Voodoo Island
Goodness me! It seems like ages again since I was here last. Nothing much to tell...
Our house move to Mitcham is taking longer than we had imagined, we've been given a date for the end of the month for completion. Fingers crossed. I'm getting desperate to leave as it's horrible living here amongst boxes. I'm still buying far too much stuff for the new place, spending hours browsing ebay in the hope of finding something weird. I've been very lucky though and have amassed quite a lot of vintage items. Yesterday I won a hideously kitch lamp full of crabs and shells...
Last Friday I was at the tattooists for four hours, getting my 'voodoo island' theme shaded. It's bloody huge! I'm booked in again for another four hours next month. This tattoo is going to cost me a fortune. Have also seen a ring that I must possess, it's a silver and black ace of spades - going to save up for that.
I've been doing a database for all my DVD's as I'm starting to loose track on what I've got. Last count I had 655 films on DVD. Bloody hell (!) I dread to think how much I've spent. From now on I'm just going to concentrate on getting Italian crime thrillers and giallo's (yeah, right).
Last night we watched the Japanese preview DVD of the new Gamera film ('Gamera: Chiisaki yusha-tachi' Directed by Ryuta Tazaki 2006). It looks really cool but very cute and seems to feature more about the story of a young (orphan?) boy who finds an egg that hatches into a tortoise ('Toto') then grows rapidly into Gamera. There is a new monster however that looks brilliant and certainly kicks Gamera's ass (boo). Can't wait to see the film but it will probably be months (even years) before an English subtitled edition comes out. Actually, that said all the Daiei Gamera DVD releases have them. On the disc there's also a ten minute long trailer for the very expensive box set, comprising all of the giant turtle's films - they do know how to tease!
Anyway here's some we watched earlier:
'Cry-Baby' (Directed by John Waters 1990)
Watched or rather listened to the feature-commentary by John Waters as he's always hilarious. Only saw this at the Prince Charles cinema in Leicester Square last year, so didn't really need to watch it again so soon. Really loved the deleted scenes especially the sleazy photographer (Waters regular Alan Wendl) who kidnaps Wanda Woodward (Traci Lords) and forces her to model in a giant champagne glass in a dingy studio. DVD also has a great featurette "It Came from Baltimore" that includes interviews with cast and crew.
'The Big Racket' ('Il Grande racket' Directed by Enzo G. Castellari 1976)
This was bloody excellent, one of my favourite Fabio Testi films ('Revolver' being my number one). He stars as Inspector Nico Palmieri hell bent on delivering justice to a nasty protection racket terrorising Rome. The gang are disgusting in their cruelty and some of the scenes are really disturbing but you need to see them in order for you to want to see them all dead! The unobtrusive soundtrack from the De Angelis brothers is cool too. No special features on the DVD except a trailer.
'Street Law' ('Il Cittadino si ribella' Directed by Enzo G. Castellari 1974)
Starring Franco Nero as an ordinary guy who gets a vicious beating from some thugs during a bank robbery. He decides to take the law into his own hands when the (rather rubbish) Police drop the case. Barbara Bach stars as his girlfriend but her role is totally wasted. The score, again by the De Angelis brothers is brilliant. DVD has a featurette with Director and Nero.
'Scars Of Dracula' ('Directed by Roy Ward Baker 1970)
Hmm, seen this a few times but never on DVD. It's not one of my favourite Hammer's as it's really missing Peter Cushing, but it does have it's moments and does star Christopher Lee, Patrick Troughton (in a Joan Crawford frightwig) and the gorgeously named Anouska Hempel. Dennis Waterman (who goes in search of his brother, trapped in the Count's castle) looks really out of place and his acting abilities are dubious. That said it was fun to view a Hammer film again as it's been a while...
'Das Indische Tuch' ('The Indian Scarf' Directed by Alfred Vohrer 1963)
Another Edgar Wallace film! Enjoyed this one a lot, it's the familiar story of the death of the head of a rich family and after the reading of the will family members are forced to stay at the ancestral mansion for six days, if they leave they'll forfeit their inheritance. Of course, one by one they are murdered by a killer wearing black gloves and using an Indian scarf (touches of giallo?!). Along the way we're treated to Klaus Kinski as a diabetic artist, a stuffed horse, a killer tarantula and a fabulous if shocking death of the mother (aged but glamorous Elisabeth Flickenschildt). The film has strange comedic touches like Eddi Arent's (the butler) magic hostess trolley that follows him around and a daft conclusion, but that didn't put me off.
'Hercules' ('Le Fatiche di Ercole' Directed by Pietro Francisci 1958)
Seen this a few times before too, but not on DVD. I won a great double feature from Germany (coupled with 'Hercules Unchained') and the picture quality was far superior than I was expecting. The film was a lot more exciting than I remembered too. Is this the film that started the whole 'Sword & Sandal' genre? I think so. Steve Reeves is our hero this time and plays it with 'no nonsense' gusto - going in search of the golden fleece with Jason and the Argonauts while putting right a corrupt Kingdom and falling in love with Princess Iole (Sylva Koscina with lots of red lippy). The hairy ape men are fun, as is the fight Hercules has with a rampaging bull and an angry lion.
Well that's far too much typing for one day. See ya
Our house move to Mitcham is taking longer than we had imagined, we've been given a date for the end of the month for completion. Fingers crossed. I'm getting desperate to leave as it's horrible living here amongst boxes. I'm still buying far too much stuff for the new place, spending hours browsing ebay in the hope of finding something weird. I've been very lucky though and have amassed quite a lot of vintage items. Yesterday I won a hideously kitch lamp full of crabs and shells...
Last Friday I was at the tattooists for four hours, getting my 'voodoo island' theme shaded. It's bloody huge! I'm booked in again for another four hours next month. This tattoo is going to cost me a fortune. Have also seen a ring that I must possess, it's a silver and black ace of spades - going to save up for that.
I've been doing a database for all my DVD's as I'm starting to loose track on what I've got. Last count I had 655 films on DVD. Bloody hell (!) I dread to think how much I've spent. From now on I'm just going to concentrate on getting Italian crime thrillers and giallo's (yeah, right).
Last night we watched the Japanese preview DVD of the new Gamera film ('Gamera: Chiisaki yusha-tachi' Directed by Ryuta Tazaki 2006). It looks really cool but very cute and seems to feature more about the story of a young (orphan?) boy who finds an egg that hatches into a tortoise ('Toto') then grows rapidly into Gamera. There is a new monster however that looks brilliant and certainly kicks Gamera's ass (boo). Can't wait to see the film but it will probably be months (even years) before an English subtitled edition comes out. Actually, that said all the Daiei Gamera DVD releases have them. On the disc there's also a ten minute long trailer for the very expensive box set, comprising all of the giant turtle's films - they do know how to tease!
Anyway here's some we watched earlier:
'Cry-Baby' (Directed by John Waters 1990)
Watched or rather listened to the feature-commentary by John Waters as he's always hilarious. Only saw this at the Prince Charles cinema in Leicester Square last year, so didn't really need to watch it again so soon. Really loved the deleted scenes especially the sleazy photographer (Waters regular Alan Wendl) who kidnaps Wanda Woodward (Traci Lords) and forces her to model in a giant champagne glass in a dingy studio. DVD also has a great featurette "It Came from Baltimore" that includes interviews with cast and crew.
'The Big Racket' ('Il Grande racket' Directed by Enzo G. Castellari 1976)
This was bloody excellent, one of my favourite Fabio Testi films ('Revolver' being my number one). He stars as Inspector Nico Palmieri hell bent on delivering justice to a nasty protection racket terrorising Rome. The gang are disgusting in their cruelty and some of the scenes are really disturbing but you need to see them in order for you to want to see them all dead! The unobtrusive soundtrack from the De Angelis brothers is cool too. No special features on the DVD except a trailer.
'Street Law' ('Il Cittadino si ribella' Directed by Enzo G. Castellari 1974)
Starring Franco Nero as an ordinary guy who gets a vicious beating from some thugs during a bank robbery. He decides to take the law into his own hands when the (rather rubbish) Police drop the case. Barbara Bach stars as his girlfriend but her role is totally wasted. The score, again by the De Angelis brothers is brilliant. DVD has a featurette with Director and Nero.
'Scars Of Dracula' ('Directed by Roy Ward Baker 1970)
Hmm, seen this a few times but never on DVD. It's not one of my favourite Hammer's as it's really missing Peter Cushing, but it does have it's moments and does star Christopher Lee, Patrick Troughton (in a Joan Crawford frightwig) and the gorgeously named Anouska Hempel. Dennis Waterman (who goes in search of his brother, trapped in the Count's castle) looks really out of place and his acting abilities are dubious. That said it was fun to view a Hammer film again as it's been a while...
'Das Indische Tuch' ('The Indian Scarf' Directed by Alfred Vohrer 1963)
Another Edgar Wallace film! Enjoyed this one a lot, it's the familiar story of the death of the head of a rich family and after the reading of the will family members are forced to stay at the ancestral mansion for six days, if they leave they'll forfeit their inheritance. Of course, one by one they are murdered by a killer wearing black gloves and using an Indian scarf (touches of giallo?!). Along the way we're treated to Klaus Kinski as a diabetic artist, a stuffed horse, a killer tarantula and a fabulous if shocking death of the mother (aged but glamorous Elisabeth Flickenschildt). The film has strange comedic touches like Eddi Arent's (the butler) magic hostess trolley that follows him around and a daft conclusion, but that didn't put me off.
'Hercules' ('Le Fatiche di Ercole' Directed by Pietro Francisci 1958)
Seen this a few times before too, but not on DVD. I won a great double feature from Germany (coupled with 'Hercules Unchained') and the picture quality was far superior than I was expecting. The film was a lot more exciting than I remembered too. Is this the film that started the whole 'Sword & Sandal' genre? I think so. Steve Reeves is our hero this time and plays it with 'no nonsense' gusto - going in search of the golden fleece with Jason and the Argonauts while putting right a corrupt Kingdom and falling in love with Princess Iole (Sylva Koscina with lots of red lippy). The hairy ape men are fun, as is the fight Hercules has with a rampaging bull and an angry lion.
Well that's far too much typing for one day. See ya
posted by trainsmash at 9:55 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home