"ARRIVEDERCI ALL'ANNO PROSSIMO, È STATO UN PIACERE" TWO-FER!
MIAMI GOLEM (1985, YOUTUBE) THE STENDHAL SYNDROME (1996, BLUE UNDERGROUN BLU-RAY)
Been wanting to watch "Miami Golem" since B&S About Movies (whose detailed daily reviews are a constant Junesploitation! highlight! :-D) described it a couple of years back. And as a diehard fan of director Alberto de Martino ("The Pumaman," "The Antichrist," etc,) I couldn't pass a chance to see the last movie he directed. Strangely compelling despite making zero sense, "MG" follows bad-ass local journalist Craig Milford (David Warbeck, who looks/acts like the Frank West character from the Capcom "Dead Rising" videogame series) as he tries to stay alive after his television report on a group of scientists making cloning experiments from the DNA extracted off a meteorite ends up with the assassination of those scientist. Since his faulty equipment got a reaction out of the cell as he was filming it, Craig knowing about its weaknesses gives him a leg up to counter the final alien life form having the power to toss people around like ragged dolls. I just watched "MG" and all I can remember is the endless daytime driving around Miami streets, with an odd car exploding and lots of bloody gunshot squibs.
Everything from the music (a poor Italian man's "Beverly Hills Cop" rip-off) to the fashions and the attitude (Craig's unshaved mug) scream "Miami Vice," but with a cheapo sci-fi twist and conspiracy theory tropes. Typical of these Italian movies during this era [era!], an old-time Hollywood legend ("My Darling Clementine's" John Ireland) makes a supporting cast appearance to pay the rent. What "MG" lacks in graphic gore or violence it compensates for with that crazy Italian dream logic and many WTF! moments. 'It's fine.' 3.5 YELLOW GOOGLY ALIEN EYES (out of five).
I've had the Blue Underground DVD of Dario Argento's "The Stendhal Syndrome" since forever, but recently upgraded to the second Blu-ray version of the movie that includes the DVD's bonus features (the first BD release lacked the legacy material) and a Tim Lucas commentary. Maybe an eventual 4K transfer will surpass it, but for now the leap from standard definition DVD to the BD's high-resolution 2K transfer with the extras blew me away and made me fall in love with "TSS" all over again. Since watching detailed works of art that render protagonist Anna Mani (a too-young-for-the-role-but-still-compelling Asia Argento) overwhelmed with apprehension is a key part of Dario's narrative the visual upgrade is not just for show. I felt drawn closer to Detective Mani's plight, which makes it harrower when bad guy Alfredo Grossi (Thomas Kretschmann, channeling a young Rutger Hauer) has his way with her. I'm convinced if Asia had used her actual voice instead of an English dub (which isn't horrible but at times flounders) this would be on par with "Suspiria" or "Deep Red" as a towering Argento achievement. As it exists now it's one of the last great Dario films (the way he makes the audience sympathize with Anna even after her last act ordeal by making the male cops handling her seem worse than even Grossi is just masterful), one whose disturbing subject matter make me want to see it only once every few years. 4.5 "ATOMIC BLONDE"-INSPIRING WIG & DARK SHADES (out of five).
It's my day off from work, so I might watch one or two more Italian horror flicks to conclude the monthly festivities. Stay tuned! :-)
“A dark and gloomy theatre set for strange castings. An awful and neglected villa. A stage writer who pushes young actresses to put themselves at risk in morbid auditions thick with physical pain and pleasure. Around the writer stir his ancient and sick mother, his agent/stepfather, the aspiring actors and a young actress with whom he falls in love. Who is the torturer who tears to pieces the bodies of the implausible actresses?”
Shot on digital video and directed by Lamberto Bava, this film was written by Bava, Diego Cestino, and Andrea Valentini. It was based on a story by Dardano Sacchetti, Luciano Martino, and Michele Massimo Tarantini.
It’s as if Lamberto saw all the torture porn being made and said, “This is pretty much giallo with more violence. Maybe more nudity. Maybe we make this more sleazy! Hey — I know how to do these films. My dad made The Whip and the Body!”
Ginette Cazonni (Elena Bouryka) auditions for the new movie by director Alex Scerba (Simone Corrente) and ends up in bed with him. When she wakes up in the morning, she finds an earring that resembles the one her missing friend, Marzia, used to wear. It turns out that she also had an audition with the director before she disappeared. And oh yes, Alex’s mother and stepfather are both weird in their own ways. And if you’re looking for that other missing earring, well, Alex’s mother is wearing it.
Look, no matter how handsome a director is, if he’s off camera using a voice box to tell you to get naked and do things for him, perhaps you’re in a movie like this. And man, this movie! Lamberto must have gone down to Argento’s basement under Profundo Rosso and communicated with Fulci, because this sees New York Ripper and raises it a lunatic with a blowtorch and a barbed wire whip, all shown in full detail. I can only imagine Lamberto laughing at the young kids like Eli Roth and saying, “This isn’t so difficult.”
Ladies — in the world of Giallo and in the real plane of existence that we live on — if your boyfriend goes insane when he sees toy cars but then immediately wants to have sex with you, please get out.
This is way late in the Giallo film cycle, but it gets the memo right. You want gorgeous women, you want a nonsensical plot, you want family issues and this has it all. You may not want to watch naked girls get torn up with whips, but it was 2005, after all. At least Lamberto was still out there making movies, the last of a dying breed.
I watched the "Broadcast Edit" which keeps the gore but edits out language and Asia Argento's very controversial nude scene.
Very hit and miss Argento, but it does deliver unique and very nonsensical kills. This had probably some of the goofiest deaths that Argento had ever filmed at the time. Piper Laurie and Frederic Forrest seemed to have made a bet to see who could give the most over the top performance. These highlights help give it the mildest of recommends.
Unfortunately, Christopher Rydell is TERRIBLE and listless in the main role. It certainly doesn't help how skeevy the romance between him and a teenage Asia comes off. It really gives "Licorice Pizza" vibes (I said what I said!).
ATOM AGE VAMPIRE (1960) A scientist is able to heal a beautiful woman’s face after an injury thanks to his new formula. But to keep her beautiful, he must kill other beautiful women to, I guess, steal their beauty for the formula. And then things spiral out of control from there. It’d maybe be a better film if it stayed with the woman’s point of view rather than making the scientist the protagonist, but I suppose that’s what The Substance is. This movie is a lot of high melodrama, with big, BIG emotions on display from all the actors. The latter half of the movie dials down on the camp for some old-fashioned monster movie goodness. Not the best movie, but it has its bright spots. If nothing else, the 68-minute runtime makes it a #Junesploitation winner!
30 days of Georges Melies, day 30: INVENTOR CRAZYBRAINS AND HIS WONDERFUL AIRSHIP (1905) When I saw this title, I knew I had to save this one for day 30. An inventor designs an airship. Then fairies come to him in a dream to show him what it’d be like if the ship actually flew. The way beautiful women keep emerging from inside the airship seems awfully suggestive, but I guess that’s just how they roll in France. The film reaches an explosive finale, concluding this month with a bang.
Thanks as always to Patrick and the F This Community for another totally rockin' #Junesploitation! It's been a delight reading all these comments and going over everyone's picks. And if Satan shows up inside your house, remember that he's only a playful fairy tale trickster, and nothing more...
Perfect opportunity to fit in another Fulci this month! In this case i didnt totally connect with the plot but did appreciate that Fulci kind of maintains a waking dream vibe throughout...or maybe a waking nightmare? Trippy imagery and insane gore abound!
And so brings us to the end of another amazing Junesploitation!!! Huge thanks to Patrick, the F This crew, and everyone who participated!! I personally love the challenge of trying to at least hit on one movie per day per category. Moreso i love the great reviews and banter with y'all. I always come away from this month with TONS of new watches and exposure to new categories. And being able to see y'alls reviews serves me well in the other 11 months of the year. Sploitation foreva!
1907. A doctor is summoned to do an autopsy on a mysteriously died woman in a small village, and there he finds a superstitious populace who are convinced a ghost of a little girl is haunting them. And they may be right.
But the plot is inconsequential, it's all about the vibes, and the vibes are immaculate. Were it not for the ghost, I'd want to live in this village (for a while at least, I'd probably miss movies, modern medicine and indoor plumbing before long).
Thank you all for another excellent Junesploitation! Only three more months till Scary Movie Month!
Black Sunday (1960) This cautionary tale asks us all to be careful when we burn witches and reminds us all that karma is a bitch. Atmospheric as all get out, this is the film that really puts Mario Bava on the cinematic map. Still, Black Sunday falls prey to one of “JB’s IRREFUTABLE RULES OF GIALLO,” in that the first ten minutes and the last ten minutes are pure movie dynamite, but the middle hour and seven minutes are a snooze; their production seems to have been turned over to some other group of filmmakers entirely, perhaps an amateur B team. Oh, well... the sight of Barbara Steele’s “holy face” would become one of the most iconic images in all of horror film history.
The Perfume of the Lady in Black 1974 Directed by Francesco Barilli
Pretty good story and directing in this story of a woman (who had "a rough childhood") starting to see visions that slowly bring back memories, and then feeling paranoid. Along for the ride are mysterious figures all around her who might be against her... or maybe she just thinks so? I like that the narrative almost never leaves Mimsy Farmer's side, giving just her perspective and letting her performance be the center piece.
The Monster at the Opera (1964, dir. Reanto Polselli)
From the director of the Vampire and the Ballerina, which I feel asleep to at a screening at the New Bev a few years ago. I liked this one more.
Plot is a little confusing. There is a dance troupe rehearsing in a theater. This is B&W btw. There is some inter-demnsonal vampire hijninks going on. I don't want to give any spoilers.
Defintiely spooky at times. Lot's of cool shadows. Lots of thighs. I recommend for all the thighs, alone.
I have been a bystander for Junesploitation before, first year trying to particpate. Thanks to all the F! this movie folks for organzing. Big thanks to everyone posting their progress. My to-watch list has grown a lot. And all from folks I trust.
Pretty basic—psycho hunts down victims trapped in a single location—story, but this movie still caught me off a couple of times. I had already exclaimed stuff once or twice, but then I got real loud at that one kill, which was pretty amazing!
In other notes: catch some fun Doc Brown shenanigans with an electric cable, pretty groovy music kicks in at times, and I do believe Willy is a bit of a psycho himself!
A young fashion photographer runs into a mysterious older woman who seems to take a strange interest in her. Soon, unexplained things start happening around our heroine, and she begins to suspect the worst. The movie is more of a moody, psychedelic thriller than straight horror. Both leading women have a compelling presence, and the story’s graphic novel background is nicely displayed through tasteful black and white stills here and there (it’s adapted from the work of Italian adult comic artist Guido Crepax).
And that will do it. Thanks everyone, that was a blast as always. Here’s my top 5 watches of the month: Across 110th Street (1972) Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991) Hard Core Logo (1996) Heroic Trio (1993) Miami Connection (1987)
Watched "Orca" earlier this month, and yet my thirst for aquatic Italian "Jaws" rip-offs hasn't been quenched. "Tentacles" doesn't come close to touching Steven Spielberg's masterpiece, which doesn't mean we can't have fun with some of its silliest/best moments. Back in '77 director Ovidio G. Assonitis cobbled a $5 million budget and top-tier cast (Henry Fonda, John Huston, Shelley Winters, Bo Hopkins) to headline a giant octopus movie... without the expensive animatronic octopus that sank before any usable footage was shot. :-D Relying on miniatures, stock footage, forced perspective and old-fashioned misdirection, the tentacled creature goes after fat people, a little baby (nicknamed 'Fatso' :-O), bell diving occupants, etc. That's about 20-25 minutes of a 97 min. feature that mostly follows a journalist (Huston, hamming it up like an old Hollywood pro) as he uncovers the dirty works of a company owned by Mr. Whitehead (Fonda) whose work building an underground tunnel brought the giant octopus to the surface. Shelley Winters, her young son and his friend show up, but sadly the octopus doesn't seem to be interested in going after the first two (poor Tommy!). "Tentacles" 'is fine' as long as you don't take any of it seriously. 3 'SOLANA BEACH ANNUAL JUNIOR YACHT RACE' SIGNS (out of five).
Joe D'Amato's "Deep Blood" (which alongside 1981's "The Last Shark" provides the bulk of reused footage in the infamous 1995 exploitation classic "Cruel Jaws/Jaws 5") is one of the worst movies ever made. Not just shark or Italian horror, but in cinema history. It's never scary (stock footage of shark attacks aren't impressive in the era off yearly Shark Week stunt programming), the mostly young actors are vapid vacuums of personality/skill (Frank Baroni's Miko standing in stunned silence as his best friend is eaten by a shark looked/sounded pathetic) and even the "Jaws" stereotypes (the greedy mayor, the police chief in over his head, etc.) feel going-through-the-motions vanilla. The filmmakers' attempt to insert native American monster magic (the Wakan marine being) as the reason why the main trio go to sea to try and kill the shark is only the 10th or 12th stupidest thing in a flick overflowing with bad choices. A new low for Junesploitation!, '25 or any other year. 1 GUILT-RIDDEN BULLY SUPPLYING THE TNT CRATES (out of five).
And for my 106th and final review of J! '25 (which as a bonus doesn't have to be Italian horror, though it certainly mirrors that genre's batshit craziness) I'm going with Gerard Johnstone's "M3GAN 2.0." Packing a streaming TV season's worth of plot into 120 minutes of contradictory narrative (lost count how many times Allison Williams, her niece and M3gan lied/betrayed/switched sides/helped-fought one other), it's as if the Blumhouse/Universal producers knew this sequel would tank on its opening weekend and wanted to get the M3gan-verse established for future reboots/TV adaptations. One moment we're doing the origin story of Marvel's first "Iron Man" to establish a newer, bigger bad than M3gan (Ivanna Sakhno's A.M.E.L.I.A.), later on an unconscious Gemma pulls a "Malignant" (James Wan represents!) by fighting a roomful of baddies while her body's controlled by M3gan's sentient AI. I wasn't crazy about OG "M3gan" but it was a fun and silly ride. "2.0" doubles on the spectacle (the $25 million budget delivers some visual/action panache) but loses what little heart and soul was left by the end of the first movie. The plot-important callbacks to the good era ('88 to '92) of Steven Segal action movies are much appreciated, though. :-D 3 POSTERS OF "THE THING" ON CADY'S BEDROOM WALL (out of five).
And Junesploitation! '25 is in the books. See you next year, you mercenary pigs. :-)
THE THIRD EYE (1966, dir. Mino Guerrini) BEYOND THE DARKNESS (1979, dir. Joe D’Amato)
One story… two films.
The basic story revolves around an emotionally stunted young man from a wealthy family being controlled by his maid. When his girlfriend dies, the young man takes her body and uses his taxidermy skills to preserve it. That way he has her forever, until a surprise happens to change his focus on a living woman. In the meantime, all of his attempts at connecting with other women seem to only end in murder.
The Third Eye focuses more on the emotional side of the young man. Here his is named Mino . The influence of Mino’s mother on him is complete, and the maid jumps into the motherly role once the mother and the girlfriend are dead. The n-e-c-r-o-p-h-i-l-i-a aspect of the having the girlfriend’s body around can only be suggested at. As can the disposing of a body by acid, which becomes a grisly set-piece in the remake. One of the most important differences between the two films is the thriller aspect of the narrative in The Third Eye. It makes the original a far more elegant film than the remake.
Made at a time when censorship had broken down, Joe D’Amato could show almost everything. Beyond The Darkness is a gross film with many gore effects and actual entrails used for dissection scenes. Being a more exploitative film, the emotional complications that led to Frank (the protagonist) being a killer are largely ignored. The lead actor was not cast for his ability to emote, either. The relationship with the maid is flushed out more, showing a very manipulative side to her. The maid, portrayed by Franca Stoppi, is the best part of the film. Their “love” scenes together are uncomfortable. Then there is Frank’s interactions with the corpse to add to the discomfort. When I first watched Beyond the Darkness, the randomness of the script annoyed me. Fifteen years later, I accept is as part of the Italian horror experience.
Neither film is a masterpiece and both reflect the styles and censorship of their times. The Third Eye has a better narrative but is tame in what the film shows. It is also in black and white. Beyond The Darkness goes hard into the violence and gore while offering some nudity. Joe D’Amato’s style was not to dwell on subtlety. Choose which one appeals to you based on your mood at the moment.
Farewell to Junesploitation 2025. Thank you, Patrick and company, to another fun June. To my own surprise, I crossed the 50 film mark for the first time. While there were only a handful of standout films, the bulk of the watches proved to be worthwhile in some way. Though I enjoy Scary Movie Month, Junesploitation is my preference. It's what drew me to the site in the first place back.
It's a bittersweet goodbye for sure! I watched way more than I have before, and like you had a handful of great discoveries. But I will also enjoy returning to a better sleep pattern for sure!
Sleep? I have not gotten much of that certain days.
Junesploitation was my main activity last month. With not having many obligations at the moment, I had the time for a lot of movies. It would be interesting to calculate the number of hours those took up. (I am not inclined to do that.) Then there is the writing and responding here and on Bluesky. It is all worth the effort.
There are plenty of other things to watch out there. Time to move on.
"ARRIVEDERCI ALL'ANNO PROSSIMO, È STATO UN PIACERE" TWO-FER!
ReplyDeleteMIAMI GOLEM (1985, YOUTUBE)
THE STENDHAL SYNDROME (1996, BLUE UNDERGROUN BLU-RAY)
Been wanting to watch "Miami Golem" since B&S About Movies (whose detailed daily reviews are a constant Junesploitation! highlight! :-D) described it a couple of years back. And as a diehard fan of director Alberto de Martino ("The Pumaman," "The Antichrist," etc,) I couldn't pass a chance to see the last movie he directed. Strangely compelling despite making zero sense, "MG" follows bad-ass local journalist Craig Milford (David Warbeck, who looks/acts like the Frank West character from the Capcom "Dead Rising" videogame series) as he tries to stay alive after his television report on a group of scientists making cloning experiments from the DNA extracted off a meteorite ends up with the assassination of those scientist. Since his faulty equipment got a reaction out of the cell as he was filming it, Craig knowing about its weaknesses gives him a leg up to counter the final alien life form having the power to toss people around like ragged dolls. I just watched "MG" and all I can remember is the endless daytime driving around Miami streets, with an odd car exploding and lots of bloody gunshot squibs.
Everything from the music (a poor Italian man's "Beverly Hills Cop" rip-off) to the fashions and the attitude (Craig's unshaved mug) scream "Miami Vice," but with a cheapo sci-fi twist and conspiracy theory tropes. Typical of these Italian movies during this era [era!], an old-time Hollywood legend ("My Darling Clementine's" John Ireland) makes a supporting cast appearance to pay the rent. What "MG" lacks in graphic gore or violence it compensates for with that crazy Italian dream logic and many WTF! moments. 'It's fine.' 3.5 YELLOW GOOGLY ALIEN EYES (out of five).
I've had the Blue Underground DVD of Dario Argento's "The Stendhal Syndrome" since forever, but recently upgraded to the second Blu-ray version of the movie that includes the DVD's bonus features (the first BD release lacked the legacy material) and a Tim Lucas commentary. Maybe an eventual 4K transfer will surpass it, but for now the leap from standard definition DVD to the BD's high-resolution 2K transfer with the extras blew me away and made me fall in love with "TSS" all over again. Since watching detailed works of art that render protagonist Anna Mani (a too-young-for-the-role-but-still-compelling Asia Argento) overwhelmed with apprehension is a key part of Dario's narrative the visual upgrade is not just for show. I felt drawn closer to Detective Mani's plight, which makes it harrower when bad guy Alfredo Grossi (Thomas Kretschmann, channeling a young Rutger Hauer) has his way with her. I'm convinced if Asia had used her actual voice instead of an English dub (which isn't horrible but at times flounders) this would be on par with "Suspiria" or "Deep Red" as a towering Argento achievement. As it exists now it's one of the last great Dario films (the way he makes the audience sympathize with Anna even after her last act ordeal by making the male cops handling her seem worse than even Grossi is just masterful), one whose disturbing subject matter make me want to see it only once every few years. 4.5 "ATOMIC BLONDE"-INSPIRING WIG & DARK SHADES (out of five).
It's my day off from work, so I might watch one or two more Italian horror flicks to conclude the monthly festivities. Stay tuned! :-)
The Torturer (2005)
ReplyDelete“A dark and gloomy theatre set for strange castings. An awful and neglected villa. A stage writer who pushes young actresses to put themselves at risk in morbid auditions thick with physical pain and pleasure. Around the writer stir his ancient and sick mother, his agent/stepfather, the aspiring actors and a young actress with whom he falls in love. Who is the torturer who tears to pieces the bodies of the implausible actresses?”
Shot on digital video and directed by Lamberto Bava, this film was written by Bava, Diego Cestino, and Andrea Valentini. It was based on a story by Dardano Sacchetti, Luciano Martino, and Michele Massimo Tarantini.
It’s as if Lamberto saw all the torture porn being made and said, “This is pretty much giallo with more violence. Maybe more nudity. Maybe we make this more sleazy! Hey — I know how to do these films. My dad made The Whip and the Body!”
Ginette Cazonni (Elena Bouryka) auditions for the new movie by director Alex Scerba (Simone Corrente) and ends up in bed with him. When she wakes up in the morning, she finds an earring that resembles the one her missing friend, Marzia, used to wear. It turns out that she also had an audition with the director before she disappeared. And oh yes, Alex’s mother and stepfather are both weird in their own ways. And if you’re looking for that other missing earring, well, Alex’s mother is wearing it.
Look, no matter how handsome a director is, if he’s off camera using a voice box to tell you to get naked and do things for him, perhaps you’re in a movie like this. And man, this movie! Lamberto must have gone down to Argento’s basement under Profundo Rosso and communicated with Fulci, because this sees New York Ripper and raises it a lunatic with a blowtorch and a barbed wire whip, all shown in full detail. I can only imagine Lamberto laughing at the young kids like Eli Roth and saying, “This isn’t so difficult.”
Ladies — in the world of Giallo and in the real plane of existence that we live on — if your boyfriend goes insane when he sees toy cars but then immediately wants to have sex with you, please get out.
This is way late in the Giallo film cycle, but it gets the memo right. You want gorgeous women, you want a nonsensical plot, you want family issues and this has it all. You may not want to watch naked girls get torn up with whips, but it was 2005, after all. At least Lamberto was still out there making movies, the last of a dying breed.
Trauma (1993)
ReplyDeleteDir. Dario Argento
I watched the "Broadcast Edit" which keeps the gore but edits out language and Asia Argento's very controversial nude scene.
Very hit and miss Argento, but it does deliver unique and very nonsensical kills. This had probably some of the goofiest deaths that Argento had ever filmed at the time. Piper Laurie and Frederic Forrest seemed to have made a bet to see who could give the most over the top performance. These highlights help give it the mildest of recommends.
Unfortunately, Christopher Rydell is TERRIBLE and listless in the main role. It certainly doesn't help how skeevy the romance between him and a teenage Asia comes off. It really gives "Licorice Pizza" vibes (I said what I said!).
ATOM AGE VAMPIRE (1960)
ReplyDeleteA scientist is able to heal a beautiful woman’s face after an injury thanks to his new formula. But to keep her beautiful, he must kill other beautiful women to, I guess, steal their beauty for the formula. And then things spiral out of control from there. It’d maybe be a better film if it stayed with the woman’s point of view rather than making the scientist the protagonist, but I suppose that’s what The Substance is. This movie is a lot of high melodrama, with big, BIG emotions on display from all the actors. The latter half of the movie dials down on the camp for some old-fashioned monster movie goodness. Not the best movie, but it has its bright spots. If nothing else, the 68-minute runtime makes it a #Junesploitation winner!
30 days of Georges Melies, day 30: INVENTOR CRAZYBRAINS AND HIS WONDERFUL AIRSHIP (1905)
When I saw this title, I knew I had to save this one for day 30. An inventor designs an airship. Then fairies come to him in a dream to show him what it’d be like if the ship actually flew. The way beautiful women keep emerging from inside the airship seems awfully suggestive, but I guess that’s just how they roll in France. The film reaches an explosive finale, concluding this month with a bang.
Thanks as always to Patrick and the F This Community for another totally rockin' #Junesploitation! It's been a delight reading all these comments and going over everyone's picks. And if Satan shows up inside your house, remember that he's only a playful fairy tale trickster, and nothing more...
Thanks for the Melies catalogue reviews, Mac. You rule! 🤟😃
DeleteCity of the Living Dead (1980)
ReplyDeletePerfect opportunity to fit in another Fulci this month! In this case i didnt totally connect with the plot but did appreciate that Fulci kind of maintains a waking dream vibe throughout...or maybe a waking nightmare? Trippy imagery and insane gore abound!
And so brings us to the end of another amazing Junesploitation!!! Huge thanks to Patrick, the F This crew, and everyone who participated!! I personally love the challenge of trying to at least hit on one movie per day per category. Moreso i love the great reviews and banter with y'all. I always come away from this month with TONS of new watches and exposure to new categories. And being able to see y'alls reviews serves me well in the other 11 months of the year. Sploitation foreva!
Thanks for all your contributions!
DeleteBack at ya Zilla
DeleteShocking Dark aka Terminator II (1989, dir. Bruno Mattei)
ReplyDeleteIs it possible for a movie to be both one of the worst things you've ever seen but also hilarious and totally entertaining?
Welcome to the world of Bruno Mattei and Claudio Fragasso/Rossella Drudi!
DeleteKill, Baby... Kill! (1966, dir. Mario Bava)
ReplyDelete1907. A doctor is summoned to do an autopsy on a mysteriously died woman in a small village, and there he finds a superstitious populace who are convinced a ghost of a little girl is haunting them. And they may be right.
But the plot is inconsequential, it's all about the vibes, and the vibes are immaculate. Were it not for the ghost, I'd want to live in this village (for a while at least, I'd probably miss movies, modern medicine and indoor plumbing before long).
Thank you all for another excellent Junesploitation! Only three more months till Scary Movie Month!
Black Sunday (1960)
ReplyDeleteThis cautionary tale asks us all to be careful when we burn witches and reminds us all that karma is a bitch. Atmospheric as all get out, this is the film that really puts Mario Bava on the cinematic map. Still, Black Sunday falls prey to one of “JB’s IRREFUTABLE RULES OF GIALLO,” in that the first ten minutes and the last ten minutes are pure movie dynamite, but the middle hour and seven minutes are a snooze; their production seems to have been turned over to some other group of filmmakers entirely, perhaps an amateur B team. Oh, well... the sight of Barbara Steele’s “holy face” would become one of the most iconic images in all of horror film history.
The Perfume of the Lady in Black 1974
ReplyDeleteDirected by Francesco Barilli
Pretty good story and directing in this story of a woman (who had "a rough childhood") starting to see visions that slowly bring back memories, and then feeling paranoid. Along for the ride are mysterious figures all around her who might be against her... or maybe she just thinks so? I like that the narrative almost never leaves Mimsy Farmer's side, giving just her perspective and letting her performance be the center piece.
The Monster at the Opera (1964, dir. Reanto Polselli)
ReplyDeleteFrom the director of the Vampire and the Ballerina, which I feel asleep to at a screening at the New Bev a few years ago. I liked this one more.
Plot is a little confusing. There is a dance troupe rehearsing in a theater. This is B&W btw. There is some inter-demnsonal vampire hijninks going on. I don't want to give any spoilers.
Defintiely spooky at times. Lot's of cool shadows. Lots of thighs. I recommend for all the thighs, alone.
I have been a bystander for Junesploitation before, first year trying to particpate. Thanks to all the F! this movie folks for organzing. Big thanks to everyone posting their progress. My to-watch list has grown a lot. And all from folks I trust.
Stage Fright 1987
ReplyDeleteDirected by Michele Soavi
Pretty basic—psycho hunts down victims trapped in a single location—story, but this movie still caught me off a couple of times. I had already exclaimed stuff once or twice, but then I got real loud at that one kill, which was pretty amazing!
In other notes: catch some fun Doc Brown shenanigans with an electric cable, pretty groovy music kicks in at times, and I do believe Willy is a bit of a psycho himself!
Baba Yaga (1973)
ReplyDeleteA young fashion photographer runs into a mysterious older woman who seems to take a strange interest in her. Soon, unexplained things start happening around our heroine, and she begins to suspect the worst.
The movie is more of a moody, psychedelic thriller than straight horror. Both leading women have a compelling presence, and the story’s graphic novel background is nicely displayed through tasteful black and white stills here and there (it’s adapted from the work of Italian adult comic artist Guido Crepax).
And that will do it. Thanks everyone, that was a blast as always. Here’s my top 5 watches of the month:
Across 110th Street (1972)
Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991)
Hard Core Logo (1996)
Heroic Trio (1993)
Miami Connection (1987)
See you in October!
'QUANDO GLI ANIMALI MARINI CONTINUANO AD ATTACCARE' DOPPIA DOSE!
ReplyDeleteTENTACLES (1977, YOUTUBE)
DEEP BLOOD (1990, TUBI)
BONUS: M3GAN 2.0 (2025, THEATER)
Watched "Orca" earlier this month, and yet my thirst for aquatic Italian "Jaws" rip-offs hasn't been quenched. "Tentacles" doesn't come close to touching Steven Spielberg's masterpiece, which doesn't mean we can't have fun with some of its silliest/best moments. Back in '77 director Ovidio G. Assonitis cobbled a $5 million budget and top-tier cast (Henry Fonda, John Huston, Shelley Winters, Bo Hopkins) to headline a giant octopus movie... without the expensive animatronic octopus that sank before any usable footage was shot. :-D Relying on miniatures, stock footage, forced perspective and old-fashioned misdirection, the tentacled creature goes after fat people, a little baby (nicknamed 'Fatso' :-O), bell diving occupants, etc. That's about 20-25 minutes of a 97 min. feature that mostly follows a journalist (Huston, hamming it up like an old Hollywood pro) as he uncovers the dirty works of a company owned by Mr. Whitehead (Fonda) whose work building an underground tunnel brought the giant octopus to the surface. Shelley Winters, her young son and his friend show up, but sadly the octopus doesn't seem to be interested in going after the first two (poor Tommy!). "Tentacles" 'is fine' as long as you don't take any of it seriously. 3 'SOLANA BEACH ANNUAL JUNIOR YACHT RACE' SIGNS (out of five).
Joe D'Amato's "Deep Blood" (which alongside 1981's "The Last Shark" provides the bulk of reused footage in the infamous 1995 exploitation classic "Cruel Jaws/Jaws 5") is one of the worst movies ever made. Not just shark or Italian horror, but in cinema history. It's never scary (stock footage of shark attacks aren't impressive in the era off yearly Shark Week stunt programming), the mostly young actors are vapid vacuums of personality/skill (Frank Baroni's Miko standing in stunned silence as his best friend is eaten by a shark looked/sounded pathetic) and even the "Jaws" stereotypes (the greedy mayor, the police chief in over his head, etc.) feel going-through-the-motions vanilla. The filmmakers' attempt to insert native American monster magic (the Wakan marine being) as the reason why the main trio go to sea to try and kill the shark is only the 10th or 12th stupidest thing in a flick overflowing with bad choices. A new low for Junesploitation!, '25 or any other year. 1 GUILT-RIDDEN BULLY SUPPLYING THE TNT CRATES (out of five).
And for my 106th and final review of J! '25 (which as a bonus doesn't have to be Italian horror, though it certainly mirrors that genre's batshit craziness) I'm going with Gerard Johnstone's "M3GAN 2.0." Packing a streaming TV season's worth of plot into 120 minutes of contradictory narrative (lost count how many times Allison Williams, her niece and M3gan lied/betrayed/switched sides/helped-fought one other), it's as if the Blumhouse/Universal producers knew this sequel would tank on its opening weekend and wanted to get the M3gan-verse established for future reboots/TV adaptations. One moment we're doing the origin story of Marvel's first "Iron Man" to establish a newer, bigger bad than M3gan (Ivanna Sakhno's A.M.E.L.I.A.), later on an unconscious Gemma pulls a "Malignant" (James Wan represents!) by fighting a roomful of baddies while her body's controlled by M3gan's sentient AI. I wasn't crazy about OG "M3gan" but it was a fun and silly ride. "2.0" doubles on the spectacle (the $25 million budget delivers some visual/action panache) but loses what little heart and soul was left by the end of the first movie. The plot-important callbacks to the good era ('88 to '92) of Steven Segal action movies are much appreciated, though. :-D 3 POSTERS OF "THE THING" ON CADY'S BEDROOM WALL (out of five).
And Junesploitation! '25 is in the books. See you next year, you mercenary pigs. :-)
great work as always J.M!
DeleteThanks, Mashke. Appreciate it. ✌️😎
DeleteTHE THIRD EYE (1966, dir. Mino Guerrini)
ReplyDeleteBEYOND THE DARKNESS (1979, dir. Joe D’Amato)
One story… two films.
The basic story revolves around an emotionally stunted young man from a wealthy family being controlled by his maid. When his girlfriend dies, the young man takes her body and uses his taxidermy skills to preserve it. That way he has her forever, until a surprise happens to change his focus on a living woman. In the meantime, all of his attempts at connecting with other women seem to only end in murder.
The Third Eye focuses more on the emotional side of the young man. Here his is named Mino . The influence of Mino’s mother on him is complete, and the maid jumps into the motherly role once the mother and the girlfriend are dead. The n-e-c-r-o-p-h-i-l-i-a aspect of the having the girlfriend’s body around can only be suggested at. As can the disposing of a body by acid, which becomes a grisly set-piece in the remake. One of the most important differences between the two films is the thriller aspect of the narrative in The Third Eye. It makes the original a far more elegant film than the remake.
Made at a time when censorship had broken down, Joe D’Amato could show almost everything. Beyond The Darkness is a gross film with many gore effects and actual entrails used for dissection scenes. Being a more exploitative film, the emotional complications that led to Frank (the protagonist) being a killer are largely ignored. The lead actor was not cast for his ability to emote, either. The relationship with the maid is flushed out more, showing a very manipulative side to her. The maid, portrayed by Franca Stoppi, is the best part of the film. Their “love” scenes together are uncomfortable. Then there is Frank’s interactions with the corpse to add to the discomfort. When I first watched Beyond the Darkness, the randomness of the script annoyed me. Fifteen years later, I accept is as part of the Italian horror experience.
Neither film is a masterpiece and both reflect the styles and censorship of their times. The Third Eye has a better narrative but is tame in what the film shows. It is also in black and white. Beyond The Darkness goes hard into the violence and gore while offering some nudity. Joe D’Amato’s style was not to dwell on subtlety. Choose which one appeals to you based on your mood at the moment.
Farewell to Junesploitation 2025. Thank you, Patrick and company, to another fun June. To my own surprise, I crossed the 50 film mark for the first time. While there were only a handful of standout films, the bulk of the watches proved to be worthwhile in some way. Though I enjoy Scary Movie Month, Junesploitation is my preference. It's what drew me to the site in the first place back.
>50!? outstanding!
DeleteIt's a bittersweet goodbye for sure! I watched way more than I have before, and like you had a handful of great discoveries. But I will also enjoy returning to a better sleep pattern for sure!
DeleteSleep? I have not gotten much of that certain days.
DeleteJunesploitation was my main activity last month. With not having many obligations at the moment, I had the time for a lot of movies. It would be interesting to calculate the number of hours those took up. (I am not inclined to do that.) Then there is the writing and responding here and on Bluesky. It is all worth the effort.
There are plenty of other things to watch out there. Time to move on.