Page for July 4 - 10, 2009.
(Banner by Chris Casey)
The purpose of this page is to find others with a shared interest
in these kinds of movies, and to keep me from getting that "No new
messages" response when I check my email. So, please
drop me a line
with comments or questions about
Italian and Spanish action movies,
or Martial Arts fight flicks.
William Connolly
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Contents: Trivia Game (below),
Recent Viewings (below),
Unanswered Questions and Requests,
Stuff For Sale or Trade,
Stuff I'm Looking For,
Some of my favorite films,
and Links.
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Check out The Spaghetti Cinema blog.
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Click here for a French documentary on Almeria, submitted by Philippe Rège.
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Brain Teasers:
Which Italian Western has a villain whose moniker translates as "Fat"?
ARIZONA COLT's villain, played by Fernando Sansho, is called El Gordo, or Gordo Watch. Gordo means "Fat".
How many Westerns did Burt Kennedy direct in Spain?
No one has answered this question yet.
Dino De Laurentiis fired Burt Kennedy as the director of what film?
No one has answered this question yet.
What made in Europe production by Dino De Laurentiis seemed to point the way for his move to the U.S.?
No one has answered this question yet.
Which Italian Western has been called a rip-off of BUGSY MALONE?
Greg Sonier knows that it is KID IL MONELLO DEL WEST, aka BAD KIDS OF THE WEST.
Which Italian film director born in 1929 is the son of an Italian film makeup artist?
No one has answered this question yet.
Which Italian film producer appeared as an actor in director Pietro Germi's first film?
No one has answered this question yet.
In which sword and sandal epic does our hero wear the face-covering helmet of his father to combat the villain's forces?
Greg Sonier knows it is director Sergio Corbucci's IL FIGLIO DI SPARTACUS, aka SON OF SPARTACUS, aka THE SLAVE.
In which Italian Western does our hero work as an hangman inorder to assemble a team to combat the villain?
Guptee Bidaisee, Rick Garibaldi and George Grimes knew that it is PREPARATI LA BARA!, aka VIVA DJANGO.
Which Italian film director wrote FUGA IN ITALIA (THE FLIGHT INTO ITALY), a memoir of his escape from the Nazi authorities accompanied by Dino De Laurentiis?
No one has answered this question yet.
Which long popular samurai-era character has been reimagined as a woman for a new film?
Greg Sonier and Henrique Jose Ferreira do Amaral knows that it is Zatoichi, who is now a blind female entertainer in ICHI.
And now for some new brain teasers:
Which Italian director was brought in to assist Martin Ritt in directing FIVE BRANDED WOMEN?
Which Hollywood producer threw a party to congratuate Dino De Laurentiis in making a film version of WAR AND PEACE?
What was the first project on which Luciano Vincenzoni worked with Dino De Laurentiis?
What was the first Japanese movie to win the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar?
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Name the movies from which these images come.
Domenico Cutillo, Rick Garibaldi and George Badal identified last week's frame grab of
Peter Lee Lawrence in KILLER CALIBRO 32, aka 32 CALIBER KILLER.
Above is a new photo. Can you name from what movie it came?
No one has been able to identify from what movie the above frame grab, provided by Mike Eustace, came.
It shows Linda Cristal in LE LEGIONI DI CLEOPATRA, aka LEGIONS OF THE NILE.
No one has identified the above photo yet.
Can you identify from what movie it came?
Issue #77 of SPAGHETTI CINEMA is now available.
In it, Mike Eustace continues his essay on Sword and Sandal flicks, "Nights of Pleasure...
Days of Strife", with a look at "The Monsters of Hercules".
James Chaney concludes his translation of the interviews conducted by Franca Faldini and Goffredo Fofi
with Italian Western directors Sergio Leone, Sergio Corbucci, Duccio Tessari and many others.
Finally, Mickey Hargitay is memorialized in two articles. First is an interview by Gerard Dessere conducted in 2002. And then there is a brief biography with filmography.
SPAGHETTI CINEMA
A 50 page photocopy journal investigating Italian and Spanish
popular cinema, S.C. began publication in 1984 and continues
to come out as often as possible.
From Hercules to The Man With No Name; from I VAMPIRI to CEMETARY MAN
- S.C. offers research and opinion on the kinds of movies
which excited us as children and continues to fascinate under
more mature scrutiny.
For a list of back issues and ordering information
click here.
Trivia questions welcomed!
Henrique Jose Ferreira do Amaral identified last week's frame grab from THE EAST IS RED, aka SWORDSMAN 3.
Above is a new photo. Can you name from what movie it came?
M.A.M.A. #54 is now available with Michael Reid's exhaustive listing of movies, TV and anime
based on the Shinsengumi; including THE LAST SAMURAI, GOHATTO, Samurai X, THE MAN WHO KILLED
RYOMA, TENGU TO, BAND OF ASSASSINS and ASSASSINATION. Mike Eustace also continues to comment
on recent Celestial DVD releases of old Shaw Brothers movies.
For ordering information, click on "drop me a line" below.
MARTIAL ARTS MOVIE ASSOCIATES
A 20 page photocopy journal investigating Asian action films, M.A.M.A. began publication in 1985.
For a list of back issues and ordering information
click here.
Trivia questions welcomed.
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I would be interested in knowing what movies you are watching and what you are
enjoying or not. So please drop me a line
if you'd like to share. Here's what I watched last week:
Enjoyed:
American Masters: Garrison Keillor: The Man On the Radio In the Red Shoes
Lexx 3.1 "Fire and Water"
Lexx 3.2 "May" - Why hasn't Anna Kathrin Bleuler done more?
Lexx 3.3 "Gametown"
Lexx 3.4 "Boomtown" - Patricia Zentilli and Janaya Stephens are two more Canadian actresses to watch for.
Burn Notice #32 "Fearless Leader"
Royal Pains #4 "TB Or Not TB" - It's always nice to see Callie Thorne. Wanted: more appearances by Jennifer Missoni.
Mildly enjoyed:
The Philanthropist #1 "Pilot" - I'm not all that sold on this as a series, but how can I ignore a show with James Purefoy, Lindy Booth, Neve Campbell, Jesse L. Martin and Michael K. Williams in it, plus it was created by Tom Fontana?
KILLSHOT - Okay, it ended well, but this suspense drama wasn't much fun in the viewing. Diane Lane and Rosario Dawson provided some enjoyment, but I'd really rather have watched them in something else.
RACHEL GETTING MARRIED - This is reasonably well-made, but is pretty obvious in its depiction of family tensions and drug rehabilitation.
Did not enjoy:
HOUSE - I quite liked Julie Ann Emery on the short-lived TV series Line of Fire, and am saddened to see her in this dreadful 2008 release.
NITRO - A French Canadian FAST AND FURIOUS that wants to make you cry. This is not my kind of movie.
Merlin #1 - What did I expect? I didn't like the new versions of Hercules, Robin Hood and Henry VIII. Why would a reimagining of Merlin be any better?
IMPACT - A four hour TV version of DEEP IMPACT with even more sentimentality.
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Graham Rix Enjoyed:
TERROR OF THE TONGS (1961) - A wonderful pulp adventure from the Hammer stable, reminiscent of FU MANCHU. A two-fisted sea captain investigates ritual murder in China. Colourful and action packed, just like Hammer used to make 'em.
TWILIGHT SAMURAI (2002) - A romantic, character-driven samurai movie with my favourite Japanese actor, Hiroyuki Sanada, giving a fine performance as a poor samurai struggling to make ends meet.
Mildly enjoyed:
MANHUNT (2008) - Another grisly wood-bound survival horror, this one from Norway. Not much in the way of plot, just lots of senseless, brutal killing.
JACK THE RIPPER (1976) - Jess Franco's take on the Victorian serial killer. A great turn from Klaus Kinski, some nice atmosphere and that's about it, although for the director this is a surprisingly well directed little film.
Did not enjoy:
ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES (1978) - I generally don't mind watching spoofs but this has to be one of the poorest, most unfunny comedies of all time, a film that failed to raise even a single chuckle.
WISHMASTER 2: EVIL NEVER DIES (1999) - A cheesy sequel to the cheesy original. This one screams 'straight to video' throughout and is generally poor, despite a few amusing jokes.
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