Yearly Archives: 2017

The Return of 007: Sean Connery in DIAMONDS ARE FORVER (United Artists 1971)

Posted on by gary loggins

gary loggins's avatarcracked rear viewer

007 fans all over the world cheered when Sean Connery returned to the role that made him famous in DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER, the 6th James Bond screen outing. Connery left the series in 1967 (YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE), and was replaced by George Lazenby for 1969’s ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE. Lazenby was actually pretty good, if a bit boring, but he was one-and-done, choosing not to be typecast as cinema’s most famous spy (how’d that work out, George?). Producers Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman offered Connery an unprecedented $1.25 million dollars to come back, which the smart Scotsman snapped up in a heartbeat… who wouldn’t? Well, except for George Lazenby.

The opening sequence has Bond searching the globe to fins Ernst Stavro Blofeld, SPECTRE’s megalomanical leader who ordered the death of Bond’s wife in the previous movie. 007 hunts down his arch nemesis and ends his villainous career in…

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Music Video of the Day: Heroes by David Bowie (1977, dir by Stanley Dorfman)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Hi, everyone!  Lisa here, with today’s song of the day.

Why did I pick Heroes for today’s music video of the day, beyond the fact that it’s a really good song and a simple video that doesn’t require too much interpretation?  Some of it is because today is the international Day of the Imprisoned Writer and Heroes is a song about two lovers living in the shadow of oppression.  Technically, Heroes tells the story of two lovers in Berlin who meet everyday under the shadow of the Berlin Wall.  According to Songfacts:

Bowie, who was living in Berlin at the time, was inspired by an affair between his producer Tony Visconti and backup singer Antonia Maass, who would kiss “by the wall” in front of Bowie as he looked out of the Hansa Studio window.

The other reason that I picked Heroes is because I recently rewatched one of my favorite movies, Christiane F.  Both Bowie and this song play very important roles in that harrowing film.

As for the video, it’s simple but that’s why it works.  The starkness of the video matches nicely with raw emotion of Bowie’s voice.

Enjoy!

A Movie A Day #309: Back Door To Hell (1964, directed by Monte Hellman)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

The time is World War II.  The place is the Philippines, shortly before the famous return of Douglas MacArthur.  Three U.S. soldiers have been sent on a very important mission to knock out a Japanese communication center before the American invasion.  Lt. Craig (Jimmie Rodgers) is their leader and he worries that he might not have what it takes to kill a man.  Sgt. Jersey (John Hackett) is cynical and tough.  Cpl. Burnett (Jack Nicholson) is the radio man with a sarcastic sense of humor.  They have been told to meet up with a rebel leader named Miguel but, shortly after arriving, they discover that Miguel has been killed and the new leader is Paco (Conrad Maga), who distrusts the Americans almost as much as he dislikes the Japanese.  Meanwhile, a Japanese captain (Joe Sison) threatens to execute all of the children in a nearby village unless the Americans either surrender or are captured.

The main reason that most people will probably want to see this low-budget, black-and-white war film is because it features a youngish Jack Nicholson in a supporting role.  (It was one of two films that a pre-stardom Nicholson made in the Philippines with director Monte Hellman.)  This is one of the best of Nicholson’s pre-Easy Rider performances, with none of the stiffness that’s evident in most of his early work.  Nicholson is relaxed and there are even a few hints of the persona that would eventually make him famous.

This was not just an early role for Nicholson.  This movie was also an early work of Monte Hellman’s, who went on to direct some of the biggest cult films of the 70s.  Hellman makes the most of his low-budget, emphasizing character over action and complexity over simple flag-waving.  There is a hard edge to Back Door To Hell.  When Craig asks Paco to interrogate a Japanese soldier, both the movie and Paco understand that Craig is asking Paco to torture the prisoner, something that Craig cannot do because he is bound by international law.  After conducting his interrogation, Paco does not hesitate to call the American out on his hypocrisy, even while ordering the prisoner to be executed.  By the end of the movie, the surviving soldiers and rebels are so emotionally drained that they cannot even celebrate the liberation of the Philippines.  When someone asks, “What do we do now?,” no one has an answer.  Even beyond the presence of Jack Nicholson, Back Door To Hell is an effective and underrated war film.

 

Music Video of the Day: Cocaine by dAVID sTRANGE (2015, dir by Charlotte Kemp Muhl)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Hi!  Lisa here, with today’s music video of the day.

Today’s video comes to us from singer-songwriter David Strange, who has played in several bands and who had a stint as Courtney Love’s guitarist.  Titled Cocaine, the song and the video are about exactly what you would think they would be about and both feature a surrealistic edge that I absolutely love.

This video was directed by Strange’s frequent collaborator, Charlotte Kemp Muhl.  A talented musician herself, Muhl is also the longtime partner of Sean Lennon.  Both Muhl and Lennon played on Strange’s EP dAVID sTRANGE (which Muhl also produced.)

Want to find out more about David Strange?  Check out his site: https://www.thedavidstrange.com/

Enjoy!

A Movie A Day #308: Number One With A Bullet (1987, directed by Jack Smight)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Number One With A Bullet is the story of two cops.  Nick Barzack (Robert Carradine) is so crazy that the all criminals have nicknamed “Beserk.”  (Who says criminals aren’t clever?)  Nick’s partner, Frank Hazeltine (Billy Dee Williams) is so smooth that jazz starts to play whenever he steps into a room.  Nick keeps a motorcycle in his living room, wants to get back together with his wife (Valerie Bertinelli), and has an overprotective mother (Doris Roberts).  Hazeltine is Billy Dee Williams so all he has to worry about is being the coolest man on Earth.  Their captain (Peter Graves!) may want them to do things by the book but Nick and Hazeltine are willing to throw the book out if it means taking down DaCosta, a so-called respectable citizen who they think is actually the city’s biggest drug lord.

It is natural to assume that, because of the whole crazy white cop/centered black cop storyline, this movie was meant to be a rip-off of a well-known film starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover but actually, Number One With A Bullet was released a week before Lethal Weapon.  As well, while Carradine’s Nick is almost as crazy as Mel Gibson’s Riggs, it is impossible to imagine Billy Dee Williams ever saying that he’s “too old for this shit.”  Williams is having too good a time listening to jazz and picking up women.  Whenever Hazeltine shows up, Number One With A Bullet feels like a Colt 45 commercial that somehow costars Robert Carradine.  Whenever the film is just Carradine, it feels like an unauthorized sequel to Revenge of the Nerds where Lewis gets really, really pissed off.

Number One With A Bullet is a Cannon film and entertaining in the way that most late 80s Cannon films are.  There is a lot of action, a little skin, and some dated comedy, much of it featuring Robert Carradine having to dress in drag.  There is also a mud wrestling scene because I guess mud wrestling was extremely popular back in the 80s.  They may not be Gibson and Glover but Carradine and Williams still make a good team and they both seem to be having a ball.  For fans of cheap 80s action films, there is a lot to enjoy in Number One With A Bullet.

Music Video of the Day: Bitter Sweet Symphony by The Verve (1997, directed by Walter Stern)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Does this seem familiar?  It’s because Val already shared her thoughts about this video.  This is a song that means a lot to me, especially on this day, so that’s why I’m sharing my thoughts now.  It’s either that or else I forgot to check on whether this video had been previous shared before I wrote and scheduled this post.

Cause it’s a bittersweet symphony this life
Trying to make ends meet, you’re a slave to the money then you die.
I’ll take you down the only road I’ve ever been down
You know the one that takes you to the places where all the veins meet, yeah.
No change, I can’t change, I can’t change, I can’t change,
but I’m here in my mold, I am here in my mold.
But I’m a million different people from one day to the next
I can’t change my mold, no, no, no, no, no, no, no

Bitter Sweet Symphony.  It’s a beautiful song that, on days like today, means a lot to me.  The lyrics were written by Richard Ashcroft, the lead singer of The Verve.  That’s him in the video, lurching Frankenstein-like down Hoxton Street in London.

The famous orchestral riff, which has been heard in so many movies and commercials, was lifted from a 1965 song by The Rolling Stones, The Last Time.  When the band tried to get permission to use the sample, there was a lot of confusion about who actually owned the rights.  You can read all the details on Songfacts.  It’s a bit too complicated for me to even try to put my mind around.

Well I never pray,
But tonight I’m on my knees, yeah.
I need to hear some sounds that recognize the pain in me, yeah.
I let the melody shine, let it cleanse my mind, I feel free now.
But the airwaves are clean and there’s nobody singing to me now.

The video,I assume, was very carefully orchestrated.  Personally, I’d love to imagine that Ashcroft just started walking down the street, intentionally crashing into anyone or anything that got in his way.  I especially relate to the woman who gets in Ashcroft’s face after he walks over her car.  That would be me.

The video was directed by Walter Stern, who has sixteen credits listed on the imvdb.  Supposedly the video was inspired by another music video, this one for Massive Attack’s Unfinished Sympathy.  I’ve never seen the Massive Attack video but apparently it also features a lead singer lurching down a street.  Though Walter Stern didn’t direct Unfinished Sympathy, he did do a different video for Massive Attack (Tear Drop) shortly before doing Bitter Sweet Symphony.

No change, I can’t change, I can’t change, I can’t change,
But I’m here in my mold, I am here in my mold.
And I’m a million different people from one day to the next
I can’t change my mold, no, no, no, no, no, no, no

(Well have you ever been down?)
(I can’t change, I can’t change)

When I rewatched this video for this post, I was struck by just how tall Richard Ashcroft is.  Honestly, I would probably get out of his way.  Unless he walked across my car, of course.  Then I’d get in his face and start yelling.

Cause it’s a bittersweet symphony this life.
Trying to make ends meet, trying to find some money then you die.
I’ll take you down the only road I’ve ever been down
You know the one that takes you to the places where all the veins meet, yeah.
No change, I can’t change, I can’t change, I can’t change,
but I’m here in my mold, I am here in my mold.
But I’m a million different people from one day to the next
I can’t change my mold, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
I can’t change my mold, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
I can’t change my mold, no, no, no, no, no, no, no

Despite the fact that The Verve was opposed to having their music appear in commercials, they didn’t control the rights.  As such, Bitter Sweet Symphony was used in a campaign for Nike.  The Verve donated the money that they made to the Red Cross Land Mine Appeal.  Of course, the song’s appeared in a lot of commercials and movies since then.

It’s just sex and violence melody and silence
It’s just sex and violence melody and silence (I’ll take you down the only road I’ve ever been down)
It’s just sex and violence melody and silence
It’s just sex and violence melody and silence
It’s just sex and violence melody and silence (I’ll take you down the only road I’ve ever been down)
(It’s just sex and violence melody and silence)Been down
(Ever been down)
(Ever been down)
(Ever been down)
(Ever been down)
(Ever been down)

Enjoy!

Birthright

Posted on by Viktor VonGlum

 

Disclaimer: this review will be filled with spoilers galore, proceed at your own peril!

 

Overview:
On the surface, Birthright is a very familiar story: a champion from Earth destined to vanquish a great evil and free the mystical land.  The tale is far being so straightforward and black & white.  Michael “Mikey” Rhodes was an average little boy when he was taken to Terrenos by the freedom fighters and returned to Earth a victorious yet battle hardened man with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Time flows faster in Terrenos than it  does in Earth: a year on Earth is approximately 20-30 years on Terrenos. His disappearance also shattered his family: leaving Aaron Rhodes, his father, accused of his murder and an alcoholic to cope with the ordeal; his mother left his father & believing that Aaron had done the unthinkable; and Brennan Rhodes, his older brother, was left to deal with the loss of his baby brother, the fracture of his parents’ marriage, and bullying at school.
His miraculous return only plunged his family into deeper chaos.  Mikey was revealed to be an agent of Lore (the monstrous despot he was “destined” to defeat) and infected with the Nevermind, an extension of Lore that “guides” him.  His purpose on Earth was to murder the five mages who created a barrier that prevents Lore from entering Earth.  He enlisted the aid of Brennan & Aaron on his mission.  His mother still in shock over her sweet little boy returning as a hulking bearded barbarian opted to not join.  Mickey is able to murder to mages, Ward and Kylen, but not without revealing his true colors first to Brennan and then the rest of his family.  Aaron’s father, Sameal, turns out to be one of the mages and he is forced to slay Enoch, his fellow mage & friend, to protect his grandson.  The only female mage, Mastema, is the opportunistic daughter of Lore (who bears a strong resemblance to Mickey in his youth).  She informed Rya, (Mickey’s lover/mother of his child/fellow freedom fighter) and his mother that Mickey isn’t the chosen one, they made it up to give the freedom fighters hope and Lore was the true chosen one of Terrenos.
What I love: 
How gray the world is! The mages, more or less, gave up on Terrenos and left the freedom fighters to fend for themselves. Despite preventing Lore from entering Earth, they left their people to suffer while they enjoy relatively better lives.  Kylen murders an entire SWAT team to frame Mikey. Mastema contemplates betraying the mages and return to Lore to save her own skin.  Mikey willing let Lore infect him for his chance to return to his family: he understands what he must do but he’s conflicted.  The sadness & regret is so tangible when his old and new family reject him when his deeds are revealed.  Lore believes that he’s doing what he must to accomplish his vision of a peaceful Terrenos.  Kallista is a foreshadow of Mikey’s eventual choice: like him, she was a freedom fighter who became a host of the Nevermind & agent of Lore.  It seems like she relishes in the heinous acts.  Brennan’s attempt to exercise the Nevermind is also a foreshadow of Sameal’s attempt.  Mikey is far more crafty and calculating than his “brutish barbarian” appearance.
What I don’t dig:
Waiting 30+ days for new issues!
Where can you get it?