afraid to go there. He spoke his mind, he joked about everything, even things he shouldn't have been able to get away with, but he did. Mostly I think, because he said what a lot of people are thinking and because even though what he said could be very rude, it was never incorrect. Finally I want to add a content warning. if you like your comedy clean, this is not it! Enjoy at your own risk.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great week! 

Seven Blood-Stained Orchids.

Last night I decided to finally watch:

Seven Blood-Stained Orchids (1972).

When someone makes a movie in a particular genre they have to make a choice whether to color within the lines or to go wild. Veteran director Umberto Lenzi stays within the lines in this Giallo, but that is not a bad thing.

We get the bog standard Giallo killer, complete with trench coat, hat and leather gloves, all in black of course. The killer is on a murdering spree against a specific group of women, and since the police are as useless as always in these movies, it is up to fashion designer Mario Gerosa (Antonio Sabato) to solve the mystery. In typical Giallo fashion, Mario hunts the killer alone and unarmed, as they always do for some reason. I mean, at least carry a pocket knife?

I have seen a handful of Lenzi's movies and they have ranged from quite good to pretty awful, so it was with some hesitation that I gave Seven Blood-Stained Orchids a go, but luckily this is one of the good ones. Most of the actors are veterans as well, many were familiar faces from Italian cinema, and it never hurts to work with seasoned professionals.

The sound was actually good. A lot of the music is the standard jazz of the era, but when the killer is on the prowl, it is genuinely pretty creepy. The cinematography is nothing special, but like with most things concerning this movie, it is good enough.

The standout in Seven Blood-Stained Orchids is the main plot. It is a good investigative mystery, and it doesn't cheat. On top of that, the mystery genuinely drew me in, I had to know what was happening. The clues are interesting and Mario is a good and clever main hero. I didn't know Italian fashion designers had detective training, but in Mario's case, he clearly does.

The killer is smart, daring and ruthless, even intentionally cruel at times. Killing isn't enough, the victims need to feel fear first, which heightens the tension for the viewer. I wasn't able to solve the mystery until Mario does, but that's okay, I like it when I can figure it out, but it's not necessary.

There is some nudity in Seven Blood-Stained Orchids, but nothing too sleazy, all the nudity makes perfect sense. Most kills are half off camera, but there are a couple that aren't and one in particular is very gruesome, so be warned. Then again, if you are interested in Gialli, this kind of stuff probably won't bother you too much anyway.

So, do I recommend this movie? Yes, without a doubt. There are a few Gialli that I'd rank as good beginner movies and Seven Blood-Stained Orchids is one of them. It's nowhere near one of the best, but because Lenzi chose to color within the lines, he made a stylish and solid Giallo. Well worth seeing.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great week!

 

Nine Guests for a Crime

I've been wanting to get back to the Giallo genre for a while, so yesterday I watched:

Nine Guests for a Crime (1977).

The plot is simple. We begin by witnessing a group of men brutally gunning down a young man and burying him on a beach. Then we meet a family sailing to a villa on an island. The patriarch, the wealthy Uberto, and his young wife Giulia. There are Uberto's three children; Lorenzo, Michele and Patrizia, and their spouses; Greta, Carla and Walter. The ninth member of the party is Uberto's sister Elisabetta.

We learn instantly that there is bad blood between Lorenzo and Michele, their relationship has been troubled since childhood. Patrizia has visions and everyone thinks she's crazy. On top of everything else, everyone is sleeping with everyone else, sending the tension up through the roof. There is so much hate, bitterness and resentment in the party that it is a miracle they are capable of even looking at each other. Soon enough a mysterious killer starts picking them off one by one in the usual Giallo fashion.

Nine Guests for a Crime (great title by the way) has a lot in common with Five Dolls for an August Moon (1970), with a similar luxurious house on an isolated island and a mysterious killer on the loose. Nine Guests is however a more solid movie than Dolls, even though it lacks Mario Bava's elegant touch.

Nine Guests is directed by Ferdinando Baldi, a veteran director and I think that experience shows in a good way. The actors are likewise an experienced bunch, I have no complaints. The music is fine for what it is and there are some, but not many, fantastic camera shots.

The biggest problem is the dialogue. Like every other Italian movie of the time, it was dubbed in post, but I don't know why it is so mismatched with what is going on. At one point one of the women is drowning, but she is known for her practical and tasteless jokes so no one is too alarmed at first. Uberto realizes she's actually in trouble and snarls at his sons “Don't just stand there, go help her”, to which the reply is: “Yeah, you're right”, in the most laconic tone of voice. It's like Uberto had said “No, you're wrong, we had pizza on Tuesday, not Monday”, and the answer is “Yeah, you're right”. Same tone of voice. There are several instances of this weirdly mismatched tone, but to be honest that is my biggest and essentially only complaint.

So, do I recommend this movie? Yes, absolutely. For being a low budget Giallo, Nine Guests for a Crime is smartly written and well put together. It doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, and they respect the viewer enough not to cheat, even though there are a couple of minor details I'd have liked to have been given. I think Nine Guests is a good beginner Giallo if you are a bit on the sensitive side. There is nothing straight up sleazy going on and the murders are pretty, but not completely, bloodless. I'd say it goes closer to a “normal” thriller than most Gialli, but it is still and unmistakable member of the Giallo Family. I had a really good time, and I think you might as well.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great week!