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Also discussed this episode: Mountainhead (2025), The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023), Black Bag (2025), Mickey 17 (2025), The Age of Innocence (1993), They Call Her Death (2024),
Also discussed this episode: Mountainhead (2025), The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023), Black Bag (2025), Mickey 17 (2025), The Age of Innocence (1993), They Call Her Death (2024),
As a Jess Franco movie, about 20 years ago they release a dvd of Orson Welles' Don Quijotte, which Franco finished. I have a dvd, but. i don't know where it would be streaming. I haven't seen it in a while, so many i'll do it on the day
ReplyDeleteDespite the dubious quality of his filmography, I have developed a fondness for Jess Franco. I watch at least one of his films every Junesploitation. There are a few movies I would recommend for those who are newbies or who have a hard time getting into his films. Rififi In The City is one of his early efforts and is a surprisingly effective film noir. It is available on Tubi. The other noir he did, Death Whistles The Blues, is also on Tubi. The Diabolical Dr. Z is 1960s Eurohorror that find entertaining and stylish. The Awful Dr. Orloff is not as stylish but is still easy to follow. For those who want to explore his arty sexy films, Venus In Furs is an appropriate introduction because it does not go as far as other later ones. She Killed In Ecstasy may be my favorite Franco film. Soledad Miranda is a mesmerizing presence in that and Vampyros Lesbos. The films Franco made from the mid-1970s onward tend to get much trashier. Bloody Moon, which was mentioned by Patrick, I remember being a humorous and somewhat sleazy take on the slasher craze of the time. Jess Franco admitted to not connecting with horror by this time in his career.
ReplyDeleteThese are great suggestions! Thank you. I forgot that SKIE and Vampyros Lesbos are both Franco and I have copies of both so my Jess day is squared!
DeleteThanks A.C.L! Franco is completely off my radar and after listening to the podcast i was gonna google around to get some suggestions. You've done that for me nicely. appreciate it.
DeleteGlad I can be of help. With 200 directing credits, narrowing down the options for Jess Franco can be a challenge. I have waded through many junky films from him.
DeleteI have had a long and strange journey with Franco. I would say SKIE and The Awful Dr. Orloff are good starters. My favorite is Night Has a Thousand Desires. However, it is very much in the "Advanced Studies" as far as his filmography.
ReplyDeleteI am hesitant to recommend anything made past past 1974 for Jess Franco neophytes, Shannon. Though there are several films he made after that time I like, they are, as you aptly state, "Advanced Studies". But if anybody wants to watch some of his sleazier films, there are plenty to choose.
DeleteHave you seen any of the early noir films? They are quite surprising from the standpoint of how his career progressed. I will add Night Has A Thousand Desired to my watch list. I already have a tall stack of Franco releases (Severin has put out so many) that I have not yet watched. Plenty of choices for June 10th.
I have not delve into his early noir but am definitely interested in his take on it since I enjoy that genre.
DeleteAnother option for Jess Franco day is a documentary on Tubi called In The Land of Franco. Directed by Severin Films founder David Gregory, the doc features the writer Stephen Thrower - author of a couple of books on Jess Franco's career - taking the viewer on a tour of the sites and locales the Franco frequently utilized for his films. One of the reasons Jess Franco was able to finish so many is that he had a list of places that he knew how to film in quickly. The doc would probably be of more interest to those who are already familiar with Franco's work, but it certainly is an alternative to watching one of his films. You would learn something about the man.
ReplyDeleteLove the love for writers/journalism <3
ReplyDeleteAlso hi I’ve moved back to the Midwest. Let’s hang out!
KELLY HI, yes let's
DeleteCan I posit a theory re: the existential dread, in particular the bloodline of thinking.
ReplyDeletei think most current critics, even those with interesting thoughts and ideas and takes on movies, are not great at translating these thoughts into the written word. idk if it’s video essays or podcasts but i find most reviews, especially those written with a 2 or 3 day turn around, are either the chris farley show or gripehouse.
now there is a specific young film critic mindset where i think there’s a chip on their shoulder and so the 6th movie can’t just be a good example of a good franchise, it has to improve upon a shitty one. so excitement becomes uniqueness and then that ruffles feathers of people like y’all who have been there. kind of an evolution from the post-horror jordan peele crowd, but looped around to populist franchises like Scream and FD.