Home For The Holidays!

OK, I get it, you’ve celebrated the holidays – relatives visiting, with wonderful meals, gifts and conversation…day after day after day – and now you just need to be alone. But guess what?

THE RELATIVES JUST WON’T LEAVE!

Sure, this Jimmy Kimmel party LOOKS fun, but even these partygoers left at some point! I know there are traditions and all, but you can’t just keep entertaining…enough is enough! It won’t work if you put on a classic holiday film like this:

Who would leave before finding out if he was going to “shoot your eye out with that thing?” But what if, instead of “A Christmas Story”, you decided to screen THIS MOVIE:

How fast do you think this film would clear the room? I’ve got just what you need to send the relatives back to Fresno where they belong? What’s my secret?

Well, it all begins with “scum!” I mean, to clear a room, you’ve got to put on a really bad film. How bad? REALLY BAD! How do you define awful? Is it fair to consider a movie “bad” just because it looks like THIS?

There is a “special” kind of film that not only offends, but actively drives your guests away…and this could be the “Citizen Kane” of awful…

“They Mangle The Beautiful Into The Mutilated!”

That is just one of the great taglines on the poster for “The Ghastly Ones”…sounds like a great horror film, right? RIGHT? So, when Uncle Ed or Aunt Millie refuse to take the hint that your holiday party is over, offer to put a film on, load up your DVD with one of these films, and you are on your way!

Let’s look at “Blood Feast” – which is considered “The Godfather Of Grime”! A more shocking way to end a holiday I can’t think of!

A great exploitation movie offers up a certain number of guaranteed elements: plenty of blood, gore, nudity and sexual situations – all presented as cheaply and garishly as possible!

“Nothing So Appalling In The Annals Of Horror!”

Talk about truth in advertising! This film IS appalling – in how it is made! But I’m having a bit of fun here, because this is considered “The Godfather Of Grime”! In 1964, this film SHOCKED the world with its depiction of bloody violence and sex – take a look at the classic trailer:

Yep, I call this the “Godfather Of Grime” – the first time anyone dared to film such mayhem and madness – the work of legendary Exploitation Director Herschell Gordan Lewis! Flaunting all movie codes, Lewis made “Blood Feast” for around $50,000 – and it grossed millions! Yes, it’s a lousy movie, but it really blew the doors off grindhouse theaters across the country!

The plot is simple: A crazy Egyptian caterer named “Ramses” collects body parts from young maidens in order to bring Ishtar, an ancient goddess of good and evil back to life. And he does it with VERY BIG EYES!

This film was a shocking sensation, thanks to some very clever marketing. Legendary Grindhouse Producer David F. Friedman came up with some very effective publicity stunts for “Blood Feast” which included giving theater goers vomit bags reading:

“You may need this when you see ‘Blood Feast’”!

Lewis went on to make another classic exploitation film:

“Gruesomely Stained In Blood Color!”

While Lewis kept piling on the blood, Producer Friedman kept to the bedroom to uncover America’s sordid sex secrets:

“DEPRAVED! DEMENTED! LOATHSOME! NAMELESS! SHAMELESS! THESE ARE THE:”

“Hell is their only address!”

Trust me when I tell you that there is A LOT of sleazy stuff on display here, all presented a a cautionary tale! Friedman was the master at it. To read more about this amazingly prolific Exploitation Producer, click on the whole story HERE:

http://johnrieber.com/2013/02/27/nudie-cuties-a-swallow-of-brine-the-defilers-meet-the-producer-of-scum/

And don’t miss Friedman’s classic:

“Everything They Touch Is Stained!”

Herschell Gordon Lewis directed “Blood Feast”, and he also loved to exploit sex…starting with early “nudie cuties” – education films that offered the only legal way to show nudity in movies, by offering an “educational” angle to the nudity…like his take on “nudist camps!”

After that success, Lewis decided to shock American instead…

The phenomenal success of “Blood Feast” inspired the Director – he also directed the classic “2000 Maniacs” and “Color Me Blood Red!”

“Drenched In Crimson Color!”

These are classic of the genre – and all of them are pretty awful!

It’s enough to give you a splitting headache!

How was that for a segue? Don’t worry, it all makes sense, as we now venture into the world of arguably the world’s WORST film maker! And don’t worry, it’s presented:

“In Cranium-Cleaving Color!”

How can you resist a movie that offers this tagline?

The Ghastly Ones!

I love classic grindhouse poster art – always offering sex, violence, SHOCKS BEYOND BELIEF! – “c’mon in suckers, the water’s fine!”

Check out the “Doctor’s Warning” on the poster – a classic “come on” for the suckers at that time…love it! Now, back to why we are here: “The Ghastly Ones” is one of the world’s WORST exploitation films ever made! Check out this legendarily bad trailer!

Here is the plot: Three married couples spend the night in a Victorian-era house where they start getting killed off by a deranged psycho who’s bent on claiming an inheritance they are all entitled to.

Sure, that’s a servicable plot: but under the Direction of Andy Milligan, it’s a debacle! Here’s a great bit of trivia, thanks to IMDB: In several of the fight scenes of the film, the crew and their cameras and sound equipment are visible.

There are also moments when the director can be heard softly reminding the actors of their lines!

Now THAT”S film making! As one reader on IMDB stated:

“This is an absolutely horrible film in every way possible.”

Now, that’s what it takes to make this list – you have to lose your head!

Once again, thanks to the great film buffs at Something Weird Video, you can have “The Ghastly Ones” as part of a Milligan double bill! Congrats to the SW people for keeping this part of movie history alive!

To see ALL of Milligan’s directing madness – and trust me there is plenty of jaw-dropping badness to share, click here!

http://johnrieber.com/2013/02/13/fleshpots-rats-cranium-cleaving-color-meet-andy-milligan-sexploitations-ed-wood/

And if you want to guarantee to clear your house – and I mean fast – then this is the movie for you:

“A young bride, left alone to the lewd passions of an evil dwarf!”

Severin Films is officially going to Hell – and taking you with them – with the DVD release of what may be the sleaziest film in EuroCult history:

Diminutive former kiddie-show host Torben Bille – who looks disturbingly like Jack Black in a trash compactor – stars as a young man who takes a special interest in the female guests at his mother’s boarding house…

Yes, that is Torben Bille – The Sinful Dwarf – who stars as the pint-sized pervert who imprisons drugged teenage sex slaves in the attic of his drunken mother’s decrepit rooming house…and that’s just the first ten minutes!

Poor Anne Sparrow!

Just look at this description from the cover art:

“The delicious Anne Sparrow – in her first and understandably only screen role – co-stars in this towering achievement in graphic depravity, now fully restored from a 35mm print discovered hidden in a janitor’s closet at the Danish Film Institute!”

Anne Sparrow certainly had a good reason NEVER TO ACT AGAIN – in classic euro-sleaze style, she is abducted and abused by our Sinful Dwarf – while her husband naively looks for a job…

Oh, did I mention that his Mom is CRAZY – and yes, she SINGS! Happy Mother’s Day indeed! You will never clean your ears the same way again…

And yes, that’s right – this movie was not only found in a janitor’s closet in Denmark – but they chose not to throw it out!

You will never see a more bizarre film than “The Sinful Dwarf” – and yes, it’s a euro-sleazy as they come…this is grindhouse at its best – or worst!

Put in any of these classic exploitation films and watch the floodgates open and the driveway clear! And by the way, I own all of these films!

Time to celebrate a classic genre of 70′s film, and celebrate two women who not only broke racial barriers by starring in these films, but they scored big at the box office as well!

First up: FOXY BROWN!

Michael Anderson: I don’t know… vigilante justice?
Foxy Brown: It’s as American as apple pie.

Pam Grier IS “Foxy Brown!”

In the 70′s, blaxploitation films were the rage, with such classics as “Shaft”, “The Mack” and “Cotton Comes To Harlem” leading the way…

Cue “Coffy!”

The success of this urban action genre led to a series of hit action films with WOMEN as the stars – breaking a lot of barriers at the same time – and none were bigger than Pam Grier!

Pam Grier burst onto the scene (more in a moment on that) and became a star as “Foxy Brown” – who had attitude, confidence, and street smarts – and she could kick ass when she needed to as well – as “Bobbi” is about to find out!

Bobbie: Listen skinny, before you start talking tough, I’d better warn you I’ve got a black belt in karate. So why don’t you get out of here quietly, while you still got some teeth left in that ugly face?

[Foxy knocks her down with a barstool]

Foxy Brown: And I’ve got MY black belt in barstools!

Here’s The “Foxy Brown” Classic Blaxploitation Trailer!

Here’s the very succinct – and very descriptive – description of “Foxy Brown” on IMDB: “A voluptuous black woman takes a job as a high-class prostitute in order to get revenge on the mobsters who murdered her boyfriend.”

“Voluptuous” Indeed!

The Rise Of Pam Grier!

Pam Grier got her start as a “party goer” in “Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls”, but she broke out big in Director Jack Hill’s classic of exploitation, his “women in prison” epic, “The Big Doll House!”

“They Caged Their Bodies – But Not Their Desires!”

These were classic exploitation films that played every drive-in in America – sexy, crude “women in prison” films – a popular genre that made tons of money at a time when exploitation was getting more daring…and Pam Grier stuck out and made a big impression on the crowd!

This sweltering mix of hot young women – angry, violent and mostly naked – in prison was very popular at the time, and Grier used her popularity in this film to go on to star in one of the first “blaxploitation” films of the era, called “Coffy”….

This low budget, violent action film was such a success that a sequel was inevitable. According to director Jack Hill – yes, the genius behind “Big Doll House”, “Foxy Brown” was originally intended to be a sequel to his “Coffy”, and in fact the working title of the film was “Burn, Coffy, Burn!”

However, American-International Pictures decided at the last minute it didn’t want to do a sequel, even though “Coffy” was a huge hit. So a new action star was created, “Foxy Brown!” Pam Grier’s rise to stardom was confirmed, as “Foxy Brown” was a big hit!

Tarantino’s Homage To Pam!

Director Quentin Tarantino was such a fan of Pam Grier and her iconic action status that he made “Jackie Brown” just so she could star in it – and made her a leading lady again!

Pam Grier was the best known “Blaxploitation queen”, but there was another leading lady kicking ass and taking names as well….and her name was:

“Cleopatra Jones!”

Tamara Dobson is “Cleopatra Jones!”

Here’s the story of Tamara Dobson: she was a young actress in Hollywood, with only two small parts to her credit…then, because everyone was looking to take advantage of “Foxy Brown”‘s success, she got cast as the lead in a new action movie – “Cleopatra Jones”! That is the story of Tamara Dobson in a nutshell – a 6′ 2″ model who overnight became one of blaxploitation’s biggest stars!

Here is the trailer for “Cleopatra Jones” starring Tamara Dobson and Oscar Winner Shelley Winters!

Oh as you can tell, Shelley Winters doesn’t just chew up the scenery, she beats the hell of it as well!

There was one sequel, “Cleopatra Jones And The Casino Of Gold” – in hindsight, it sounds like an earlier incarnation of an Indiana Jones movie!

Even though “Cleopatra Jones” was a huge hit, Tamara Dobson wasn’t able to capitalize on that – the blaxploitation genre dried up, and she never become a huge star – and unfortunately, Dobson struggled to find roles going forward…sadly, she died in 2006.

“Cleopatra Jones” is a fun, action-packed film with some crazy scenery chewing by Shelley Winters…definitely worth checking out!

If you need more crazy Shelley Winters, try out this story – she was the leader in another 70′s fil genre about crazy old ladies who killed, killed, and killed some more – click on this link to find out all about the wacky genre of “Old Lady Horror”!

http://johnrieber.com/2013/03/09/old-lady-horror-crazy-ladies-chew-up-the-screen/

Kudos to “Foxy Brown” and “Cleopatra Jones” for showing the world that women could kick ass just a hard as a man! Leave a comment telling me YOUR favorite blaxploitation film!

“What Secrets Are Harbored Within The Sinister Highways Of The Mind?”

Time to celebrate someone who has helped save some of the world’s craziest films!

Sad news to report about the passing of a man who spent his life saving obscure cinema for the world to savor: Mike Vraney, the founder of Something Weird Video, has died. The website has the entire story and a very nice eulogy to Vraney, which you can see here…

http://www.somethingweird.com/

I wanted to share some of the incredible films that Something Weird has saved for future generations, including my favorite “worst movie of all time”…yes, wait for it:

PSYCHED BY THE 4D WITCH!

For that I will ALWAYS be grateful to Vraney, but it speaks to his unique passion for film: he knew that NOBODY would ever let “The Godfather” fade away to obscurity – Vraney focused on the kind of movie that snuck in and out of your local graindhouse theater or drive-in during the 60′s and 70′s, and he decided to keep their spirit alive! How? Well, how about THIS!

“Confessions Of A Psycho Cat!”

“What Secrets Are Harbored Within The Sinister Highways Of The Mind?”

With twisted violence, macabre humor, and lots of gratuitous skin (it was apparently shot as a straight horror film with the nude scenes added a year or two later), CONFESSIONS OF A PSYCHO CAT is a delirious, out-of-its-mind instant cult classic, and the scene where Virginia dresses like a toreador to come after “Raging Bull” La Motta is exploitation at its best!

Wait – JAKE LAMOTTA????

Yes, Jake LaMotta!

This is why we need to celebrate Vraney’s efforts!

Here are several of Something Weird’s other masterworks – who else would have thought to keep alive the classic movie madness of:

“DEADLY WEAPONS!”

When Gangsters kill her boyfriend, the eye-popping, excessively endowed Chesty Morgan seeks revenge with two of the most incredible weapons ever seen on the motion picture screen: her 73-inch breasts! Yes, this bizarre sexploitation oddity was directed by Dorish Wishman, and Something Weird has saved many of the Director’s films from obscurity!

Or how about THESE!

Something Weird has the classics from the “Godfathers Of Grime”, Herschell Gordon Lewis and David F. Friedman!

“Nothing So Appalling In The Annals Of Horror!”

Talk about truth in advertising! But I’m having a bit of fun here, because this is considered “The Godfather Of Grime”! In 1964, this film SHOCKED the world with its depiction of bloody violence and sex – take a look at the classic trailer:

Yep, it’s the work of legendary Exploitation Director Herschell Gordan Lewis! Flaunting all movie codes, Lewis made “Blood Feast” for around $50,000 – and it grossed millions! Yes, it’s a lousy movie, but it really blew the doors off grindhouse theaters across the country!

This film was a shocking sensation, thanks to some very clever marketing. Legendary Grindhouse Producer David F. Friedman came up with some very effective publicity stunts for “Blood Feast” which included giving theater goers vomit bags reading:

“You may need this when you see ‘Blood Feast’”!

Lewis went on to make another classic exploitation film:

“Gruesomely Stained In Blood Color!”

The phenomenal success of “Blood Feast” inspired the Director – he also directed the classic “2000 Maniacs” and “Color Me Blood Red!”

“Drenched In Crimson Color!”

Mike Vraney also saved the work of arguably the world’s WORST film maker! And don’t worry, it’s presented:

“In Cranium-Cleaving Color!”

How can you resist a movie that offers this tagline?

The Ghastly Ones!

Check out the “Doctor’s Warning” on the poster – a classic “come on” for the suckers at that time…love it! Now, back to why we are here: “The Ghastly Ones” is one of the world’s WORST exploitation films ever made! Check out this legendarily bad trailer!

Here is the plot: Three married couples spend the night in a Victorian-era house where they start getting killed off by a deranged psycho who’s bent on claiming an inheritance they are all entitled to.

Sure, that’s a servicable plot: but under the Direction of Andy Milligan, it’s a debacle! Here’s a great bit of trivia, thanks to IMDB: In several of the fight scenes of the film, the crew and their cameras and sound equipment are visible.

There are also moments when the director can be heard softly reminding the actors of their lines!

Now THAT”S film making! As one reader on IMDB stated:

“This is an absolutely horrible film in every way possible.”

Now, that’s what it took to get Mike Vraney to save your film – but he may have saved the best of all!

Behold an original drive-in theater ad for the amazingly bad, perfectly chosen by Something Weird video classic:

“Psyched By The 4D Witch!”

Earlier I mentioned this classic film. Well, it’s not so much a “classic movie” as it is a series of b-roll shots with a poorly written narration laid over it…and shots of this actress…

This movie was actually released in movie theaters…with NO synched sound at all, the worst voiceover narration ever recorded, and random footage strung together to fill time…in fact, it was described by Something Weird Video (who was smart enough to release it on DVD) as:

“the most maddening, jaw-dropping, mind-bending piece of celluloid lunacy ever to play American theaters!”

You understand that is EXACTLY why Vraney saved this film – he was passionate about the obscure, often atrocious movies that deserve to be savored by future generations of bad movie lovers!

Once again, congrats to Vraney and the SW team for keeping this part of movie history alive! I plan to honor their work by going to the website and ordering up a few obscure classics to enjoy forever…

RIP Mike! Go check out ALL of his movie – and there are hundred! – by clicking here!

http://www.somethingweird.com/

Never Forget!

Never forget…..the hair that is….this incredible Jan-Claude hairstyle always reminds me of his greatest movie: John Woo’s Louisiana bayou thriller “Hard Target!” But there is SO much more to celebrate about Jean-Claude – because JCVD is back in a BIG BIG WAY!

Jean-Claude Van Damme was one of the world’s biggest stars. From “Bloodsport” to “Time Cop” to the classic “Hard Target”, Jean-Claude kicked ass across a multitude of great action films…and then, Jean-Claude fell off our screens…until now.

“Central to Unit 27. Jean-Claude Van Damme’s robbing a post office. I need back-up!”

Wait, WHAT? Don;’t worry, I’ll explain in a moment….I will also explain how I ended up:

Hanging With Jean-Claude In Cannes!

I will tell you all about hanging out with the legendary action star – many times – in Cannes, but first, here is the already legendary “splits” TV ad with Jean-Claude Van Damme:

Kudos, Mr. Van Damme! This TV ad has certainly put Jean-Claude back in the spotlight, but you missed his real comeback just last year…and I will also tell you how I have been lucky enough to hang with the action star several times when I was running programming at E! More on that as well, but first, I have to tell you about a revelatory movie starring the “Muscles From Brussels!”

Looking good, JCVD! However, there’s a LOT more on display than just Jean-Claude’s muscles…there is a real, honest, and open look at an action star…if you haven’t seen the terrific film “JCVD”, you are missing out on Jean-Claude’s greatest performance ever…

I was stunned by how good this movie was – I had heard about Jean-Claude’s performance, but never got around to wartching it – and when I did, I was stunned…..First, take a look at the trailer for the great film “JCVD”:

Policier: “Central to Unit 27. Jean-Claude Van Damme’s robbing a post office. I need back-up!”

And with this urgent police call, “JCVD” explodes into action! Between his tax problems and his legal battle with his wife for the custody of his daughter, these are hard times for the action movie star who finds that even Steven Seagal has pinched a role from him! In “JCVD”, Jean-Claude Van Damme returns to the country of his birth to seek the peace and tranquility he can no longer enjoy in the United States. But nothing goes as planned…

I won’t share anything else, as the joy of this film is to watch it unfold…The concept for “JCVD” originated with the producer, who had an agreement with Jean-Claude Van Damme to play himself in a movie. In the original screenplay Van Damme was portrayed more as a clown. Mabrouk El Mechri was brought on to rewrite, and was subsequently asked to direct.

Director Mabrouk El Mechri agreed to rewrite the script on the condition he could meet Jean-Claude Van Damme first before starting the draft, so he wouldn’t waste six months on something that Van Damme would veto.

There is a funny scene in a taxi involving Jean-Claude and a cab driver, and whole scene is completely improvised. Mabrouk El Mechri told Jean-Claude Van Damme to just be nice to the driver no matter what she said!

But the real masterstroke in the film takes place about halfway through, when Jean-Claude breaks the fourth wall to speak directly to the audience…it is mesmerizing, and one of the best monologues committed to film…I don’t want to spoil it, but here is a short snippet to give you an idea of the honesty on display:

J.C.V.D.: “This movie is for me. There we are, you and me. Why did you do that? Or why did I do that? You made my dream come true. I asked for it. I promised you something in return and I haven’t delivered yet. You win, I lose. Unless…”

This monologue goes on for several more minutes – no break, one single take – and it is mesmerizing…you can see the real anguish in his face, in his voice…and the real emotion! After you see this scene, you can’t help but root for Jean-Claude to survive!

This is also a fun, twisty action thriller as well – a real return to form for the “Muscle From Brussels”…really worth checking out – I have the blu-ray of the movie…it’s just the latest chapter in a wild ride for the action star…which took him many times to the south of France…

Welcome To The Cannes Film Festival!

Yes, Cannes is a gorgeous city on the French Riviera, where celebrities gather every year to celebrate film…and we would travel to cover the festival for E!

For many years, my Host was Michael Castner, who Alex points out was always the hardest worker on the team…

Just kidding, Michael – he was terrific to work with, and always got great interviews for us – including this revealing conversation with Jean-Claude at the famed Hotel du Cap…

One year, after a huge Cannes party, I was hanging out with Jean-Claude – since we had covered many Planet Hollywood openings and Cannes festivals, we had become acquainted – and I had just seen his latest movie.

I said to Jean-Claude, congratulations on “Hard Target!” He looked at me and said, “we can do better!” I just smiled but I thought, “no, Jean-Clause, you CAN’T do better than John Woo!” That was, unfortunately, the last time we saw this hairstyle on screen…

And JCVD went into a career tailspin…until now…so kudos on the TV ad, bravo for “JCVD”, and most importantly,

“Welcome Back Jean-Claude!”

Ready for a “Scalpel Sharp” Dissection Of Medicine, Courtesy Of George C. Scott?

Yes, in an era when “Obamacare” is such a hot button, remember there were films that took on the medical establishment and blew the doors off of medicine!

“Now what in hell am I going to tell this boy Schaefer’s parents? That a substitute nurse assassinated him because she couldn’t tell the doctors from the patients on the floor?”

If you LOVED the screenplay for “Network”, imagine if Paddy Chayefsky put this sharp pen to the world of medical care! Well, he did, and legendary Actor George C. Scott spewed them out in a wicked medical comedy!

The Hospital!

In 1971, legendary writer Paddy Chayefsky took on medicine, and what a great result! Here’s is the trailer:

Thanks to “Movieclips classic trailers” on youtube for sharing this! Here’s the plot:

George C. Scott was on a roll in the 70′s, starting the decade by winning Best Actor for Patton, then acting in a number of tough, gritty films. THIS undiscovered gem is the setup for 1976′s classic “Network”, as both scripts were written by legendary writer Paddy Chayefsky.

Mrs. Cushing: Dr. Spezio. I think one of your patients in here is dead, Dr. Spezio.
Dr. Spezio: Why do you say that, Mrs. Cushing?
Mrs. Cushing: Because he wouldn’t give me his Blue Cross number, Dr, Spezio.

This 1971 Chayefsky script looks at the world gone mad through the eyes of a Hospital, and George C. Scott is the guy trying to hold it together. Co-Star Diana Rigg was just coming off her acclaimed performance as the Bond girl in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”…and while it has been largely forgotten to time, it was a razor sharp indictment of the medical establishment!

Scott’s acting and a terrific script make this one of the great, angry movies of the 70′s…with a caustic wit and a searing indictment of the medical community…

Writer Paddy Chayefsky performed a number of roles on the film. Chayefsky was the writer and a producer and also narrated the film at the start. Chayefsky reportedly had full control over content and casting of the movie.

Oscar Worthy Indeed!

Even though actor George C. Scott had rejected the Best Actor Academy Award gold statuette he had won the previous year for Patton (1970), Scott was still nominated in the same category for this picture but lost to Gene Hackman for The French Connection (1971).

“Now what in hell am I going to tell this boy Schaefer’s parents? That a substitute nurse assassinated him because she couldn’t tell the doctors from the patients on the floor?”

Paddy Chayefsky film script won the Best Original Screenplay Award at the BAFTAs, the Golden Globes, the Writers’ Guild of America Awards, and at the Academy Awards (Oscars).

Look for this obscure classic – made even greater by the classic 70′s film poster!

And speaking of classic’s 70′s posters, here is one for ANOTHER medical comedy from the same year, starring legendary comedian Peter Sellers!

Where Does It Hurt?

This VERY obscure comedy starring Peter Sellers as the head of a hospital that breaks ALL the rules! Take a look at what I found on youtube:

According to the youtube post, “Keith Allison, Paul Revere & The Raiders Bass Player, wrote and recorded the title song, “Where Does It Hurt”, and the theme music for this Peter Sellers Movie. Allison also played the part of Hinckley in the movie. Included in these clips is a second Allison tune probably titled Money,Money or Money Please Come Home.”

That youtube clip is to show context and analysis for the music in the film, as it takes on the wild world of medicine in the early 70′s…here is the plot: A corrupt hospital administrator decides to get as much money as possible from the patients by any means necessary – lie, cheat or steal!

Here is some great trivia, courtesy of the terrific website “IMDB.com”.

“Where Does It Hurt?” was filmed with much of the production money invested by director Rod Amateau and actor Peter Sellers, making the director and star both acting producers of the film.

On the first day of filming, Sellers phoned Amateau and asked that a limousine be sent to his Los Angeles hotel to transport the actor to the film studio. Amateau explained to Sellers that he’d be glad to send a limousine to transport the actor, but since Sellers was sharing in the expenses of the production as well as the profits, the limousine would cost the actor fifty dollars per day. The next morning, Sellers arrived at the studio in the passenger seat of a pickup truck driven by the film’s key grip. Passing Amateau on his way to the set, Sellers explained to the director, “He lives near me.”

“Where Does It Hurt?” isn’t as successful as “The Hospital” in tackling the outrageous world of medicine, but it does make an attempt to highlight the world of medicine at the time, which was even more out of control than it is today!

Both films are cult classics, and deserve to be resurrected in this era of ObamaCare and out of control medical costs….once again, Paddy Chayefsky was prescient in his world view!

All Hail The 1970′s!

I love 70′s movies! They are chock full of iconic stars with BIG GUNS!

Some of these movies will live forever, some have been unfortunately neglected – but thanks to DVD, blu-ray, and the thousands of films available ondemand, you never have to forget them again!

If you need to see some classic 70′s cinema, here are ten ways to start – a collection of some of the toughest action films of that decade, with terrific performances from some of Hollywood’s biggest stars…let’s get started with a neglected gem with Oscar winners in front of and behind the camera!

10-Thunderbolt And Lightfoot!

This 1974 action film is a classic, criminally overlooked Clint Eastwood heist movie – Jeff Bridges was Oscar-nominated for his role here – and it is directed by Michael Cimino, who would go on next to do the Oscar-winning best picture of 1978, “The Deer Hunter!”

That’s right, Jeff Bridges was Oscar-nominated for this, and he is terrific as always! Clint Eastwood plays a bank robber par excellence with a flair for explosives who is being hunted by his former partners, who think he has their loot from their last job.

Bridges is his eager apprentice and sidekick, who helps him escape; when Eastwood finally makes peace with his hunters, Bridges convinces them to try a daring robbery–but things inevitably go awry. Well worth the effort to find this one – as it features a VERY BIG GUN!

Here’s another film that is fairly obscure as well…and a western!

9-The Hunting Party!

In 1971, Gene Hackman, Oliver Reed and Candace Bergen starred in this gritty western.

Oliver Reed is the outlaw who wants to learn to read, and Candace Bergen is the school teacher he kidnaps to teach him –

Bergen is not only a school teacher, she’s also the wife of cattle baron Gene Hackman – who wants his wife back…

Hackman rustles up a “Hunting Party” and begins to pick off the bad guys one by one. And what starts as a rescue mission turns into a “hunting party”…

This film was shocking for the amount of violence it showed…this was a time shortly after “The Wild Bunch” raised the stakes for violence in a film…

Lots of grindhouse violence here, but kind of interesting to watch a clear B-movie being acted out by some A-list Actors!

And speaking of A-List Actors – here are several, this time is an A+ classic action thriller!

8-The Taking Of Pelham 1-2-3

Take some of the greatest character Actors of the 70′s, add some dynamite action sequences…blend with sharp dialogue and a delicious sense of humor and you have one of the great action films of the 70′s. You also have one of the great 70′s movie posters…

Here is the plot summary of “The Taking Of Pelham 1-2-3″: Four armed men hijack a New York City subway train and demand 1 million dollars – which must be delivered in 1 hour – or they will begin to execute the passengers…

Legendary Actor Walter Matthau plays Lt. Rico Patrone, who oversees the crime unit for the NY Subway. He is willing to admit that their job isn’t that exciting:

Lt. Rico Patrone: “We had a bomb scare in the Bronx yesterday, but it turned out to be a cantaloupe.”

Robert Shaw plays the leader of the hijackers, Mr. Blue. Shaw starred in a number of classic 70′s films, such as “The Sting” and “Jaws”, and he was the nearly-unstoppable killer in “From Russia With Love.” His fight sequence inside a train compartment against James Bond 007′s Sean Connery is a classic as well.

Martin Balsam and Hector Elizondo are among the thieves. Balsam brings the “every man” feel to the movie, a regular guy looking to get what he thinks he’s due. Hector Elizondo is terrific as Mr. Gray…that’s right, this is the movie where all of the hijackers called each other by colors…something Quentin Tarantino used effectively in “Reservoir Dogs”.

What’s great about this movie is how honest it feels: for example, the kidnappers don’t get along – at all – leading to this great exchange:

Mr. Blue: “I once had a man shot for talking to me like that.”
Mr. Gray: “Yeah, well, that’s the difference between you and me. I’ve always done my own killing.”

“The Taking Of Pelham 1-2-3″ has a lot of action, really great action, and a terrific ending…which leads to one of the most acclaimed and controversial films of the decade…

7-Deliverance!

One of the most iconic films of the 70′s, but a bit overlooked these days. In 1972, this was an extremely controversial film – “squeal like a pig!” anyone?

Burt Reynolds plays outdoor fanatic Lewis Medlock, who is intent on seeing the Cahulawassee River before it’s turned into one huge lake. Lewis takes his friends on a river-rafting trip they’ll never forget into the dangerous American back-country.

“Deliverance” was one of the most iconic films of the 70′s, but it’s a bit overlooked these days. In 1972, this was an extremely controversial film – “squeal like a pig!” anyone? It was also one of the great action dramas of the seventies – Burt Reynolds became a superstar based on this film…

If you haven’t seen this brilliant movie, check out new blu-ray and DVD versions that have documentaries and commentary attached, and they are all worth viewing – and of course, there are the “dueling banjos!”

This was such a controversial film – brutal and violent, and of course its known for two amazing sequences: first, the “dueling banjos” scene, when the group comes across a young boy with a banjo…

“Squeal like a pig!”

And then there was the brutal scene with one of the most quoted lines in film history…as the group is ambushed and attacked by rednecks…this was one of the most controversial scenes in 70′s movie history…

Both scenes from “Deliverance” became permanent fixtures in pop culture forever…

Speaking Of Pop Culture Notoriety!

His breakout performance in Deliverance in 1972 made Reynolds a star. The same year, Reynolds gained even more notoriety when he posed naked in the April issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine – a landmark moment in publishing.

Reynolds claims the centerfold in Cosmopolitan hurt the chances for Deliverance and the film’s stars, including himself, from receiving Academy Awards.

6- Dirty Harry!

OK, I already included one Clint Eastwood movie – “Thunderbolt & Lightfoot”, which is lesser known…but of course, you HAVE TO put “Dirty Harry” on any list of classic 70′s action films, right?

Here is the plot: A mad man calling himself ‘the Scorpio Killer’ shoots people from San Francisco’s rooftops…terrorizing the city…

Police Inspector Harry Callahan is assigned to track down the psychopath, but when we first meet Harry, he is having a hot dog and interrupting a bank robbery…

“Do I feel lucky?” Well, do ya, punk?”

One of the greatest lines in film history comes from this scene, as Harry disrupts the robbery, shoots all of the perps, and walks over to the last one alive. As he approaches, Harry fingers his trigger while a bank robber eyes his own gun lying nearby…

“I know what you’re thinking, punk. You’re thinking “did he fire six shots or only five?” Now to tell you the truth I forgot myself in all this excitement. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and will blow you head clean off, you’ve gotta ask yourself a question: “Do I feel lucky?” Well, do ya, punk?”

That scene cements, within the first ten minutes, that Dirty Harry is a classic “cop who plays by his own rules”. This movie has a great plot, terrific direction by legendary Don Siegel, and Clint Eastwood IS Dirty Harry.

It is this exchange, however, that to me helps cement “Dirty Harry” as a classic action film of the 70′s…San Francisco’s Mayor wants Harry to explain why he shot a rapist…

Harry Callahan: Well, when an adult male is chasing a female with intent to commit rape, I shoot the bastard. That’s my policy.

The Mayor: Intent? How did you establish that?

Harry Callahan: When a naked man is chasing a woman through an alley with a butcher’s knife and a hard-on, I figure he isn’t out collecting for the Red Cross!

[walks out of the room]

The Mayor: He’s got a point.

“Dirty Harry” is a great film, and the sequels are pretty good as well, especially “Magnum Force” and “Sudden Impact!”

Now, speaking of cops who play by their own rules…

5 – The French Connection!

It was the Academy Award-winning Best Picture of 1971, and it’s the true story of “Popeye” Doyle, a NY cop determined to bust a heroin smuggling ring…

He is, of course, a cop willing to break all the rules in order to get his man – and that includes one of the most amazing car chases ever filmed…beautifully filmed by legendary Director William Friedkin, who went on to make “The Exorcist”, “To Live And Die In LA”, “Sorcerer” AND “Killer Joe”!

The Legendary Car Chase!

Thanks to the terrific website IMDB, here are some amazing anecdotes about the filming of the legendary car chase through the streets of New York in “The French Connection.”

The car crash during the chase sequence, at the intersection of Stillwell Ave. and 86th St., was unplanned and was included because of its realism. The man whose car was hit had just left his house a few blocks from the intersection to go to work and was unaware that a car chase was being filmed. The producers paid the bill for the repairs to his car!

According to IMDB, the car chase was filmed without obtaining the proper permits from the city! Members of the NYPD’s tactical force helped control traffic. But most of the control was achieved by the assistant directors with the help of off-duty NYPD officers, many of whom had been involved in the actual case.

A camera was mounted on the car’s bumper for the shots from the car’s point-of-view. Hackman did some of the driving but the extremely dangerous stunts were performed by Bill Hickman, with Friedkin filming from the backseat.

Friedkin operated the camera himself because the other camera operators were married with children and he was not. The mjaority of the chase was, however, very well choreographed, but it is that realism in the filming that makes the scene itself so heart-pounding!

The film spawned a less successful sequel, but it is also a great movie, just a different one…

4-Get Carter!

In 1971 Michael Caine tore up the screen as London gangster Jack Carter. Heading “up north” to get to the bottom of the recent death of his brother, he runs afoul of the local color, who don’t appreciate his meddling.

Not content to accept the police report of suicide, Carter begins investigating. He encounters the local mob boss, his sleazy chauffeur with eyes like “piss holes in the snow,” and the lovely town porn star. Naturally, he kicks alot of ass and takes names later.

This is a pure 70′s arthouse action movie – what a combo, right? But it’s not only a great film, Michael Caine is tough as nails, so well worth checking out!

3-Prime Cut!

Lee Marvin was one of film’s all-time tough guys, and no more so than in this gritty thriller, where he saves a naked Sissy Spacek from the mob…here’s a teaser:

Lee Marvin plays his toughest role ever, as an “Enforcer” for the Mob, who heads to Kansas City to get the money that Gene Hackman owes the Mob..

Oh yeah, Hackman’s not really interested in paying back what he owes…and from then on out, the fight is on!

Hackman plays a cattle rancher who not only grinds his enemies into sausage, but sells women as sex slaves.

The movie was considered highly risqué for its time based on its level of violence, as well as its graphic depiction of female slavery, including a scene depicting the auctioning of young women in the manner of beef cattle.

Gene Hackman digs into his role as the bad guy, but it’s Marvin to kick ass and takes no prisoners. There is a scene where Marvin and Sissy Spacek are chased through a wheat field by a shredder…a great action sequence.

Marvin and Spacek have a great rapport in the film, as he takes on a “father figure” role to help her escape from the bad guys…

A couple of years before she catapulted to stardom in “Carrie”, Sissy Spacek co-stars, and does a great job in the role…

This was Sissy Spacek’s feature film debut – and involves a lot of nudity.

Marvin and Gene Hackman have a number of great scenes together, a couple of tough guys chewing up the scenery in a great B-movie.

But at the end of day, nobody beats Lee Marvin, the coolest guy in town.

Speaking of the coolest guy in town, NOBODY was cooler than this guy in 1971:

2-Shaft!

Who’s the cat that won’t cop out, when there’s danger all about? John Shaft of course! This blaxploitation classic is a hard-charging action thriller about Detective John Shaft, played to perfection by Richard Roundtree – with a big gun, of course…

“You see this cat Shaft is a bad motherf-”
“Watch Your Mouth!”
“But I’m talking about Shaft!”
“Then we can dig it!”

Check out this movie and also buy the soundtrack on iTunes, it’s a classic as well from Isaac Hayes!

Now, this is my personal favorite of them all:

1-The Getaway!

Take notorious Director Sam Peckinpah, add the toughest – and coolest – action star of the time in Steve McQueen, and add new star Ali McGraw, and you have a dynamite action film from 1972 that is as entertaining today as the day it was released!

This is the film that led to McQueen and Macgraw leaving their spouses and running off together. Here is a surprisingly long trailer!

Here’s the plot: Master thief Doc McCoy knows his wife has been in bed with the local political boss in order to spring him from jail.

What he doesn’t know are all of the double-crosses that will sour the deal once he’s on the outside – and pulling off the ultimate robbery.

This is filled with iconic scenes, and so much cool it will put a chill on your living room! Just look at McQueen and MacGraw blasting their way out of trouble…

Ali McGraw’s Husband!

Ali MacGraw was one of Hollywood’s biggest female star when she made “The Getaway”, thanks to the mega-hit “Love Story.” She was also married to movie Executive Robert “The Kid Stays In The Picture” Evans!

MacGraw and McQueen began an affair during the filming of the movie, and ended up getting married…Evans discusses this part of his life in his terrific memoir, “The Kid Stays In The Picture.”

Oh Sally!

Sally Struthers has a deliciously wacky small role in the film, as the wife of a mild-mannered Dentist! They are both kidnapped by a ruthless thug out to find McQueen…

Struthers was a big star at the time on TV’s “All In The Family”…”The Getaway” is a great action movie, beautifully directed, and worth finding on dvd…

There you have it – ten great 70′s action films, with ten very big guns!

Behold The “Lone Wolf And Cub!”

If you haven’t heard of “Lone Wolf And Cub”, you are missing out on some of the most exciting japanese samurai movies ever made!

It Begins With A Manga…

“Lone Wolf and Cub” is a Japanese cult manga created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima. A manga is the name for a japanese comic or graphic novel.

This series of graphic novels was first published in 1970. They continue to be sold around the world, as new generations are discovering the artistry and great storytelling in these works!

“Lone Wolf and Cub” is the story of Ogami Ittō, the Shogun’s executioner who uses a dōtanuki battle sword. Disgraced by false accusations from the Yagyū clan, he is forced to take the path of the assassin.

Along with his three-year-old son, Daigorō, they seek revenge on the Yagyū clan and are known as “Lone Wolf and Cub”. One thing to note: these are NOT comics! There is adult content and lots and lots of blood in these graphic novels…

These novels are well written, beautifully drawn, and very exciting! As they became more popular, they were turned into a series of terrific japanese exploitation films!

And, just like the mangas they are based on, these films are full of samurai action and bloodshed – but beautifully made and intelligently executed!

Bring On The Movies!

As I said, these incredible graphic novels were turned into some of the most exciting – and bloodiest – samurai films of the 70′s! Let’s look at this amazing series of japanese samurai adventures…

The LONE WOLF AND CUB movie series chronicles the adventures of disgraced Shogun assassin Ogami Itto and his infant son Daigoro, who sell their services to people in need while traveling the countryside in search of revenge against the hit squad who killed Itto’s wife.

In the first film of the series, “SWORD OF VENGEANCE”, Ogami escapes with his son in a wooden baby cart after an assassination attempt on his family. This is one of the most famous of the films, as it was sold overseas as “Sword Of Vengeance”, with no reference to Lone Wolf and Cub…

Here is a teaser for the movie:

The second film, “BABY CART AT THE RIVER STYX”, sees Ogami stalked by a deadly female ninja as he attempts to assassinate a spy from the Shogunate.

That’s right, they have FEMALE NINJAS! And trust me, these ladies kick ninja butt! This is a great sequel, and sets up the entire series, as the Lone Wolf and his cub set out to right the wrongs of the land, all while being pursued by their enemies!

The “Lone Wolf And Cub” continue their journey in “BABY CART TO HADES”, with Ogami coming to the aid of a prostitute who killed her pimp. But he has to undergo torture to win back her freedom.

As you can see, the films take on a number of adult topics, as well as social and political issues in Japan’s history…

In the follow-up, “BABY CART IN PERIL”, Ogami must battle a female martial arts master and defend his son from an assassination attempt by an enemy clan.

Yes, more female ninjas!

These films are well made, full of action, and the bond between father and son is very touching…and of course, lots and lots of samurai bloodshed as well!

The fifth film in the saga, “BABY CART IN THE LAND OF DEMONS”, features a duel between Ogami and five warriors who hold not only his assassin’s fee, but vital information he needs to hunt down his enemies.

Then, in the sixth and final installment in the LONE WOLF series,“WHITE HEAVEN IN HELL”, Ogami faces his ultimate challenge when all remaining members of the enemy Retsudo clan band together for a face-off on a snowy battlefield.

It is a great ending to a classic action series…this is a classic serial – an ongoing series of stories wrapped around the life of two great characters, “Lone Wolf And Cub”…

Much like the “Lethal Weapon” movies, or even a show like “Breaking Bad”, you get caught up in the lives of the characters – so every movie offers you another chance to hang out with them and root them on in their battles…

The great news is that the entire series is now available on DVD and blu-ray, and comes with some fun extras as well…it’s your chance to get to know “Lone Wolf And Cub!”

“I DO IT FOR KICKS – AND I PLAN TO GET SOME!”

Now how can you not LOVE a movie that has a goal like that! Welcome to the world of the “Psycho Cat!”

“Confessions Of A Psycho Cat!”

If someone ever asked you, “hey, how wacky and offbeat WERE those early sexploitation movies anyway?” – well, here is your answer – take a look at this trailer:

What a classic piece of exploitation! Here’s the plot: A deranged, wealthy woman offers $100,000 to three men if they can stay alive for 24 hours in Manhattan, and then hunts them down. Here are the three losers as they wait in a room filled with dead, stuffed animals…

The “Raging Bull” Himself!

Boxer Jake LaMotta – yes, the “Raging Bull” himself – plays one of the three men who accept the bet – and he does a pretty good job in the movie!

LaMotta plays a washed-up wrestler, who accepts the Psycho Cat’s challenge, shouting at her:

“You don’t have a chance. I get in close, I’ll break you in half!”

Each of the three men wait for a notification that their “hunt” has begun, and then the “Psycho Cat” proceeds to stalk them through the city of New York, which allows for a lot of interesting b-roll from that era…as one of them tries to hide out in Central Park…

Two Movies For The Price Of One!

One of the unique aspects of “Confessions Of A Psycho Cat” is the “two movies in one” aspect of the film – it is a straightforward thriller, as each of the three men is hunted down by the crazed psycho cat…

But the film also has lengthy orgy scenes, all from a “party” that one of our victims shows up at – but for the most part, the nude scenes have nothing to do with the rest of the film…it was clearly a way to force nudity and sexual situations into the movie…and the film goes back to the party over and over again to show people making out and disrobing…

Another way this “two movies in one” shows itself again is in a bizarre sequence involving Jake LaMotta, as he sits in his apartment waiting for the “psycho cat” to arrive…

After making a phone call, he begins to argue with someone – it turns out to be this woman, who is shown supposedly sitting on a bed in the same room…

But here’s the thing: LaMotta and the woman are NEVER shown in the same shot – and after sitting like this on the bed for a moment, she takes her top off and delivers this classic sexploitation monologue:

“What you bring me up here for anyway? All you’re doing is reading that silly little paper. I came up here to have some fun. What’s the matter? Don’t you like me? (Takes off bra and examines her breasts) I never had any complaints before. Can’t you tell I’m a girl? I think I look pretty good. I think you’re putting me down. I’m sexy and that’s what I came up here for…sex!”

And then she makes out with the mirror! It’s a truly bizarre sequence, and after french kissing the mirror for a minute – topless the entire time – she storms out of the room, never seen in the same frame as LaMotta, so clearly this nude scene was filmed afterwards to add more nudity and sexual situations to the film!

“What Secrets Are Harbored Within The Sinister Highways Of The Mind?”

As Something Weird describes it: “With twisted violence, macabre humor, and lots of gratuitous skin (it was apparently shot as a straight horror film with the nude scenes added a year or two later), CONFESSIONS OF A PSYCHO CAT is a delirious, out-of-its-mind instant cult classic!”

And they are right in every way!

A Mind-Blowing Spanish Matador Battle!

You need more proof that this is a “sexploitation classic?” Well, here is one last moment to savor: the ultimate battle between “Psycho Cat” and “Raging Bull!”

Yes, “Psycho Cat” dresses like a toreador to come after “Raging Bull” La Motta in a bizarre action sequence that encapsulates everything that makes “Psycho Cat” exploitation at its best!”

Kudos once again to Something Weird Video – thanks for keeping cult cinema alive! And, to read about the man who founded this company, here is my appreciation of the late Mike Vraney:

http://johnrieber.com/2014/01/07/something-weird-wild-wild-cinema-celebrating-a-weird-genius-rip-mike-vraney/

All Hail Walter Matthau, Action Star!

Sure, Walter Matthau was a “Grumpy Old Man”, as well as the messy half of the classic “Odd Couple”!

He was also the coach of the original “Bad News Bears”, where he coached a ragtag team of misfits, including Tatum O’ Neal…Walter Matthau was one of our great comic Actors…

Walter Matthau, Action Hero!

No matter how much we all loved his comedic genius, it’s easy to forget that he also starred in a number of GREAT action films in the 70′s…

I’ve written about the classic thriller “The Taking Of Pelham 1-2-3″, starring Matthau and Robert Shaw, a terrific action thriller from the 70′s. But here are two more great 70′s action thrillers that Matthau headlined – both now on DVD and worth finding!

These films showcase great character actors, tight plots and great action sequences…they also highlight an era in film when leading men could be, well, “grumpier” – they didn’t flex their muscles, they just used their brains – and a gun or two – to persevere…

Charley Varrick!

Let’s start with an obscure action film that delivers the goods. What happens when you rob a bank that happens to be laundering all of the Mob’s money? The answer is the trailer for “Charley Varrick”:

That’s right, Charley Varrick, dressed like an old man, and his friends rob a small town bank. Expecting a small sum to divvy up, they are surprised to discover a very LARGE amount of money. It’s the Mob’s money, and they want it back – and they want Charley and his buddies DEAD.

The film was based on the novel “The Looters” by John H. Reese. The plot is straightforward, but the reason this film is so good is that it’s directed by Don Siegel, the legendary Director of “Dirty Harry”! It also stars Joe Don Baker, who is perfect as the Mob muscle out to track down the bank robbers…

Hey, It’s Dean Wormer!

Like I said, there are great character actors in the film – such as John Vernon…yes, “Dean Wormer” from “Animal House” can also kick ass!

The “Pulp Fiction” Connection!

Quentin Tarantino is well known to include “homages” to some of his favorite film…well, you can add “Charley Varrick” to the list!

Character Maynard Boyle’s line, “They’re gonna strip you naked and go to work on you with a pair of pliers and a blowtorch,” is paraphrased in “Pulp Fiction” by Marsellus Wallace!

“Charley Varrick” is anchored by a great Walter Matthau performance. He is smart, and he is ruthless when he needs to be…a great performance by this veteran actor…

I love this vintage newspaper ad as well – “Charley Varrick” is a pure 70′s action thriller, and it delivers! Speaking of that, here comes Matthau again!

The Laughing Policeman.

First of all, look at the tagline on the poster above:

“This movie is so real it makes every other movie in this town look like a movie.”

“The Laughing Policeman” was sold as a gritty thriller torn from the mood of the times…here is the trailer:

By the mid-seventies, the world was a dirty, crime-ridden place, and in San Francisco, Detective Walter Matthau has to find the guy who boarded a city bus late one night and opened fire on the passengers.

In keeping with the world-weary feel of the movie, Walter Matthau is terrific as a cop who’s seen too much…and he is finding it hard to make sense of a world gone wild…

Matthau isn’t helped by his partner, the very caustic Bruce Dern, who has a way of inflaming every situation he’s in.

This is an America that has seen the death in Vietnam, the massacre at Kent State, and the type of cop in “Dirty Harry” was an enemy, not a friend. It’s an America where the citizens hate the cops – almost as much as the cops hate them.

Iconic Dialogue!

The script is tight, gritty and in your face. Here’s a great line of dialogue: Bruce Dern explaining how good his lawyer is:

“He could get a sodomy charge reduced to ‘following too close.’”

More Great Bruce Dern Lines!

As I said, Dern has a field day with one-liners like this:

[to the pimp he has just pushed to the floor]

“What ever you are reaching for better be a sandwich coz you’re gonna have to eat it!”

Bruce Dern is great in the film, as is Lou Gossett Jr. And of course, it is anchored by Walter Matthau. This is the world weary, grimly determined Matthau, a much better Actor than he was given credit for…and an action star to boot!

Let me know how many of these you’ve seen!

Comic Legend Sid Caesar Has Died…

Sad new out of Hollywood: Sid Caesar has died….here is the report from Deadline.com:

“TV pioneer Sid Caesar has died at the age of 91 in Los Angeles. The Yonkers New York-born comedian made his first appearance on TV in 1949 on Milton Berle’s Texaco Star Theater. On February 25, 1950, Caesar was one of the ensemble cast on the premiere of Your Show Of Shows. With Caesar, Imogene Coca and Carl Reiner in front of the camera and Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, Larry Gelbart, Mel Tolkin and Danny Simon among the writers, the 90-minute weekly NBC show soon became one of the biggest hits of TV’s early day and went on to become a classic.

Your Show Of Shows ran until June 1954. The one-hour satirical Caesar’s Hour debuted on September 1954 and ran until 1957. That was followed by 1958’s The Sid Caesar Show, which had one Woody Allen as a writer, and a series of appearances and special well into the 1960s and beyond.”

You can read Deadline’s entire obit here:

http://www.deadline.com/hollywood/

And, to understand just how great “Your Show Of Shows” was, check out this classic comedy that is an homage to that time…

My Favorite Year - 1982. A hilarious love letter to the early days of live TV – and to Sid Caesar’s “Your Show Of Shows”, with an Oscar-nominated performance by Peter O’Toole that showcased his amazing flair for comedy.

Here is the IMDB synopsis: Benjy Stone is the junior writer on the top rated, live weekly variety/comedy show, in the mid 50s. Alan Swann, an Errol Flynn type actor with a drinking problem is to be that weeks guest star. When King Kaiser, the headliner wants to throw Swann off the show, Benjy makes a pitch to save his childhood hero, and is made Swann’s babysitter.

Actor Richard Benjamin directed this film, which is hilarious, poignant and fast-paced. There are so many great Actors in this movie, from Mark Linn-Baker to Jessica Harper, Bill Macy to Joseph Bologna – who plays a character EXTREMELY like Sid Caesar – and he is hilarious!

But this is O’Toole’s movie, and he owns every frame of it as the swashbuckling drunk…such as when he shows up to the first writer’s meeting:

[an obviously drunken Swann meets the writing staff]
Sy: He’s plastered!
Alan Swann: So are some of the finest erections in Europe.”

Then again, when he enters the women’s bathroom by mistake, and runs into Wardrobe Designer Lil:

Lil: This is for ladies only!
Alan Swann: [unzipping fly] So is *this*, ma’am, but every now and then I have to run a little water through it.

And finally, after he finds out the show is live, he panics and flees, and you find out he has been fleeing from everything in his life, including his daughter. He shares those fears with the young writer Benjy Stone…

Alan Swann: I’m afraid, Stone. I’m afraid. That’s why I couldn’t get out of the car to see my Tess, my child.
Benjy Stone: Alan Swann, afraid? The Defender of the Crown? Captain from Tortuga? The Last Knight of the Round Table?
Alan Swann: Those are movies, damn you! Look at me! I’m flesh and blood, life-size, no larger! I’m not that silly God-damned hero! I never was!
Benjy Stone: To *me* you were! Whoever you were in those movies, those silly goddamn heroes meant a lot to *me*! What does it matter if it was an illusion? It worked! So don’t tell me this is you life-size. I can’t use you life-size. I need Alan Swanns as big as I can get them! And let me tell you something: you couldn’t have convinced me the way you did unless somewhere in you you *had* that courage! Nobody’s that good an actor! You *are* that silly goddamn hero!

If you have never seen this film you must stop reading right now and go get it. Or, do what we do and watch it every six months to remind you of why you love movies…

And RIP Sid Caesar!

“Down Boy, Down!”

A friend “just knew” that a movie called “Zombeavers” was just the film for me – that’s right, Randy, it IS the kind of film I love to share – because it’s extreme – and extremely goofy!

“Zombeavers!”

Yes, there is a new film that captures the fury of mother nature – IF Mother Nature was a Beaver!
The title tells you all you really need to know, but the trailer reinforces the fun they have in store for you!

Here’s the plot: a bunch of kids go to a cabin in the woods and have a big party – and then they all decide to go swimming in the lake outside….

And the zombie-infused Beavers eat them. Got it? Well, of course you do, it’s just the latest in a long line of wacky, bloody “animals eat people” movies…

A History Of Bad Animals!

This genre is seeing a resurgence now, thanks to camp movies like – you guessed it, the phenomenon that is “Sharknado”…

This campy movie genre actually got its start in the 50′s, as America needed a break from the cold war – and moviegoers found just what they needed when nuclear-mutated giant Ants began to attack…

“Cue The Frogs!”

In the 70′s, campy classic like “Frogs” continued the mayhem…

And recently, the trend is back, thanks in part to a popular remake of a classic 70′s horror film…which was itself a campy homage to “Jaws”…bring on the piranha!

“Beer, sun, and naked honeys making out under water!”

Well, that is what “Switchblade Romance” director Alexandra Aja promised when he remake the 70′s camp classic “Piranha!” And he delivered, too!

And of COURSE it would be in 3D, so you could “appreciate” everything the movie had to offer – and it did, a funny, sexy and bloody good time!

I love ALL of these films – and look forward to seeing the campy fun of “Zombeavers” as well – keep it up, wacky movie makers! Let the animals roam!

Time To Kick Some Naked Ninja Ass!

If you are reading this, you are not only ready to “go ninja”, but you want to see the movies that do it best! Well, you’ve come to the right place!

From Naked Ninja To Killer Dwarves!

How often do you find an acclaimed film Director who goes from naked female yakusas to killer dwarfs? Well, the answer is simple:

The answer is: ALL THE TIME IN JAPAN!

Female Yakuza Tale!

Teruo Ishii is the Director to celebrate right now – I mean, let’s look at the kind of crazy movies he gave us – starting with “Female Yakuza Tale!”

The full name of the film is “Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture” and it’s a classic Japanese sexploitation film from the early 70′s: lots of blood, sex and nudity – and a plot that is seemingly repeated in film after film:

A young woman is abused and seeks bloody revenge. Yep, that does it!

Teruo Ishii directed the film, which was a sequel to director Norifumi Suzuki’s “Sex & Fury”, which was made earlier the same year.

These are considered two of the classic Japanese “pinky” films of the 70′s.

Both have lots of nudity, sex and blood…all of it the result of a sharp sword! One thing that has helped “Sex & Fury” maintain a higher profile is the addition of European “Artsploitation” star, Christina Lindberg!

Click HERE for the story of “Sex & Fury” – and Christina Lindberg!

http://johnrieber.com/2012/05/31/mutant-girls-pinky-violence-sex-fury-and-lady-snowblood-too-japanese-sexploitation-lives/

Now, Time For A “Blind Beast!”

Time to celebrate this Director’s final film!

Blind Beast Vs. Killer Dwarf!

Director Tereo Ishii faded from view in the 80′s, working mostly in TV. However, his final movie has now been released – with much fanfare!

BANNED FOR TWO YEARS! LEGENDARY DIRECTOR TERUO ISHII’S FINAL DISTURBING MASTERPIECE!

“Teruo Ishii is a fantastic director, a great director! I love Teruo Ishii.” – QUENTIN TARANTINO

When prolific Japanese Cult Director Teruo Ishii passed away in 2005, his final film “BLIND BEAST VS. KILLER DWARF” became his epitaph – and let’s face it – he chose a CRAZY WAY TO GO!

Check out this trailer!

This film stands as the culmination of his life’s work and includes the bizarre and shocking excesses that one can come to expect from the director of “FEMALE YAKUZA TALE”: naked Japanese girls and lots of blood!

Throw into the mix the deranged, depraved and deformed and you’re starting to get the picture – this is a movie that set out to break all the rules – and did!

Borne of a lifelong obsession with the writings of Edogawa Rampo, PANIK HOUSE film releasing is calling Teruo Ishii ‘s swan song “a veritable circus of the insane!”

The press release makes a bold promise: “PANIK HOUSE is proud to present BLIND BEAST VS. KILLER DWARF in the director’s final, approved edition –sparing none of its macabre sex or over-the-top violence!”

I for one cannot wait to see it!

Time To Head Back To 42nd Street For A Grindhouse Classic!

Time to celebrate an era in film when the offbeat, experimental and just plain CRAZY could get films – and released! Time to head to New York’s Times Square for an unbelievable cinematic adventure!

There was a time when you could wander down New York’s 42nd street and find some of the most bizarre and bizarrely entertaining movies ever…here is an example of one of the greatest!

Sexy Sarah!

First, meet Sarah Kennedy, the most adorable star you could ever hope for in a film…in a breakout role – a role that sees her in virtually every scene in the film, usually saying stuff like this in a very innocent voice:

Now, imagine her in a film where she fall in love with –

THIS GUY!

Well, time to go back to a time when some of the world’s most unique films managed to get released – and thanks to a terrific home video company, they still live on today!

A Lost Cult Classic Is On The Phone! You Have To Answer This Call!

“The Telehone Book” is a mind-blowing camp classic! It’s a day in the life of a lonely, sensitive young woman – who meets a very special person on “the telephone.” Thus begins one of the most original and surreal romantic comedies ever made…

There is SO MUCH to share with you about this incredible cult classic, but let’s get started by checking out the trailer!

Thanks to the maniacs at Vinegar Syndrome for releasing this mind-blowing obscurity from the halcyon days of the early 70′s!

Actress Sarah Kennedy not only looks exactly like Goldie Hawn, but she plays Alice, a young woman who lives in a New York City apartment decorated with pornographic images and knickknacks.

She’s sexy, quirky and liberated, but she really gets off on obscene phone calls, with rotary dial work from an unknown man, identifying himself as Mr. Smith (Norman Rose), bringing Alice to orgasmic heights.

That’s right, she falls in love with Mr. Smith based solely on his obscene phone calls to her!

Alice tries to track down Mr. Smith by telephone book cold calling, then racing around town, running into an amazing array of people, usually doing something dirty, as you can tell by this movie poster:

Alice’s goal is simple: she must find her gloved Romeo – who wears a pig mask and claims he can seduce the President of the United States! Is this strange enough for you yet?

According to the great IMDB website, “The Telephone Book” was written and directed by Nelson Lyon, who went on to participate in the early years of “Saturday Night Live.” Lyon also achieved infamy as John Belushi’s partner during the drug-binge weekend that took the superstar’s life.

Calling Andy Warhol!

Here’s another great piece of trivia: According to producer Merv Bloch, the movie originally came with a specially shot intermission which he eventually decided to cut out. During the intermission Andy Warhol was shown sitting in a chair eating popcorn until the actual movie would continue again!

This intermission was meant as an in-joke to Warhol’s own films that often showed the most mundane things for an extended amount of time, like a person sleeping for several hours or a person eating something without anything extraordinary happening. The footage of this intermission is currently considered lost!

“The Telephone Book” also includes one of the most surreal animation sequences ever, which pushes the film into X-rated territory, but it’s all quirky and fun, and therefore surprisingly innocent…an adult film anchored by an innocence that is charming…

Writer-director Nelson Lyon helmed “The Telephone Book” as a kinky vaudeville revue. When Alice’s obscene phone caller boasts that his talents could seduce the President of the United States and the entire First Family, he suffixes his claim that he would not try it because “I have no political ambitions.” And yes, he wears a pig mask the entire time!

There are several recognizable people in the film, including Jill Clayburgh, who would go on to receive an Oscar nomination a few years later!

Thanks to the folks at Vinegar Syndrome, who have released a blu-ray with radio spots, production stills and a feature-length audio commentary! What a great job saving one of cinema’s most obscure films ever!

Time To Settle A Beef – With Beef!

If you know who Beef is, then you will be thrilled to hear about a terrific new special edition of Beef’s movie! It is, as the movie trailer proclaims:

“A Cinematic Odyssey Through The Rock Universe!”

Yes, welcome to the brilliance that is:

Phantom Of The Paradise!

This is one of my 5 favorite films EVER. It is Director Brian DePalma’s musical masterpiece, a re-telling of “Phantom Of The Opera”, set in the world of rock’n'roll. And it is SO great…it is also one of the most neglected classics of the 70′s – until now…

Here is the trailer:

“Our love is an old love baby, it’s older than all our years….”

The music in “Phantom Of The Paradise” is terrific – a great mix of musical styles that both lampoon – and honor – the musical styles of the 70′s. When my wife Alex and I got married, our first dance was to a song from this film, called “Old Souls.” Here is this beautiful ballad, sung by Actress Jessica Harper, with a montage from the film as well….

Brilliant Music From Oscar-Winner Paul Williams!

That gorgeous ballad was written by the brilliant songwriter Paul Williams, who is a celebrated singer/songwriter – Williams took home the Oscar just a few years later for his song “Evergreen”, from “A Star Is Born” – Barbara Streisand’s re-telling of the classic Hollywood tale!

Paul Williams not only wrote the entire “Phantom” motion picture soundtrack, but he stars in “Phantom” as well!

More on Williams in a moment, but first, a quick recap of the brilliant “Phantom Of The Paradise”!

Paul Williams stars as the mysterious Record producer “Swan” – who steals both the music and the girl from composer Winslow Leach. The disgraced and disfigured Leach plans revenge on Swan and his rock palace, The Paradise, and becomes “The Phantom”.

William Finley stars as Winslow Leach, a talented yet naive songwriter who falls in love with young singer Phoenix, played by Jessica Harper. After being betrayed by “Swan”, “The Phantom” begins to terrorize the Paradise. But there is a deal to be struck: Swan promises to make Phoenix a star if “The Phantom” writes all her music…

Winslow quickly learns there is more to Swan than meets the eye – the moment he has to sign his “lifetime” contact:

Swan: [holding a contract] It’s all here. Read it carefully, then sign at the bottom in blood. Messy, I know, but it’s the only way to bind. Tradition.

Swan: Ink isn’t worth anything to me, Winslow.

The film is a hilarious sendup of the 70′s music scene, as well as a bit of a horror film, and a poignant love story also. The musical soundtrack is full of great pop culture references, and the movie is brilliantly directed by Brian DePalma, whose next film was another of his many masterpieces, “Carrie”.

“Phantom” Danger!

The movie is a terrific musical and a wicked send-up of the music industry. In one scene, Winslow breaks into a record pressing plant to get his music back…to near fatal results…

Great IMDB Trivia!

According to the website IMDB, the record press that disfigures “The Phantom” was a real pressing plant (it was an injection-molding press at an Ideal Toy Co. plant). Actor William Finley was worried about whether the machine would be safe, and the crew assured that it was. The press was fitted with foam pads, and there were chocks put in the center to stop it from closing completely. Unfortunately, the machine was crushed the chocks and kept closing! It was Finley’s speed and timing that saved him from being hurt, as he got his head out just in time. And his scream in the scene was real!

All Hail The Majesty Of “BEEF”!

Garrit Graham is hilarious in the film as “Beef”, the singer that Swan secretly plans to feature in the opening of The Paradise. “Beef” quickly realizes something is wrong, and wants out – especially when The Phantom visits him in his dressing room in a spot on, classic parody of Hitchcock’s shower scene from “Psycho.”

This is one of the film’s many classic highlights, made all the more enjoyable by the over-the-top performance by Graham:

Beef: “There really is a phantom. He was just in my shower. He threatened my life. He said his music was for Phoenix. Only she can sing it. Anyone else who tries, dies.”

Needless to say, but Beef was right!

The film is full of great songs that parody everyone from The Beach Boys to David Bowie and Kiss – but strangely, “Phantom Of The Paradise” was a box office bomb when it was released – but thanks to home video, it has become re-discovered as one of DePalma’s masterpieces…really worth buying, because as the tour manager says bitterly to someone waiting in line for the show:

“THIS CREEP GETS NO COMPS!”

Arrow Films Hits A Bullseye!

Take a look at what Arrow films has done with “Phantom Of The Paradise” – an amazing new “Steelbook” release full of terrific extras!

You can read all about the release by going to the company’s website here:

http://www.arrowfilms.co.uk/phantom-of-the-paradise-steelbook/

Here is a look at what they have to offer fans:

SPECIAL FEATURES:
Limited Edition Steelbook packaging
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the feature, available in the UK for the first time!
Uncompressed Stereo PCM / 4.0 DTS-HD Master Audio options
Isolated Music and Effects soundtrack
Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired
Paradise Regained: A 50-minute documentary on the making of the film featuring director Brian De Palma, producer Edward R. Pressman, the late star William Finley, star and composer Paul Williams, co-stars Jessica Harper and Gerrit Graham and more!

Guillermo del Toro’s Paul Williams Interview!

And look at this! There is a new 72-minute interview with Paul Williams by Director Guillermo del Toro! How cool is that…and there is more included as well…

The Swan Song Fiasco: A new video piece exploring the changes made to the film in post-production
Archive interview with costume designer Rosanna Norton
William Finley on the Phantom doll!
Paradise Lost and Found: Alternate takes and bloopers from the cutting room floor
Original Trailers
Radio Spots

Gallery of rare stills including behind-the-scenes images by photographer Randy Black
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by The Red Dress
Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by festival programmer Michael Blyth and an
exploration of the film’s troubled marketing history by Ari Kahan, curator of SwanArchives.org, illustrated with original stills and promotional material.

What an amazing collection – I cannot wait for a US release! I mean, you don’t want to make Swan angry…

Paul Williams Still Alive!

And click here to read all about an amazing documentary all about Paul Williams:

http://johnrieber.com/2012/11/16/paul-williams-still-alive-phantom-of-the-paradise-soundtrack-of-the-70s/

A fantastic story about a truly gifted Artist….

William Finley RIP!

And if you want to read more about the star of “Phantom”, character Actor William Finley, here is an appreciation of his life:

http://johnrieber.com/2012/04/16/the-phantom-is-gone-an-appreciation-of-william-finley/

And congrats to Arrow films for a great new release!

“You wanna know somethin’, punk? You were born dumb and you’re gonna die dumb.”

Time to celebrate an Oscar-winning Actor who was also an action star – Art Carney! With so much celebration of the Academy Awards, here is a film starring Oscar winners and nominees, directed by an Oscar-winning Director – so much talent on such a neglected classic!

Wait – WHAT????

Yes, Art Carney was an action star! One of Hollywood’s most unique crossovers of all time began in 1974, when legendary “Honeymooners” TV star Art Carney won Best Actor for his work in the film “Harry And Tonto.”

Here is one of the most unique Oscar photos ever: Best Actor Art Carney hugging Francis Ford Coppola, who won that year for the brilliant “The Godfather Part II”!

Now only was Carney brilliant in this sweet road movie about an old man and his cat, but he parlayed it into a multitude of film roles, including his work as an action star!

“The Nicest Movie You’ll Ever See About Murder And Blackmail!”

Time to celebrate one of the greatest 70′s films ever, the classic:

The Late Show!

Director Robert Benton created one of the best films of the decade – with a terrific cast including Art Carney, Lily Tomlin, Bill Macy and Joanna Cassidy. Benton would go on to win an Oscar for “Kramer Vs. Kramer”, but this late 70′s film noir look at LA is a neglected gem.

Here is the trailer:

“Back in the Forties, this town was crawlin’ with dollies like you. Good-lookin’ coquettes tryin’ their damnedest to act tough as hell. I got news for you: they did it better back then. This town doesn’t change – they just push the names around. Same dames… screwin’ up their lives just the same way.”

That’s Art Carney speaking: a broken down gumshoe struggling to make rent, who has seen it all. He gets a new client, Lily Tomlin, who needs help finding her cat.

“Boy, it’s really lucky for you that I just happen to be a very self-destructive person.”

Tomlin has never been better as a woman full of self-doubt, paranoia and big big dreams! What happens next is one of the best tales of Hollywood noir ever, with terrific acting and a ton of recognizable faces in small roles.

If you only know Art Carney from The Honeymooners, his performance here is amazing, and Lily Tomlin is also outstanding – her best film work ever…

“The Late Show” is poignant, touching, full of action and twists, and oozing with the smell of Hollywood glitter and grime. Director Robert Benton was oscar-nominated for his script…

Carney Kicks Ass!

The best part of the film is Carney as a washed up private eye – who gets a chance to show that he’s a tougher guy than he looks…

There are SO many great supporting characters in this film, but none more memorable than Bill Macy, a veteran character actor from TV’s “Maude”, who is pitch perfect as a small time Hollywood hustler…

Macy captures perfectly the kind of small time hustler who Carney has to deal with as he tries to find Tomlin’s cat…the plot, however, is much much more than that, and a truly great gem of a movie…

“The Late Show” is now on DVD, and you can also find it on various ondemand services…Director Robert Benton does a great job with this film, which led to his next movie:

Robert Benton went on to write and direct the classic “Kramer Vs. Kramer”, which won a multitude of Oscars, including:

Best Picture Of 1979
Best Actor Dustin Hoffman
Best Supporting Actress Meryl Streep

Best Director Robert Benton
Best Screenplay Robert Benton

So, be sure to watch this great film as well! Kudos!

When Do You Know A Movie Is A Classic? Hint: When It Comes With THIS:

Enough with the Oscar winners: time to have fun with the “other” classic films! That’s right: imagine a movie SO SHOCKING, SO UNSETTLING, that the film makers offered up a vomit bag for your own protection! Well, the movie did offer this scene:

“Hold Your Tongue, Indeed!”

This 1970 film was notorious for scenes of torture – and much was made of the film’s most disgusting elements – if you aren’t familiar with this film, you have missed out on a “euro-sleaze” classic!

Here is the trailer:

“Rated V For Violence!”

“Mark Of The Devil” advertised itself as the first film “rated V for violence!” There was no such thing, but a great tag line, huh? In reality, the film was a standard horror movie from Germany, looking back at the witch trials that terrorized Europe. There was plenty of blood and torture – which was the main aspect of the film’s promotion…

“Mark Of The Devil” was just one of many movies that used this form of promotion – for example, “When The Screaming Stops” also came with a vomit bag – but remember, “DO NO RE-USE!”!

This was a funny gimmick to drive awareness for a film, and it worked! The early exploitation classic “Blood Feast” was the first in a long line of exploitation movies that promised far more than moviegoers had ever seen before, and it was also the first to offer a vomit bag:

When the films were advertised in newspapers – and even in the trailer – much was made of the unprecedented violence in the films, so much blood that the audience needed to be warned! And the hits kept on coming – even movies with virtually NO gore at all, like “Tomb Of The Blind Dead”!

“Death Stop Holocaust” – WHAT!?!?!?!?!?

And what about this film – I’ve never heard of it, but the vomit bag was MANDATORY!

Oh, based on the bag the movie was banned in 47 countries! Well, that explains why I missed it…

“Throw Up” Too…

And for the film “Bad Taste”, they didn’t offer vomits bags, they just called it the way they saw it, and gave out “throw up” bags!

“Check, Please!”

And how about this, a claim check that will allow you to come back for another screening if the film make you pass out!

These are all hilarious movie gimmicks, and they worked too, because “Mark Of The Devil” was a big grindhouse hit…let me know if you saw it, and if you needed the bag!

Hurray To The King Of “Scum!”

Much credit for these shenanigans must go to legendary exploitation Producer David F. Friedman, known for his crazy gimmicks to drive audiences wild!

Friedman had an angle for everything: he was the Producer of a multitude of great sexploitaiton classics of the 60′s and 70′s, like this gem:

To read how Friedman managed to lure audiences into films like “Scum Of The Earth”, click on the whole story right here:

http://johnrieber.com/2013/02/27/nudie-cuties-a-swallow-of-brine-the-defilers-meet-the-producer-of-scum/

And then read all about his career by getting his hilariously revealing autobiography as well – and kudos to the genius behind “A Smell Of Honey, A Swallow Of brine!”

And let’s not forget who is keeping the spirit of independent cinema alive – with their latest movie in theaters and soon to be unleashed on blu-ray!

That’s right, Troma President and great filmmaker Lloyd Kaufman is back with his latest “Tromasterpiece” – read all about it here!

http://johnrieber.com/2012/02/11/tromas-top-ten-the-tromatic-classics-unveiled/

Make sure you support Troma by purchasing “Return To The Class Of Nuke ‘em High Pt. 1″ when it is released on blu-ray – it keeps independent cinema alive – and you get a great movie to boot!

“Clash City Rockers!”

The Clash was one of the greatest bands ever – and, as Neil Young sang,

“it’s better to burn out than fade away…”

And boy, did they burn bright!

The meteoric rise and ultimate fall of The Clash is a great story – and the energy and activism of the band was captured in a classic – and neglected – cult movie!

The Clash formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk and consisted of Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Nicky “Topper” Headon. They launched at the same time as The Sex Pistols, heralding a new wave of music that captured the rage of young people worldwide: punk rock.

The Clash hit big with the release of their debut album, The Clash, in 1977. It’s includes such classics as “Clash City Rockers” and “I’m So Bored With The USA!” Here is The Clash performing “Bored” in the film “Rude Boy” – more on that in a minute:

“London Calling!”

The band’s third album, “London Calling” was declared the best album of the 1980′s by Rolling Stone magazine. It is filled with such classic Clash tracks as “Train In Vain”, “Guns Of Brixton” and the iconic title track:

“Rockin’ The Casbah!

In 1982, The Clash became one of the most popular bands in the world with the release of “Combat Rock”, which included the smash hit “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?” – along with this classic: “Rock the Casbah!”

“Grab The Future…By Its FACE!”

Yes, they were one of the greatest bands ever – and of course they broke up at the height of their success….but did you know that The Clash also starred in a movie?

“Rude Boy!”

The Clash starred in “Rude Boy” – a unique movie that is semi-documentary, part character study, part ‘rockumentary’, and ALL Clash. The “Rude Boy” is a friend of the band who becomes their roadie – and the film’s acted scenes are juxtaposed with actual public events of the day, including political demonstrations and Clash concerts.

Check out the trailer:

“It’s just a new load of people driving around in the black cars…”

Those words are spoken by Clash singer Joe Strummer to Ray Gange, the “rude boy” who is friends with the band. They are discussing the political system in the world, where “the few” have everything.

“I just want to be one of the few”, Ray states candidly…

Our “Rude Boy” is childhood friends with Strummer – but while Joe talks about an uprising against the rich, Roy just wants to BE rich! His character, while disaffected, is also lazy and entitled – and it leads to great scenes between the Actor and the band…all captured in a very cinema verite style…

Our “Rude Boy” travels with the band as they perform throughout England – and the concert material is mesmerizing. The Clash tear through many of the songs from their debut album, as well as the followup, “Give ‘em Enough Rope.” It’s a great non-fiction documentary on the band as well as a great film…

According to wikipedia, the band became so disenchanted with the film, that by its release, they had badges made that said ‘I don’t want Rude Boy Clash Film’.

I don’t remember that when it was released in the US – I just remember how great the music was…

The Clash should be proud: “Rude Boy” is an intense look at a polarized England in the early 80′s – and a terrific document of one of the greatest bands of all time – let’s not forget, on their triple album “Sandanista!” they had a song inspired by “Apocalypse Now” called “Charley Don’t Surf!”

Time To Celebrate Lina Romay Again!

The late Lina Romay was one of exploitation’s biggest stars. She began appearing in Director Jess Franco’s films from the time they met in 1971. They eventually married and she made more than a hundred films, most of them directed by Franco.

The majority of their films together were in the sexploitation category, as well as horror, comedy and action/adventure as well.

Among the most famous of her cult horror movies are “Female Vampire” and “Barbed Wire Dolls.” With more than a hundred films, it can be difficult to find the best ones, but I am here to help!

Kudos To Severin Films!

Because of the dedicated effort of a few great home video companies, some of Romay’s best movies are now available – including this notorious, controversial classic!

The Hot Nights Of Linda!

Jess Franco’s legendary sexploitation classic is finally unearthed, thanks to Severin Films! The Director’s wife, Lina Romay, stars in one of her larger roles for him – and among the most notorious! And the blu-ray release is full of great additional material!

Here is the plot: A young woman is hired to care for an elderly man who lives on an island off the Greek coast. When she arrives there the man warns her that his daughters are evil and dangerous. The woman discovers that one of the daughters is a crazed nymphomaniac who pursues, and seduces, everyone in the house, including her crippled sister.

A Barcelona Bordello Discovery!

According to Severin, the film is restored from a 35mm print discovered in a Barcelona bordello! I don’t care how they found it, I’m just glad they did, as it is loaded with Bonus Features and presented in high definition for the first time ever in America!

Blu-Ray Bonuses!

Look at all of the bonus material included in this release:

Hot Nights – an exclusive Interview with director Jess Franco;
Jess and Lina talk LINDA – Exclusive Interview with Director Jess Franco and Star Lina Romay; Fantasticfest Lifetime Achievement Award Presentation to Jess Franco;
NIGHTMARE USA/BEYOND TERROR Author Stephen Thrower on LINDA;
Out-takes from the film and of course, the Trailer for the movie…

BUT THERE IS MORE…..

The Notorious “French” Version!

The blu-ray is a three disc effort – the film on blu-ray, on DVD, and a third disc, with the notorious “alternate banana” version of the film – the french cut, which is completely uncensored!

Again, kudos to Severin Films – what a great job! I recently posted about another classic sexploitation film they released in an elaborate package as well – “House On Straw Hill”:

Check out “House On Straw Hill” by clicking on the link here:

http://johnrieber.com/2013/10/14/house-on-straw-hill-video-nasties-documentary-great-blu-ray-release/

And check out everything Severin has to offer by going to their website:

http://www.severin-films.com/

And, here is some additional information about legendary Sexploitation filmmaker Jess Franco:

Franco’s themes often revolved around lesbian vampires, women in prison, surgical horror, sadomasochism, zombies and sexploitation – and were drenched in blood…

Franco’s films were notorious at the time – and in many cases they were censored or banned – and of course, many starred his wife, Lina Romay.

He managed to write and direct around 160 motion pictures in his lifetime, encompassing a wide swath of different genres, with practically no financial backing available.

Franco and Romay worked together for decades – it is a fascinating story, and includes movies that are notorious, controversial, and wacky beyond belief!

Here is a look at two of their best efforts!

The “Naked” Prey!

“Countess Perverse” and “Lorna The Exorcist” are wacky, bizarre films that must be seen to be believed! “Countess” is basically a “extremely naked” version of “The Naked Prey”, while “Lorna” is a classic european shocker that is only a little bit about Exorcists, but includes one of the greatest closing scenes of all time!

To read about these two classic Lina Romay films, just click on my story here!

http://johnrieber.com/2013/02/17/countess-perverse-lorna-the-exorcist-jess-francos-naked-masterpieces/

You will never look at cinema the same way again!

We all know the obvious: Female Ninjas Kick ASS!

I have posted before about one of the WILDEST film genres today: Japanese exploitation movies, known in Japan as:

“J-Sploitation!”

Get to know this name, it will never let you down!

This unique form of japanese exploitation movie looks closely at the various aspects of the country’s culture, especially its treatment of young women. Therefore, many of the films deal with school girls who are abused, and the movies document their ultimate revenge against the men who abused them…and yes, in some cases it involves specially mutated body parts that turn these young women into robotic killers!

As I said, this genre of film is really CRAZY: lots of over the top action, bloodshed, and more action! Let’s get started!

Mutant Girls Squad!

Talk about a kick ass groups of girls!

Action, comedy and splatter: times three! For the first time ever, Japanese cult filmmakers Noboru Iguchi (Robo-Geisha, The Machine Girl), Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police, Vampire Girl Vs. Frankenstein Girl) and Tak Sakaguchi (Death Trance, Versus, Yoroi: Samurai Zombie) have joined forces to bring you three times the heart-pounding action, three times the jaw-dropping comedy and three times the head-exploding splatter of your average action / horror / comedy film!

Just watch the trailer – and you will understand!

So you get the idea: “Mutant Girls Squad” is an outrageously bloody, violent, and hilarious take on gender warfare! It’s just one of the long list of classic “j=sploitation” movies available now! Here are a few more of the outrageous films coming to us from Japan’s twisted Horror masters!

More Iconic “J-Sploitation!” It’s “Tokyo Gore Police!”

I call this the “Citizen Kane” of J-sploitation…”Tokyo Gore Police” has to be seen to be believed!

Set in a future-world vision of Tokyo where the police have been privatized and bitter self-mutilation is so casual that advertising is often specially geared to the “cutter” demographic, this is the story of samurai-sword-wielding Ruka and her mission to avenge her father’s assassination.

Ruka is a cop from a squad who’s mission is to destroy homicidal mutant humans known as “engineers” possessing the ability to transform any injury to a weapon in and of itself. “Tokyo Gore Police” was shot and completed in just two weeks, but you’d never know by the insane level of special effects work done…

Also, look at some of the creatures that Nishimura created, using the plot line that humans can transform any injury into a weapon…and they transform in amazingly disturbing ways in the film…

The film’s most iconic, and disturbing image involves one such radical transformation….

Yes, this is disturbing…But as I explained in the film’s description, “Tokyo Gore Police” is more than just bloodshed and unsettling creatures…the film tackles social issues like “cutting”, an epidemic in Japan…

And as I said, the imagery is so over-the-top that the scenes are more fascinating than revolting, and the film has a storyline that never slows down for a second:

Here are some of the other films I have talked about in the past – such as this classic!

“Zombie Ass: Toilet Of The Dead!”

<img src="http://johnrieber.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/japanese-sexploitaiton.jpg" alt="japanese sexploitaiton" width="640"

Yes, the movie lives up to its title! Here is the trailer:

“We are going to flush you! The most crap-tastic zombie movie ever to emerge from Japan’s cinema sewer is finally upon us, and it’s from the twisted mind of cinematic madman and legendary ass-fetishist Noboru Iguchi, creator of THE MACHINE GIRL, ROBO-GEISHA and KARATE-ROBO ZABORGAR!”

The terrific Japanese Director Iguchi has created a splatter comedy guaranteed to warm the bowels of those with the stomach for it… while more sensitive viewers may want to plug their noses and flee in disgust!

Wracked with guilt over the suicide of her sister Ai, who was tormented by high school bullies, pretty young karate student Megumi accompanies a group of older friends on a trip into the woods.

Things start to go badly when Maki finds a parasitical worm inside a fish they catch – and wolfs it down alive, in the hope that it’ll help keep her skinny! And then… zombies!

The group is attacked by a crowd of poop-covered undead who emerge from an outhouse toilet, and seek refuge at the home of strange Dr. Tanaka and his daughter Sachi. But unbeknownst to them, Tanaka has been conducting experiments on the parasites – and the zombies! – and has another fate in mind for the five strangers from the city.

So much drama! So much violence! So MANY Zombies! And the question on everyone’s mind is this: What’s the connection between the parasites and the undead?

The Liberating Power Of Farts!

This is what makes J-sploitation so unique – this plot asks the question: can Megumi’s karate alone help them escape, or will she have to rely on the liberating power of farts to save the day?

Now, time to celebrate Hollywood’s classic monsters – done in a unique “j-sploitation” style!

Vampire Girl Vs. Frankenstein Girl

The deranged genius behind “Tokyo Gore Police” is back with a chilling new flick that’s re-writing the hallowed history of the horror genre. “Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl” is the terrifying story of two classic monsters re-imagined as super hot – and extremely lethal – Japanese school girls.

Gore reigns supreme in this “blood-cake cavalcade of carnage” – which was chosen as the winner of the Audience Award at the 2009 NY Asian Film Festival.

Fan boys and movie blogs are already buzzing over this bloodbath du jour, and aficionados of psychedelic blood-filled chocolates, mad scientist principals, sumo wrestlers from hell, and sex-crazed school nurses are guaranteed to lose their heads over this old school splatter-fest.

This film isn’t quite as cohesive to me as some of the others, but once again you see a Director who is going to throw everything he has into making this an over-the-top gore fest, and for that you should be thankful.

Here’s another example of the “j-sploitation” trend to focus on school girls:

Attack Girls Swim Team Vs. The Undead – AKA “The Girls Rebel Force of Competitive Swimmers”.

How can you argue with a movie with this title!

Here is the plot: Aki is a student with a troubled past. She was kept prisoner and abused by an enigmatic professor and trained to be an assassin. She had just transferred to a school at the worst possible time. There’s a mysterious virus in the school and students and teachers are being rounded up to receive a vaccine to counter the virus. However, the very same vaccine supposed to protect them from infection is actually a drug that turns everyone to flesh-eating zombies!

You will see more nudity in this movie than in most of the others, as well as plenty of bloodshed. Who could ask for more?

Time to get out of the pool and back into action!

The Machine Girl.

Ami is a typical college girl. She’s bright, friendly, popular and athletic, with nothing to set her apart from other girls her age other than the fact that she is an orphan, left to care for her younger brother after her father committed suicide after being falsely accused of murder. Ami’s brother has racked up a considerable debt to another boy at school, and that boy just happens to be the heir to a clan of vicious ninja-yakuza. Ami’s brother can’t pay, violence breaks out and in the course of trying to avenge her brother, Ami is captured by the clan. They torture her and hack her arm right off.

Ami escapes, barely alive, and is taken in by the owners of a machine shop who build her a customized, bullet-spewing arm. From that point, the quest for revenge is on in earnest.

Don’t worry, “The Machine Girl” delivers on every single thing you want: bloodshed, exploitation, and REVENGE!

As you can now see, these films begin and end in a similar way: young Japanese women are treated horribly by men, and they find a way, usually with scientific modifications, to exact revenge…bloody bloody revenge! Since there isn’t a single guy in these films worth rooting for, you can’t wait for the next act of revenge to occur, and trust me, they occur PLENTY.

To get a regular dose of this – and other exploitation mayhem, just click on to my website devoted to the world’s wildest cinema!

http://jrsploitation.com/

Enjoy!

Did you know that Director Alexander Payne wanted Gene Hackman to play the lead role in “Nebraska?” Just the latest bit of movie trivia from one of the screen’s greatest Actors!

Time To Celebrate The Legendary Gene Hackman!

His career spanned five decades – and resulted in a ton of awards, including two Oscars. He won the Best Actor award in 1971 for his portrayal of “Popeye” Doyle in “The French Connection” in 1971 and the Best Supporting Actor award for “Unforgiven” in 1992.

Here is a celebration of his ten greatest roles, and you will still find fault for what I had to leave off!

First, a few bio tidbits: In 1956, Hackman began pursuing an acting career; he joined the Pasadena Playhouse in California, where he made friends with another aspiring actor, Dustin Hoffman. Already seen as outsiders by their classmates, Hackman and Hoffman were later voted “The Least Likely To Succeed.”

FYI, the two Actors remained lifelong friend, and they finally acted together in the film “The Runaway Jury.”

“FATHER BRADY?????”

How about this?!?!?! Gene Hackman nearly accepted the role of Mike Brady in the TV series, The Brady Bunch, but was advised by his agent to turn it down – but he was almost Marcia Brady’s Dad!

Author Hackman!

Did you know that Hackman has teamed with undersea archaeologist Daniel Lenihan, and written four novels: Wake of the Perdido Star (1999), Justice for None (2004), Escape from Andersonville (2008) and Payback at Morning Peak (2011).

In 2008, while promoting his third novel, Hackman confirmed that he had retired from acting.

Director Alexander Payne specifically wanted to make his movie “Nebraska” just so he could work with Hackman, but the Actor declined the offer to come out of retirement…so the role went to Bruce Dern, who got an Oscar-nomination for the role!

Could you imagine how great Hackman would have been in the movie? It was a tailor-made role for him – and he is, without a doubt, one of film’s all time greatest…

Here now, the top ten Gene Hackman performances:

10-Young Frankenstein!

Yes, it was only a cameo, but Hackman proved he could do comedy with the best of them – popping up halfway through this classic Mel Brooks comedy, as a lonely Monk looking to share a meal and a cigar with the Frankenstein monster.

Hilarious. You never thought of Hackman as a comedy Actor, but he had perfect comic timing, no better shown than here…and there are more great examples to come!

9 – Hoosiers!

In 1986, Hackman played a coach with a checkered past who teams up with a local drunk played by Dennis Hopper to train a small town high school basketball team to become a top contender for the championship.

His performance is understated, and he gives Hopper plenty of room to shine in the smaller role – a great example of his generosity as an Actor.

8 – Bonnie & Clyde

Hackman exploded on movie screens as Buck Barrow, part of the most legendary gang in history. As Clyde says, “this here’s Miss Bonnie Parker. I’m Clyde Barrow. We rob banks.”

Hackman was oscar-nominated for his performace in this groundbreaking action thriller from 1967.

Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway head up an outstanding cast directed by Arthur Penn, who also directed another classic Hackman film, “Night Moves” – more on that in a moment……

“Bonnie & Clyde” is one of the most important films of the 60′s – ushering in a new era of violence and frankness in movies…

Hackman could play a tough guy very well, but here is one of his most popular roles – playing a comic villian in a beloved Superhero movie!

7 – Superman!

In 1978, Hackman entertained a whole new generation with his portrayal of Lex Luthor, the nemesis to Superman!

It was an unexpected casting – considering that Hackman was an Oscar-winning Actor – serious, tough as nails, not known for a comedic tough…and yet in the film, he acts in such a fun, carefree way that it forever changed his reputation as a serious, tough as nails Actor!

As Lex Luthor says to his idiotic accomplice Otis, played beautifully by Ned Beatty:

“Do you know why the number two hundred is so vitally descriptive to both you and me? It’s your weight and my I.Q.”

And Hackman’s comic timing was showcased once again in this film that skewers Hollywood!

6-Get Shorty.

John Travolta starred as mobster Chili Palmer, who travels to Hollywood to collect a debt and discovers that the movie business is much the same as his current job. Hackman has a terrific role as Harry Zimm, a low-rent, low-budget movie Producer who gets caught up in Travolta’s Hollywood adventures, and pays a painfully funny price.

As Zimm says of Chili Palmer: “The guy’s been in town two days, and already he thinks he’s David O. Fucking Selznick.”

Lots of great acting in this hilarious movie from 1995.

5-Night Moves.

I’ve written about “Night Moves” before, but now that it has been released on DVD and Amazon streaming, it’s a great film to check out.

Here is the film’s trailer:

Like “The Limey”, it’s a terrifically moody film noir – Hackman plays private detective Harry Moseby, who gets hired for a standard missing person case, as an aging Hollywood actress wants him to find her stepdaughter. The stepdaughter is played by Melanie Griffith, in her first movie role.

This is Gene Hackman’s golden era in film, beginning with “Bonnie & Clyde” and going through “The French Connection” 1 & 2, and the brilliant “Scarecrow” with Al Pacino. He even found time to star in the box office smash “The Poseidon Adventure!”

As Private Detective Harry Moseby travels to Florida to find the missing girl, he begins to see a connection with the runaway girl, the world of Hollywood stuntmen, and a suspicious mechanic when an unsolved murder comes to light.

As with all great film noir, the story takes many twists and turns as the true motives of the cast become clear…and a great cast including the young Griffith and a young James Woods as well.

4-Prime Cut.

Lee Marvin was one of film’s all-time tough guys, but Gene Hackman stood toe-to-toe with him in this gritty thriller…here’s a teaser:

Lee Marvin plays his toughest role ever, as an “Enforcer” for the Mob, who heads to Kansas City to get the money that Gene Hackman owes the Mob…

Oh yeah, Hackman’s not really interested in paying back what he owes…and from then on out, the fight is on!

Hackman plays a cattle rancher who not only grinds his enemies into sausage, but sells women as sex slaves. The movie was considered highly risqué for its time based on its level of violence, as well as its graphic depiction of female slavery, including a scene depicting the auctioning of young women in the manner of beef cattle.

Gene Hackman digs into his role as the bad guy, but it’s Marvin to kick ass and takes no prisoners. There is a scene where Marvin and Sissy Spacek are chased through a wheat field by a shredder…a great action sequence.

Marvin and Spacek have a great rapport in the film, as he takes on a “father figure” role to help her escape from the bad guys…

A couple of years before she catapulted to stardom in “Carrie”, Sissy Spacek co-stars, and does a great job in the role…

This was Sissy Spacek’s feature film debut – and involves a lot of nudity.

Marvin and Gene Hackman have a number of great scenes together, a couple of tough guys chewing up the scenery in a great B-movie.

3-Scarecrow.

“A crow isn’t afraid of a scarecrow. It laughs.”

Scarecrow

Pacino re-teamed with “Needle Park” Director Jerry Schatzberg for the brilliant “Scarecrow”, also starring Gene Hackman.

Talk about an acting master class! Gene Hackman was just a year past his Oscar-Winning Best Actor role in “The French Connection” Here he plays Max, an ex-con who’s been saving money to open a car wash in Pittsburgh.

Max: For every car, there is dirt.

Max is hitch-hiking across country, and on the way he meets Al Pacino…

Pacino is Lionel, a sailor who’s returning home to the midwest to see the child born while he was at sea. Of course, they meet while hitch-hiking and decide to travel together.

They form an unlikely pair as the brawling Max learns a little how Lionel copes with the world: Lionel believes that the scarecrow doesn’t scare birds, but instead amuses them – birds find scarecrows funny. So Lionel believes that everything will be OK if you can just make people laugh…Hackman knows better…

Gene Hackman is brilliant as a tough, tough TOUGH ex-con who has a plan, and NOTHING is going to get in his way…he also has a few hilarious quirks, such as what he likes to eat:

Max: [at the lunch counter] “Gimme a chocolate doughnut and a bottle of beer.”

This is a real “road” movie. Before shooting, Gene Hackman and Al Pacino both dressed as hobos and hitchhiked through California to get into their characters.

Gene Hackman has stated that his performance in Scarecrow is his personal favorite. For Pacino, this film followed “Needle Park” and “The Godfather”, and led right into “The Godfather Part 2″…what a run of masterful acting performances!

Here is one of the most under-rated movies of the 70′s, even though it was nominated for a slew of Oscars…

3-The Conversation.

“I’m not afraid of death, but I am afraid of murder.”

In 1974, Francis Ford Coppola made this outstanding drama about Harry Caul, an expert in the art of listening in on others…but his specialty comes back to haunt him when he hears a murder…or does he? This film was nominated for Best Picture, losing to Coppola’s other masterpiece that year, The Godfather Part 2. Harrison Ford has a bit role here as well…

Now, don’t laugh…

2-The Poseidon Adventure!

“Hell, Upside Down.” That was the tagline for the greatest disaster movie of all time. And you know why it’s just a timeless action thriller? Because of Hackman!

It is the gravitas of Hackman that holds the film together – a testament to his powerful screen presence…

Gene Hackman plays Reverand Scott, who must help a small group climb up to the bottom of the overturned luxury cruise ship. This is the gold standard for disaster films, and it took a great actor like Hackman to give the premise weight – to make their adventure seem real.

Look at the cast of classic Hollywood names populating this film: Stella Stevens, Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters, just to name a few of the ton of recognizable faces that populate this 1972 smash hit.

The French Connection!

It was the Academy Award-winning Best Picture of 1971, and it’s the true story of “Popeye” Doyle, a NY cop determined to bust a heroin smuggling ring…

He is, of course, a cop willing to break all the rules in order to get his man – and that includes one of the most amazing car chases ever filmed…beautifully filmed by legendary Director William Friedkin, who went on to make “The Exorcist”, “To Live And Die In LA”, “Sorcerer” AND “Killer Joe”!

The Legendary Car Chase!

Thanks to the terrific website IMDB, here are some amazing anecdotes about the filming of the legendary car chase through the streets of New York in “The French Connection.”

The car crash during the chase sequence, at the intersection of Stillwell Ave. and 86th St., was unplanned and was included because of its realism. The man whose car was hit had just left his house a few blocks from the intersection to go to work and was unaware that a car chase was being filmed. The producers paid the bill for the repairs to his car!

According to IMDB, the car chase was filmed without obtaining the proper permits from the city! Members of the NYPD’s tactical force helped control traffic. But most of the control was achieved by the assistant directors with the help of off-duty NYPD officers, many of whom had been involved in the actual case.

A camera was mounted on the car’s bumper for the shots from the car’s point-of-view. Hackman did some of the driving but the extremely dangerous stunts were performed by Bill Hickman, with Friedkin filming from the backseat.

Friedkin operated the camera himself because the other camera operators were married with children and he was not. The mjaority of the chase was, however, very well choreographed, but it is that realism in the filming that makes the scene itself so heart-pounding!

The film spawned a less successful sequel, but it is also a great movie, just a different one…

A great great performance, including memorable dialogue such as this:

“All right! You put a shiv in my partner. You know what that means? Goddammit! All winter long I got to listen to him gripe about his bowling scores. Now I’m gonna bust your ass for those three bags and I’m gonna nail you for picking your feet in Poughkeepsie!”

Equally as impressive was his return in the sequel two years later, where he is drugged up while tracking down the bad guys in Marseilles. His drug-addicted monologue in captivity is an amazing piece of acting. A terrific double bill and a great way to celebrate his ability to command the lead in a movie.

There you have it – enough great Gene Hackman movies to keep you busy for the next year! Tell me what I missed – although I already have an idea – I mean, he was great in “The Firm”, The Royal Tanenbaums” and of course, “Unforgiven”…