PRIMITIVE SCREWHEADS

Friday Night Movies 1028

Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard 2021 Story by Tom O'Connor, screenplay by Tom O'Connor, Brandon Murphy and Phillip Murphy, directed by Patrick Hughes. Sequel to The Hitman's Bodyguard.

Michael Bryce is seeing a therapist about his loss of license to be a Triple A bodyguard. She tells him he should take a sabbatical from guns and take a vacation. His vacation is interrupted by the arrival of Sonia Kincaid, she's looking for help getting her hubby back from the gangsters who kidnapped him. Now he's involved in the middle of a scheme to destroy Europe's economy with some magical software that turns the power grid into a ticking time bomb. A Greek billionaire who's mad that the EU is leveling sanctions on Greece.

It's a globe trotting shoot 'em up with plenty of laughs and a huge body count. Greg cast in Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L Jackson, Salma Hayek, Antonio Banderas, Morgan Freeman, Richard E Grant, It got poor reviews form the critics and it didn't make enough money. I sure liked it more than they did. I laughed a lot, as did others in the room, and I would want to watch the pair of films again.

Le Magnifique 1973 Written by Philippe de Broca, Francis Veber and Jean-Paul Rappeneau, directed by Philippe de Broca. The film was also called The Man From Acapulco, referring back to de Broca's That Man From Rio from 1964. I think that's the only other film by de Broca I've seen.  

Jean-Paul Belmondo plays a spy novel writer François who's struggling to finish his 43rd book which is due in a few days. His imagine runs wild and he starts putting the people around him in his book. Jacqueline Bisset is his pretty neighbor, she becomes the romantic interest for the spy character. François's mean and sleazy publisher Pierre becomes the Albanian Head of the Secret Service Karpov. François is upset with his plumber and kills him off twice in the book.

The movie jumps between the reality of François life and the fantasy of the action novel. It gets more and more ludicrous as the movie plays out. There's some fun stuff going on and a few good laughs. Not as funny to me as the first movie tonight but I still enjoyed it. I'd watch it again and plan to listen to the Blu-ray commentary track.

Tiger By The Tail 1970

Tiger By The Tail 1970 Written by Charles A Wallace, directed by R G Springsteen. The movie was shot in 1968 but not released until 1970.

Christopher George is Steve, he's a Vietnam war vet who returns to Arizona to make up with his brother Frank. During the robbery of the local race track Frank is killed. Frank was a co-owner of the track and Steve is a suspect as he will inherit the controlling interest in the track.

The viewer knows it wasn't Steve, we saw the robbery, he wasn't there, the villains had an inside man. John Dehner is the Sheriff, he's entertaining, especially when he's talking. He tells Steve that he likes him out on the street investigating. Steve is good investigating, if by investigating you mean stirring shit up. Lucky for Steve he's good at biffin' and boffin', he leaves a trail of bruised men.

Tippi Hedren was Christopher's old girlfriend. There's a bit of romance going on but it doesn't get in the way of the investigating. Steve's got three days to buy out the other owners or they can buy him out. The baddies bump off the inside man and try to put Steve down. You can figure he's going to triumph, it's not that dark of a film. Just greedy men who were bad at their robbing.

The cast is good: Dean Jagger, Charo, Lloyd Bochner, Glenda Farrell, Alan Hale Jr, Skip Homeier, R G Armstrong, Dennis Patrick and one of my favorite character actors Burt Mustin. People who know film and TV of the 1960s would recognize a lot of them.

It was a decent crime film, nothing outstanding about the script. It's not the sort of thing I would buy, I found it on YouTube, link in title, and enjoyed it enough to get to the end. I might watch it again but it wouldn't need to be for a good while.

Friday Night Movies 1027

Alienoid: Return To The Future 2024 Written and directed by Choi Dong-hoon. A Koreaan SF film that is a sequel to Alienoid. 

Pretty much picks up where the last one left off. The aliens have plans to kill off the human race with poison in the present. A group of humans and robots fight to stop that. It jumps around from the present to the past. It's packed with plenty of battles, there's lots of sword fights, explosions, gun fights, noise, leaping about and death. They do save the world.

It was entertaining. I might be interested in watching the pair of movies again but I've no plans to buy the Blu-rays.

The Hitman's Bodyguard 2017 Written by Tom O'Connor and directed by Patrick Hughes. We'd watched the movie back in December 2018, FNM 715.

Ryan Reynold's has to protect Samuel L Jackson from a Belarusian dictator who's on trail at the International Criminal Court. Samuel is the witness who could put him away. It's packed with action, noise, gun fights and plenty of chases.

I enjoyed it all over again. There's a plan to watch the sequel soon.

Enter Arsene Lupin 1944

Enter Arsene Lupin 1944 Based on character created by Maurice Leblanc. screenplay by Bertram Millhauser, directed by Ford Beebe. An American adaptation with Charles Korvan and Ella Raines.

Arsene robs a pretty heiress then helps her out when someone in her family tries to kill her. Arsene is usually a couple of steps ahead of the French policeman Inspector Ganimard, played by J Carrol Naish. 

I thought it was alright, not as good as some of the French adaptations I've seen. I enjoyed it enough to watch it again someday.

Night And The City 1950

Night And The City 1950 Based on the novel of the same name by Gerald Kersh, screenplay by Jo Eisinger with additional uncredited contributions by Austin Depster and William E Watts, directed by Jules Dassin.

Dassin was being being talked about at the US House of Representatives House Un-American Activities Committee while he was directing the film, he wasn't allowed to finish editing the film or supervise the music. The British version has a score by Benjamin Frankel, the 5 min shorter American version has a score by Franz Waxman. Dassin said he feels the US version is closer to his vision. I do like the Waxman score better. After Night And The City Dassin worked in the US for a short while before taking a job in France. He never appeared before the HUAC. He wouldn't return to the US until the 1970s.

I saw one of his later pictures on TV, Topkapi from 1964, without knowing anything about him. It starred Melina Mercouri, whom Dassin later married. I liked the film, it was a rather adult heist film for a 12 or 13 year old. Peter Ustinov won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, his second in four years. I should watch it again sometime. It's been a while since I've seen it.

Richard Widmark plays Harry, an American living in London. He's a schemer, he's got plenty of ideas to make money, he's not good following through. Trouble is Harry's ideas always need a lot of someone else's cash, then they fail. Harry regularly lifts cash from his girlfriend, played by Gene Tierney, he never plays it back. He gets involved with a wrestling scheme and that will be the end of Harry. He's a stupid man who treats people like garbage. He deserves some payback and he gets it. Nice when a film pays off well in the end.

I watched both versions. Besides the different score there are a few scenes trimmed from the British film. It's a good number of short trims. There's a 111 minute version also. Both the 95 min and 100 min versions are in a Criterion Blu-ray set.

I liked the film but hated Harry. He's a weasel that teats people so poorly he deserves his just rewards. There's a good cast and Widmark stands out. He's makes it easy t hate him. The script is good, most everyone is a villain, some deserve their fate. I'd watch it again.

Mr Wong Collection

Mr Wong Collection It's a 2 disc  Blu-ray set with 5 films on two discs. Only the 5 Boris Karloff Mr Wong films are included. Monogram Pictures made 6 Mr Wong films, the 6th, The Phantom Of Chinatown with Keye Luke isn't included. The films look nice.

Mr Wong Detective 1938 Based on the Mr Wong stories by Hugh Wiley, screenplay by Houston Branch, directed by William Nigh.

A man asks Mr Wong to protect him but he's found dead before Mr Wong can act. He was alone in his office and the door was locked from the inside. The police thought he died of a heart attack but Mr Wong finds evidence of poison.

It's a decent who done it. I'd seen it a couple of times and it still holds up for the most part. This is the only movie to have a commentary, not one I can say I care that much about. It's by Tom Weaver and Larry Blamire. Why they keep asking Tom Weaver to comment I don't know? He's often saying he's not that fond of the films he comments on, so why does he take the job.

 

The Mystery Of Mr Wong 1939 Based on the stories of Hugh Wiley, screenplay by Scott Darling, directed by William Nigh.

A gem collector buys the largest star sapphire in the world. It was stolen in China and it's stolen from the collector after he's murdered. The thief was planning to return the gem to China but she gets murdered. It's up to Mr Wong to find the killer and the gem and return it to China.

Mr Wong In Chinatown 1939 Based on the short stories of Hugh Wiley, screenplay by Scott Darling, directed by William Nigh.

A Chinese woman comes to seek help from Mr Wong, she's killed in his house before he can learn much. He learns she was a Princess and the sister of a powerful General in the Chinese Military. She was in the US to buy planes for the Chinese Military. Mr Wong has to find her killer and where the money for the planes went.

The Fatal Hour 1940 Based on short stories by Hugh Wiley, screenplay by Scott Darling, directed by William Nigh.

A dead policemen is found in San Francisco Bay, his captain asks Mr Wong and a reporter to help him find the killer. The dead policeman was working on a smuggling assignment. The trio set out to catch the killer and that leads to a crooked jeweler and his cronies. Before they can catch any of the gang their bodies start turning up dead. It looks like the son of the jeweler did the killing. Mr Wong and his gang suspect a frame and work toward helping the young man.

Doomed To Die 1940 Based on the short stories of Hugh Wiley, screenplay by Michael Jacoby and Ralph Gilbert Bettison, directed by William Nigh.

A shipping magnate is murdered, suspicion falls on the son of a competitor who is engaged to the dead man's daughter. Mr Wong teams up with her to find the real killer. Their investigation leads them to the Chinese Tong and a pile of stolen money.

All these films are mostly about the same quality, there's a fairly solid but simple plot with a bit of murder and a bit of humor. Boris does OK as a Chinese guy, he has slightly Asian features from his Indian mother. He's played Asian's in other movies like The Masque Of Fu Manchu.

The Phantom Of Chinatown 1940 Based on the short stories of Hugh Wiley, screenplay by Ralph Gilbert Bettison, direction by Phil Rosen. It was the first film with an Asian actor playing a lead role.

Dr Benton is giving a lecture on his recent trip to the Mongolian Desert when he's murdered. Dr Benton had asked Mr Wong to be at the lecture. He works with the police to solve the crime.

Another decent film. Sadly, the studio canned the series, the theaters became less interested in the series after Karloff left. They never made anymore films. No matter, they're good enough to watch more than once.

Cry Uncle! 1971

Cry Uncle 1971 Based on the novel Lie A Little, Die A Little by Michael Brett, screenplay by David Odell with additional dialogue by Allen Garfield and John G Avildsen, directed by John G Avildsen. I read 2-3 novels by Brett back in the 80s but never read any others. John Avildsen directed a few movies I saw, Joe, Neighbors, The Karate Kid, Rocky, the only one I rewatch is Neighbors. I can't believe I would need to see the rest of his lot.

Allen Garfield plays private eye Jake Masters. He's a slobby, class lacking sort of guy who's ready to shag any woman that comes near him. He takes a case from a millionaire who's wanted by the police in a murder investigation of a dead cocktail waitress. She'd filmed the millionaire with three prostitutes and blackmailed him for $50,000 to keep it a secret. Now she's dead and millionaire man wants Jake to find the real killer.

Jake has a nephew called Keith for an assistant, they team up with the millionaire's head of security, a woman called Cora. Jake tries to hump her but she's not interested, instead she takes a tumble in the hay with younger fitter Keith. The trio question the prostitutes and all sorts of other sleazy people. Cora shows a violent side and Jake cuts her from the interviews.

Jake gets tied up by a couple of the prostitutes, they run off when their pal gets murdered. Jake gets free and follows one of the prostitutes to a house, he has sex with her while she's passed out face down on a bed. The other prostitute interrupts the action and it's discovered the unconscious woman won't be waking up, there's a bullet hole in her forehead. That Jake's a rapey dirty bastard but he does manage to find the killer. Mostly be accident. He nearly gets killed but the police save him in time by blasting the killer. Home he goes.

It's sort of a funny film but the jokes are weak at best. There's not much plot but there's plenty of nudity and sex. Some might say you see too much of Allen Garfield naked. Some might not want to see that. Some of the actors aren't that good but they do show a lot of skin. The original film company went out of biz and Troma picked up the film for their catalog. It fits well with their company style. Troma head man Lloyd Kaufman has a cameo as a hippy. I found the crappy copy I have on the internet 6 years ago. It'll probably be longer than that before I get back to it. I'm not going to buy the DVD even at 8 bucks.

Gate Of Flesh 1964

Gate Of Flesh 1964 Written by Taijiro Tamura and Goro Tanada, directed by Seijun Suzuki. I hadn't seen this for a while and I had no DVD. I ordered the Criterion disc and enjoyed it the other night. Suzuki is one of my favorite directors, mostly for Tokyo Drifter and Branded To Kill.

The story is set in Tokyo just after WW2 has ended. Japan is in shambles and the US military are in charge. A group of prostitutes band together for mutual protection. They have taken over a bombed out building to live in. They have some rules and punishments for breaking them. They're harsh judges and meet out fierce punishment.

Joe Shishido is a ex-soldier, he's got no job prospects and no place to go. He takes part in a robbery at the US base, it gets him shot in the leg. He hides in the abandoned building the prostitutes are using. They let him stay and that interferes with their lives. He's a bad guy, women fall for him, jealousy breaks rules. No one comes out of that encounter any better.

Tokyo is a dark and dangerous place for the average citizen. Crime is rife, dead bodies turn up, no one cares. The police and US military work to stop black marketeers and thieves. People will double cross you in a heartbeat and turn you in for next to nothing.

Despite it's dark mood it's an entertaining film. I've enjoyed it every viewing. I certainly hope to see it again a time or two more.

The DVD has interviews with Suzuki and art director Takeo Kimura. Both men are interesting but I really liked Kimura's story about building the sets out of salvaged material from the studio lots. The used materials lent a rough look to everything and gave it a stage like look.

Honeymoon Of Terror 1961

Honeymoon Of Terror 1961 Written and directed by Peter Perry Jr. I didn't recognize Peter Perry Jr's name but I have seen another of his films, Cycle Vixens, sadly, I thought it was pretty poor. Honeymoon Of Terror was his second film. I thought it was a fair bit better. It's also known as Ecstasy On Lover's Island.

A newlywed couple drive to Las Vegas for their honeymoon. They see some crappy entertainment and check into a motel. They have to prove they are married by showing the clerk their marriage certificate. It was kind of fun seeing the old casinos from the early 1960s. The couple have their wedding night with some honeymoon gags of the day. They plan the next day to rent a boat and cruise to a nearby deserted island. They set up the tent but discover they forgot fuel for the camping stove. Hubby goes to the nearby town for some while the wife sets up the rest of their camp. Hubby visits with a local where he finds out that a murderous mental case has been seen on the island.

Sure enough the murderous mental case is on the island, hubby races back only to be beaten and knocked out. The wife saves hubby from getting stabbed and leads the baddie on a chase to the edge of the island. Turns out he's afraid of the water. Hubby revives only to find his wife has fought the murderous lout and left him dead in the water.

It's got a bit of comedy in the first half the movie and a bit of terror in the second half. There's a brief bit of nudity as the wife strips off behind a tree and runs into the water, her bottom bare. That's about as naughty as it gets. It's watchable but I doubt I'd get around to it again.

This Man Is News 1938

This Man Is News 1938 Written by Basil Dearden, Roger MacDougall and Allan MacKinnon, directed by David MacDonald.

Alastair Sim is Lochlan Macgregor, the editor of a newspaper, Barry K Barnes plays  reporter Simon Drake, Valerie Hobson is Drake's wife Pat. Drake pranks his editor with a fake murder only to have his joke turn him into the main suspect when the victim turns up dead for real. The police really bear down on Drake after the dead man's son turns up deceased in Drake's apartment. The editor fires and rehires Drake through the movie.

A bit of a screwball comedy, there's plenty of activity and some jokes. Sadly there's not much by way of posters or lobby cards. I liked the film and I am looking for the 1939 sequel This Man In Paris. I'd certainly watch it again despite the poor quality of the copy I saw.