Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943)

Director: Roy William Neill

Genres: Crime | Film-Noir | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Country: USA

Language: English

Release Date: 17 September 1943 (USA) 

During WWII several murders occur at a convalescent home where Dr. Watson has volunteered his services. He summons Holmes for help and the master detective proceeds to solve the crime from a long list of suspects including the owners of the home, the staff and the patients recovering there.

This is one of a good number of solid, interesting mysteries in the series of Sherlock Holmes movies starring Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce. This one takes the basic idea from the Doyle story "The Musgrave Ritual", and combines it rather freely with several other plot elements to create an essentially new mystery. Some of the additions are rather imaginative in themselves, and overall the mystery has the kind of intriguingly offbeat tone that fits well with the famous characters.

The setting has Watson staying in the Musgrave house, which is being used as a convalescent home for army officers, when a series of violent crimes breaks out. The mystery that arises combines suspense with an interesting puzzle that must be solved. The villain in many of the movies in the Universal series is known from the beginning, but this is one of the exceptions, allowing the viewer to try to deduce what is happening from the same clues that Holmes has available.

Rathbone and Bruce always work well together, and Dennis Hoey always adds some good moments whenever he appears as Inspectator Lestrade. Some of the secondary characters, especially some of the recovering officers, are also interesting. Although this, like the rest of the Universal Holmes features, is set in the (then) present, the setting in the old mansion gives it an atmosphere more like the earlier era of the Doyle originals. Anyone who enjoys the other features in the series should not be disappointed by this one.

Sherlock Holmes Faces Death

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Crime, Film-Noir, Films, Mystery, Reviews,

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The Pussycat Ranch (1978)

Director: John Christopher

Genres: Adult | Comedy | Western

Country: USA

Language: English

Also Known As: Pussycat Ranch

The rough life of the western cowboy was dirty in more ways than one. And how better to ease the pains and problems of a round up than at the whoopin'est, hootin'est, whorein'est cathouse in the west - Pussycat Ranch! That's right, an entire layout of voluptuous vixens eager to please their men in every imaginable way. And when the star pussycat of them all, Sweet Polly, gets ahold of Billy The Kid, well, you'll just have to watch it to find out! From haystack to four-poster, at PUSSYCAT RANCH the action never quits!

When this movie was made, there was either no actual Pussycat Ranch or it wasn't well-known...the setting is a working ranch (if a failing one) that is not, when things start, supposed to be a whorehouse.

Chacun à son goût, but I find the women prettier than the usual run, not all of them made that many movies, one sex-scene was a little unusual for its time (there was very little anal sex in American pornography then, and it was typically the province of B-list actresses crying-out in pain), a socially-redeeming warning about moonshine, and in the year of its making it stood-out nicely.

There was good cinematography, a plot, hilariously bad pseudo-attempts at humour, and both terrible but original music and some stolen from the best.

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Adult, Comedy, Films, Reviews, Western,

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Tales of Terror (1962)

Director: Roger Corman

Genres: Comedy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Country: USA

Language: English

Release Date: 17 January 1964 (West Germany)

Three stories adapted from the work of Edgar Allen Poe. A man and his daughter are reunited, but the blame for the death of his wife hangs over them, unresolved. A derelict challenges the local wine-tasting champion to a competition, but finds the man's attention to his wife worthy of more dramatic action. A man dying and in great pain agrees to be hypnotized at the moment of death, with unexpected consequences.

Tales of Terror is a classic anthology of Edgar Allen Poe stories brought to life by Richard Matheson's writing and Roger Corman's directing. It's loaded with genre favorites and Vincent Price stars in all three tales (that right there is enough to make me watch). All three stories are indeed dark or humorous, or both, with The Black Cat being the strongest simply because of the interaction between Price and Peter Lorre. Price really hams it up in the wine tasting scene and I crack up every time. And Lorre is incomparable. This yarn does feature a black cat, but it's more like The Cask of Amontillado actually. The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar is something else that needs to be seen. Basil Rathbone stars in this one and looks remarkably like a beardless Wes Craven. It's uncanny. Let us not forget the first story, Morella. This one is a dark drama and doesn't offer any humor. It's still great though and Price's character here reminds me quite a bit of the one he played in The Pit and the Pendulum (another Corman/Poe production). If you like the other Corman adaptations of Poe, don't miss this one.

Buy:

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Films, Horror, Mystery, Reviews,

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The Mechanic (2011)

Director: Simon West

Genres: Action | Crime | Thriller

Country: USA

Language: English

Release Date: 28 January 2011 (USA)

Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) is a 'mechanic' - an elite assassin with a strict code and unique talent for cleanly eliminating targets. It's a job that requires professional perfection and total detachment, and Bishop is the best in the business. But when his mentor and close friend Harry (Donald Sutherland) is murdered, Bishop is anything but detached. His next assignment is self-imposed - he wants those responsible dead. His mission grows complicated when Harry's son Steve (Ben Foster) approaches him with the same vengeful goal and a determination to learn Bishop's trade. Bishop has always acted alone but he can't turn his back on Harry's son. A methodical hit man takes an impulsive student deep into his world and a deadly partnership is born. But while in pursuit of their ultimate mark, deceptions threaten to surface and those hired to fix problems become problems themselves.

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Action, Crime, Thriller,

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The Crazies (2010)

Director: Breck Eisner
Writers: Scott Kosar (screenplay), Ray Wright (screenplay)
Stars: Radha Mitchell, Timothy Olyphant, Danielle Panabaker
Genres: Horror | Thriller
Country: USA | United Arab Emirates
Language: English
Release Date: 26 February 2010 (USA)
Also Known As: The Crazies
Filming Locations: Cordele, Georgia, USA

As a toxin begins to turn the residents of Ogden Marsh, Iowa into violent psychopaths, sheriff David Dutton tries to make sense of the situation while he, his wife, and two other unaffected townspeople band together in a fight for survival.

A transport plane crashes into the water supply of a small Iowa town. Some of the townfolks become infected and turn crazed killers. Sheriff (Timothy Olyphant), his wife (Radha Mitchell), his deputy (Joe Anderson), and a girl from town (Danielle Panabaker) need to escape not only the crazies, but also the military sent to contain the population.

This is remake of a George A. Romero movie. It's not that complicated. It is a horror movie done classically without the jokey references or overt sexualization. There are no gross out jokes or T&A. It is just simple tense horror done right. The scariest scene has to be the women tied down on the gurneys, and a crazy walks in. If you want simple horror, this is all you need.

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2010, Horror, Thriller,

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Caprona - The Forgotten Land (Blu-Ray)

Caprona - The Forgotten Land is a British-American feature film from 1975. It is based on the novel The Land That Time Forgot by Tarzan inventor Edgar Rice Burroughs. In 1977, the film continued with Caprona - The Return of the Dinosaurs.

On the coast of Scotland a bottle post is found. Its sender tells an incredible story that he experienced himself:

During the First World War, an American ship was sunk by a German submarine. A handful of survivors, including Bowen Tyler and biologist Lisa Clayton, can save themselves on a rowboat and board the submarine. Tyler successfully challenges commander Dietz and captain von Schönfeldt to command of the submarine. Dietz manipulates the compass to drive south to a supply ship. Tyler manages to torpedo the supply ship, but due to the detour, the submarine has only limited supplies.

Since the team reaches an unknown, icy island. Schönfeldt reports that already in the 18th century an Italian navigator had reported on an unknown island in this area, which he called Caprona. Through a river that flows under the rocky island coast into the sea, the submarine crew enters the interior of the island. There she meets prehistoric creatures, such as pterodactyls and a plesiosaur. This immediately falls victim to a member of the crew, but the dinosaur can be made harmless by Tyler.

When exploring the island, the group encounters more primitive animals as well as primitive people, one of whom befriends them. Together with him, the crew continues their island exploration and encounters warlike prehistoric man. She observes a fight between a Tyrannosaurus rex and a Triceratops and encounters two Styrakosaurs. The farther the group comes to the north, the more developed the life forms are. Lisa finally theorizes that this is due to the water of the river.

A horde of ancient humans attacks the group and kidnaps Lisa; The primitive man friend of the islanders comes to death by a pterodactyl. When a volcano erupts, Dietz and von Schönfeldt set off, leaving Lisa and Tyler behind. When they arrive at the shore, the submarine has already left. Distraught, both must watch as the submarine sinks shortly thereafter.

Lisa and Tyler decide to hike north. Tyler throws a bottle post with his experiences on the island into the sea.

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Stripped to Kill (1987)

When Detective Cody Sheehan discovers the body of a stripper from the Rock Bottom dance club, she wants the case. Her partner, Detective Heineman, is equally anxious to make the jump to the prestigious homicide division, but the only way Cody can get the assignment is to go undercover - uncovered - at the club.

I like this movie. It was my first movie that I ever appeared in. I am the guy playing guitar on a bench and get robbed , right before the body gets set on fire. We shot all of that ,that night. The fire scene as well,,,very cool to watch that unfold.Shot at or about 8pm in the park downtown L.A. and was a little bit cold. Greg was less than receptive on the set,,UNLIKE KAY who was very nice and sweet. I also struck up a chat with the script supervisor who was an actress (cant remember her name thou) and she was very nice and good looking. This movie is slow at times but still has depth and a Good plot line. Peace B

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Blade Of The Immortal (Blu-Ray)

Arrow Video is proud to present Blade of the Immortal, the thrilling, action-packed 100th feature from the Japanese master of genre films, Takashi Miike (Audition, 13 Assassins).

Based on the Manga series of the same name by Hiroaki Samura, Blade stars Takuya Kimura (Love and Honour) as Manji, a highly skilled samurai, who becomes cursed with immortality after a legendary battle. Haunted by the brutal murder of his sister, Manji knows that only fighting evil will regain him his soul. He promises to help a young girl named Rin (Hana Sugisaki) avenge her parents, who were killed by a group of master swordsmen led by ruthless warrior Anotsu (Sôta Fukushi). The mission will change Manji in ways he could never imagine...

This blistering samurai film matches impressive performances with an impossibly high body-count and expertly-filmed scenes of combat. Blade is set to become one of its director's most revered films, and is presented here by Arrow Video with a wealth of special features.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
Original 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Optional English subtitles
Takashi Miike on Blade of the Immortal, a new interview with the legendary director filmed exclusively for Arrow Video at the 2017 London Film Festival
Audio commentary by Asian cinema expert Tom Mes
Manji vs. 300, behind the scenes featurette documenting the shooting of the film's thrilling climax
Extensive cast interviews filmed on the set during production
Stills gallery
Original trailers
Reversible sleeve featuring Arrow Films theatrical poster art and original artwork
[FIRST PRESSING ONLY] Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Anton Bitel

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A Knight's Tale (2001)

 

Before his transformative performance in Brokeback Mountain earned him an Oscar nomination, Heath Ledger was primarily known as the dreamboat Australian hunk with a perfect smile and soulful brown eyes. That image sure seems to work with the ladies. My wife still makes it a point to watch 10 Things I Hate About You or A Knight's Tale in full whenever she runs across them on cable, which tends to be at least once a month each. You'd think she might get sick of watching the same two movies over and over again, but no she really doesn't. When I made the mistake of mentioning that Knight's Tale would be released on the Blu-ray format, she insisted that I request a copy for review so that she could fawn over her pretty boy idol in High Definition.

Truth be told, Ledger has always been a good actor with natural leading-man charisma. Even when indulging the Hollywood studios intent on marketing him as a teen heartthrob, the actor chose some better than average starring vehicles. Both 10 Things and Knight's Tale are witty, breezy, light-hearted entertainment. Though I've seen the latter too many times to really appreciate its freshness anymore, it still remains enjoyable despite familiarity. That's a testament to both its stars and writer/director Brian Helgeland, who managed to bring a unique spin to the old sword & armor genre.

In A Knight's Tale, Ledger stars as William Thatcher, squire to a has-been knight we find dead in a ditch as the movie starts. Destitute and starving, William puts on his liege's armor and enters a jousting competition under false identity hoping to win a few pence and eat for the day. Miraculously surviving the event, he determines to train himself and, with the help of his reluctant but cunning friends, crafts the persona of Sir Ulrich von Lichtenstein of Gelderland, soon to be the toast of the festival circuit.

The movie's plot is pure fluff. The hero has to woo the pretty girl and win the big competition, his chances of doing either compromised when his true identity is discovered by a dastardly rival. You can predict every story machination in advance and know how it will end practically as soon as it starts. What makes the movie entertaining is its playfulness. Helgeland has loaded the film with likable characters and clever dialogue. The supporting cast (Mark Addy, Alan Tudyk, Rufus Sewell) are game, and Paul Bettany outright steals the movie as Geoffrey Chaucer (yes, the Chaucer who authored The Canterbury Tales), played as a hapless gambler who becomes Sir Ulrich's scribe (read: forger) and ringside announcer. Historical accuracy is far from anyone's mind here, you can tell. The movie mutilates history for a laugh and throws out a constant stream of amusing anachronisms: crowds at the festival games wear face paint like football fans and chant the lyrics to "We Will Rock You"; classic rock dominates the soundtrack, and a formal ball turns into a Saturday Night Fever dance-off.

Only his second film as director, Helgeland (screenwriter of L.A. Confidential and Mystic River) keeps things moving at a brisk pace, deftly balancing comedy and action. His tournament scenes showcase the sheer brutality of the jousting event, each slam of the lance almost painful to watch. A Knight's Tale is completely frivolous, lightweight entertainment, extremely silly but fun to watch (those who enjoy fart jokes are advised to stick around through the end credits). It could never be mistaken for art, but my wife will certainly testify that it holds up well to repeat viewings.

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Daniel Bryan, WWE,

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Blu-Ray)

I went to see this with high expectations,I thought the last film was ok. It lacked imagination and new ideas but I understand why they went safe. I found this one to be a bit odd,at times almost a parody or spoof with the odd dramatic moment. I hoped they'd have an interesting story arc lined up for rey,fin etc but these characters just don't feel like real people so its hard to sympathise with them like you could with the original characters. Luke was sad,like an old dog that needed putting out his misery. Nice one. Klylo is pretty wet,like a big baby and not scary at all. It looked pretty and the costumes special effects etc were nice but story wise a bit hollow. I just remembered the bit when the space ship was landing and it turned out to be an iron. That sums the film up,makes you think something and the goes no its something kind of dum instead. The first order wouldn't use irons as their advanced technologically but the jokes more important than sense. Why not just make a good story and realistic characters or is that no longer possible.

Synopsis:

The Skywalker saga continues as the heroes of The Force Awakens join the galactic legends in an epic adventure that unlocks new mysteries of the Force.

Bonus Content
Feature:
Audio Commentary
Bonus Disc:
The Director And The Jedi
Balance Of The Force
Scene Breakdowns - Lighting The Spark: Creating The Space Battle
Scene Breakdowns - Snoke And Mirrors
Scene Breakdowns - Showdown On Crait
Andy Serkis Live! (One Night Only)
Deleted Scenes (14)

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Blu-Ray, DVD, Reviews, Sci-Fi,

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Enigma Rosso (Blu-Ray)

When the brutally violated body of a young woman is found wrapped in plastic, Inspector Gianni Di Salvo (Fabio Testi, Contraband, The Four of the Apocalypse) is drawn to dark deeds at an exclusive girls' school where the beautiful members of a group called The Inseparables are being targeted with sinister letters and murder attempts. Following a clue in the dead girl's diary, he soon learns that anyone could be harboring deadly secrets as he untangles this web of sex and homicide. A prime slice of sordid shocks from the golden age of the Italian giallo, this is the final film in the cycle of schoolgirl thrillers following What Have You Done to Solange? and What Have They Done to Your Daughters? with enough delirious twists and turns to keep you guessing all the way to the startling final revelation. Also starring Christine Kaufmann (Town Without Pity, Murders in the Rue Morgue), Ivan Desny (The Marriage of Maria Braun, Who?), Jack Taylor (Pieces, Succubus), and Helga Liné (Horror Express, Nightmare Castle), this wicked chiller is now presented in HD and full widescreen for the very first time.

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Blu-Ray, Reviews, Thriller,

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The House That Dripped Blood (Blu-Ray)

The fans of Amicus movies all have their personal favorites. Some prefer the pulpiness of TALES FROM THE CRYPT or VAULT OF HORROR while others enjoy the cheesiness of TORTURE GARDEN or DR TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS. Then there's the literate approach of HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD and FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE. I love them all and saw every Amicus film that came my way, even the non-anthology ones like AND NOW THE SCREAMING STARTS and I, MONSTER. Most of them I caught in drive-ins. My personal preference is for the low key approach of HOUSE and GRAVE with HOUSE being my favorite Amicus movie although it was a close race between the two.

HOUSE strikes me as a combination of MASTERPIECE THEATER and ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS. It's even based on stories by Robert Bloch (PSYCHO). The film is a remarkably handsome production considering the budgetary limitations of $500,000. It grossed far more than that. The photography is simple and direct, the background lighting is extremely effective, and the performances by old pros at the genre like Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee are uniformly fine. Even an over-the-top Jon Pertwee in a role originally intended for Vincent Price is, forgive the pun, Price-less. As is often the case with anthologies, some stories are better than others with #s 2 & 3 standing out in my opinion.

The film has an interesting background and release history. In addition to the Vincent Price story, the director, Peter Duffell, wanted to call it "Death & the Maiden" after the musical work in the Peter Cushing segment but producer Milton Subotsky came up with the less prosaic title. Ironically, there's no blood in the film at all. It was originally released in the U.S by a small company called Cinerama (no relation to the film process) who quickly went under leaving the film hard to see for many years. The original VHS was a sad affair but the 2003 Lionsgate DVD (the one pictured here) is the one to get. The more recent Hens Tooth DVD has oversaturated colors. If you love old school British horror, this is one of the best.

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Blu-Ray, Horror, Reviews,

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