A Russian In Mexico

On Halloween night I figured a non-horror film was in order!



Sergei Eisenstein - Mexican Fantasy (1930-1984)

In 1930 the great Russian filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein arrived in the US. He gave several college lectures and then headed to Hollywood hoping to make a film for Paramount Studios. After a film adaptation of Dreiser’s “An American Tragedy” was scraped and several original films rejected the director probably realized this was not the place for him.

However at the urging of his friend, artist Diego Rivera and fellow filmmaker Robert Flaherty he went to Mexico to begin work on QUE VIVA MEXICO which would encompass not only the modern country and it’s people but it’s entire history. Author Upton Sinclair put up the financing. Eisenstein shot around 100,000 feet of film and had nearly completed the project when Sinclair pulled out. To top it off Stalin called him back to Russia (the dictator was afraid the director might defect). Although the film was suppose to go back with him to Moscow somehow it didn’t and Eisenstein never saw the footage again.

Fortunately the footage survived and was edited together by director Oleg Kovalov into SERGEI EISENSTEIN MEKSILKANSKAYA FANTASIYA (Mexican Fantasy). Kovalova worked from written directions left behind by Eisenstein. He might not have gotten the entire original intent of story correct but it doesn’t really matter too much given the brilliance of what was shot! The footage is beautiful and amazingly photographed. It might remind you a little of Orson Welles’ IT’S ALL TRUE (which like this film was thought lost and then assembled years after Welles’ death). It uses a new soundtrack and sound effects (I think). 

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Wrestlers Or Rock Stars?

THE MARINE-2006-You would have thought after the debacle of NO HOLDS BARRED in the ‘80’s dirt bag wrestling owner Vince McMahon Jr. would have learned his lesson about making movies. But of course being the self-centered bastard that he is, Junior decided the time was right to try it again. Too bad for us all!

All he could come up with was a cheap Swartzenegger rip-off starring the guy, John Cena who at the time happened to be the champion of McMoron’s wrestling promotion. Every cliché’ in the book is thrown in. Explosions abound. It’s the kind of action flick that gives CGI a bad name. Robert Patrick is the bad guy who kills a lot of people (there’s even a TERMINATOR in joke). Director John Bonito had previously done work for wrestling on TV. Hopefully we will never hear from him again. Chuck this shit and go watch John Woo’s HARDBOILED!



TWO LANE BLACKTOP-1971-A duo drag race their way around the USA. James Taylor is The Driver and Dennis Wilson is The Mechanic. Both need acting lessons. Warren Oates is GTO another driver who challenges them to a race in Washington DC. Laurie Bird is The Girl. Harry Dean Stanton appears as a gay hitchhiker. Everyone walks around a lot and works on their cars. Sometimes they talk. Cult Director Monte Hellman made this between THE SHOOTING and COCKFIGHTER (which also featured Oates & Bird). They didn’t seem to know how to end the movie so the final scene has the film burn away. Some have said this is the ultimate road movie. I say it’s pretty boring…



GREENDALE-(2003)-A few years ago it seemed like every actor or actress would direct at least one movie in his or her lifetime. Fortunately that “trend” has kind of abated. Still egotistic nobodies like Vincent Gallo make their own movies and actually get them released so why can’t a rock and roll icon like Neil Young?

Of course this isn’t his first attempt. He directed several of his own concert films (like RUST NEVER SLEEPS) and one very bizarre “real” movie called HUMAN HIGHWAY. This is totally different from anything he has done before and in fact it’s totally different from most other films too! It’s kind of a rock opera/musical/parable, which besides writing the music he also produced and directed (under his usual pseudonym “Bernard Shakey”). It’s filmed in grainy Super 8 except for some excellent CNN like news reports. The central characters are The Green Family including their hippie father, his two sons (one a painter, one a cop killer) and his environmentalist granddaughter. There’s no dialogue. The characters only mouth Young’s lyrics at certain points in his songs. The story involves topics that usually pop up in Young’s songs: saving the environment, not trusting the government and manipulation by the media. It’s kind of experimental I guess but not all that interesting, mainly because (much like Frank Zappa’s 200 MOTELS) with the exception of two songs (“Bandit” and “Be The Rain”) the music isn’t up to Young usual standards. The director appears briefly as Wayne Newton…

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More Stuff

RUNNING OUT OF TIME-1999-A dying criminal (Cantonese pop star Andy Lau) involves a cop (Ching Wan Lau) in a game of cat and mouse intent on getting revenge for his father against an organized crime syndicate. A little routine but still pretty good mainly thanks to the two leads. Director Johnny To (THE MISSION, HEROIC TRIO 2) made a sequel in 2001 featuring Wan’s character.



LEGEND OF THE DRUNKEN TIGER-1992-In the late 1890’s China, a fighter gets deadlier the more he drinks."The Drunken Fighter" legend has been done in many Kung-Fu dramas. The dubbing is bad but the fights are very good. Things get out of control when everyone joins together to battle foreign invaders (The US, Great Britain, Japan) but it’s still enjoyable. Director Robert Tai also made MAFIA VS. NINJA and FIST OF LEGEND 2.




ESCAFLOWNE-(2000)-This is a feature version of the popular Japanese TV anime. It’s actually more of a retelling with much darker overtones. Hitomi, an average high school student is transported to the fantasy world of Gaea where she helps survivors of “The Black Dragon” prepare for the final battle to save their world. There’s the usual love story, a lot of action but not much story. Still the animation is excellent as well as the music.

"You cannot live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you"-John Wooden

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Night Fright!

NIGHT FRIGHT-1967-This made in Texas atrocity seems to feature scenes with a monster as an afterthought. It’s very very talky and way too dark. A very skinny John Agar stars as a small town sheriff battling a killer mutant monster that came out of a secret government rocket crash. A lot of local teens (all very bad actors) are terrorized and Agar’s character almost loses it when one of them calls him “fuzz” (“Listen, punk. Don’t call me fuzz”).

The grumbling monster looks like a man in an ape suit except for the head, which is very shiny and plastic looking and resembles a Klingon! An elaborate plan to capture the creature is mostly characters just sitting around waiting! Though the monster is suppose to be big and noisy victims don’t really notice him until he’s right on top of them! Larry Buchanan regular Bill Thurman plays Agar’s deputy who gets killed (Agar had been in 2 Buchanan outings himself). Screenwriter Russ Marker (who also has a role) had made THE YESTERDAY MACHINE but this is 10 times worst. Nothing happens! But what can you expect from a director (James A. Sullivan) who edited MANOS –HANDS OF FATE!!

The same year Agar had a small role in Corman’s THE ST. VALENTINE’S DAY MASSACRE. It stinks but I wonder it if Dean R. Koontz saw this before writing “Watchers"?

One of the young people is played Brenda Venus who went on to write a column for Playboy magazine and was "the muse" to author Henry Miller in the last years of his life. His letters to her were collected into a book titled "Dear, Dear Brenda". 

Final note: The script supervisor on NIGHT FRIGHT was Annabelle Weenick from DON’T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT and Larry Buchanan movies....

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Ring Around The Ring

THE RING (2002) is based on a wildly popular 1998 Japanese film entitled RINGU. Ideally it would be better to view the original first then watch the American version, which as US remakes go (especially concerning horror films) isn't too bad. The basic plot of a video that kills people after they watch it is still left intact but some parts are a little over done. The "killer video" itself is quite different from the original but all in all I'd recommend it to viewers who aren't expecting all that much. They may be surprised.

It's good to see English actor Brian Cox (the original Hannibal Lechter) essaying another odd ball (but awesome) role.

Director Gore Verbinski went on to do the Disney theme park based blockbuster PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN. THE RING 2 (see below)) by another director also starred Naomi Watts. The Japanese version spawned several off shoots and a TV series!



THE RING-2-2005-This disapointing sequel has it's moments but overall is drawn out and pointless. The dead girl on film from the original returns to possess Naomi Watts' son. LAND OF THE DEAD's Simon Baker tries to help but winds up with a distorted face. Elizabeth Perkins, Gary Cole and Sissy Spacek all have small roles. Considering Hideo Nakata who directed the original RINGU and RINGU 2 made this it should have been better.

For more bizarre Japanese horror check out AUDITION, GHOST ACTRESS and ANOTHER HEAVEN.

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3 More!

THE FALLEN ONES-2005-Saw this weird movie on the Sci-Fi Channel. A giant mummy, the offspring of a fallen angel and a human woman is discovered in the desert. His “father” returns to start trouble by making a new giant out of human bodies! Little mummies appear too and a Rabbi is played rather stereotypically by Tom Bosley! Casper Van Dien stars along with Robert Wagner, Kristin Miller, Geoffrey Lewis and Carel Struycken who gets killed in the first scene. It’s pretty silly and unintentionally funny and of course was edited for TV.





PUNK ATTITUDE-2005-This is an excellent documentary that provides a great overview into the origins of the punk scene both in The US and UK. Through numerous interviews it explores punk’s beginnings, influences and it’s legacy. Among those interviewed are: Mick Jones, Wayne Kramer, David Johanson, Tommy Ramone, Capt. Sensible, Arri Up, Siouxsie Sioux, Chrissie Hynde, Jello Biafra and others. Henry Rollins, Thruston Moore, Jim Jarmusch also offer their own insight. It goes on to cover the scene in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s but how come no mention of “Operation Ivy”?

Director Don Letts was a former DJ who made the crude but excellent time capsule PUNK ROCK MOVIE in 1978. He later directed a few music videos and was a member of the first version of Mick Jones’ “Big Audio Dynamite”. He directed several other documentaries about The Clash including WESTWAY TO THE WORLD in 2000.



PLAIN JANE TO THE RESCUE-1982-Hong Kong comedy about a nerdy woman named Jenny (“Josephine” Siao Fong Fong, also one of the producers) who has trouble holding a job. She is eventually hired by the evil owner of Z-Corp, a large conglomerate. He wants Jenny to teach his father some manners. He feels his old man is an embarrassment. She also discovers a plot against the old man’s life. Her childhood sweetheart, the very timid Fang (Ricky Hui) helps her rescue him. There is a lot of slapstick and outrageous comedy scenes but some of them go on too long. Director John Woo made this a couple of years before his most well-known action films (he made A BETTER TOMORROW in 1986). It’s based on a character Siao became famous for on TV. She later played Jet Li’s mother in THE LEGEND l & 2.

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Low budget Crime

GANGSTER STORY-1960-This very cheap crime drama is about an escaped bank robber and cop killer named Frank Martin (Walter Matthau who also directed). After he stages a strange bank hold up (partially involving making 3 policemen think he’s shooting a movie!) he meets a librarian (Carol Logan, the future Mrs. Matthau) and goes to work at her home. Meanwhile a mob boss wants Martin to work for him and sends some of “his boys” to get him. One of the mob thugs is played by Gerrett Wallberg who later changed his name to Gary Walberg and became a familiar TV actor. Another familiar TV actor Vic Tayback has an un-billed role as a cop in a funny scene involving a fat guy and the stealing of a safe. Everything in this movie is fairly improbable and moves pretty fast. Matthau would win a Tony award the following year and an Oscar in 1966 (for THE FORTUNE COOKIE) and become a star but he would never direct again. Radley Metzger was the editor.

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