4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!
Today, we wish a happy 80th birthday to director Brian De Palma with….
4 Shots From 4 Films
Carrie (1976, dir by Brian De Palma)
Scarface (1983, dir by Brian De Palma)
Body Double (1984, dir by Brian De Palma)
The Untouchables (1987, dir by Brian De Palma)
Back in 2018, director Chloe Zhao was quite rightfully acclaimed for her quietly beautiful film, The Rider.
Full of haunting images of the western landscape, The Rider was a character study of a rodeo rider struggling to recover after a serious accident. It was a poignant and affecting film, one that made you cry while steering clear of all of the usual cliches. Though the film was ignored at the Oscars, it still picked up several awards from the critics groups.
When 2020 began, Chloe Zhao had two movie scheduled to be released. One was Marvel’s Eternals, a big-budget MCU film that sounds like it’s basically the antithesis of The Rider. The other is Nomadland, which stars Frances McDormand as a woman who, having lost her job and her home, travels the country in search of employment. Based on a nonfiction book, Nomadland sounds like it will continue to explore the themes that Zhao first examined in The Rider.
As a result of COVID-19, both films were briefly in limbo. Eternals was eventually rescheduled for February of next year. Nomadland is set to premiere at both the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals this Friday. It’s scheduled to get a theatrical release on December 4th and Searchlight Film is expected to push the film for Oscar consideration.
Here’s the teaser, which features Frances McDormand doing a lot of walking:
Ben Wheatley is one of the most interesting directors working today. As I’ve stated many times, I consider A Field In England to be one of the best films of the last ten years.
Wheatley’s next film is going to be an adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s classic gothic tale, Rebecca! Alfred Hitchcock adaptation of du Maurier’s novel was named the Best Picture of 1940. Wheatley’s version has been described as a “modern” updating of the classic story.
Rebecca will be released on Netflix on October 21st and it will star Lily James, Armie Hammer, and Kristin Scott Thomas in the roles that were previously played by Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, and Judith Anderson. Here’s the trailer:
Since today is Dario Argento’s 80th birthday, I’m going to share a scene that I love that he directed.
I love the opening of Argento’s 1971 giallo, Four Flies On Grey Velvet. This was Argento’s third film as a director and it tells the story of an American drummer who gets caught up in a gruesome murder. In the opening credits, we watch as Michael Brandon drums away and finds time to take care of a distracting fly. In just a matter of minutes, Argento tells us everything we need to know about our hero and the role that he’ll be playing in this film. Like the best drummers, he holds everything together and that’s a good skill to have because, in typical Argento fashion, his entire life is about to fall apart.
From Four Flies on Grey Velvet:
4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!
Today is not just Labor Day! Today is also Dario Argento’s birthday!
The maestro of Italian horror is 80 years old today! Needless to say, we’re going to celebrate with 4 Shots From 4 Films. It was a real struggle narrowing it down to only 4 shots. Argento is one of the most visually impressive directors of all time.
You’ll notice that, with one exception, the four shots below are from the first half of Argento’s career. Don’t read anything into that. I’m a fan of Argento’s work, period. There’s a tendency among some cultural critics to be dismissive of Argento’s post-Tenebrae films and I think that’s a bit unfair. In fact, it’s so unfair that I think I’ll devote at least a bit of our upcoming October horrorthon to defending the later works of Dario Argento.
Finally, do you remember that movie Juno? Most people were shocked when Jason Bateman’s character turned out to be a sleaze but I knew it was going to happen as soon as he said that he thought Herschell Gordon Lewis was a better director than Dario Argento. I mean, Herschell Gordon Lewis was great but c’mon …. ARGENTO!
For now, here are….
4 Shots From 4 Dario Argento Films
Suspiria (1977, dir by Dario Argento)
Inferno (1980, dir by Dario Argento)
Tenebrae (1982, dir by Dario Argento)
The Stendhal Syndrome (1996, dir by Dario Argento)
Psycho Escort is a film that epitomizes the concept of “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
Put yourself in the shoes of Diane (Victoria Barabas). She’s a widow and she’s still misses her husband so much that she can’t even bring herself to sleep in the master bedroom. Instead, she sleeps in the guest bedroom, an exile in her own house. She’s a single mother, trying to raise a young son who regularly comes home from school with a black eye. On top of all that, she’s got a job that demands a lot of her time and she works with a bunch of people who are just waiting to stab her in the back.
But, it’ll all be worth it if she gets the big promotion and becomes a partner in the firm. With a promotion, she’ll finally be making enough money to provide a little bit of security for her son. And if that means that she has to miss an occasional soccer game and that she doesn’t get a chance to date much, so be it.
The only problem is that, in order to get that promotion, she’s going to have to suck up to the boss and that means going to company parties. And showing up at those parties without a date would totally make her look like a boring loser. Her sister has a helpful suggestion, though. Why not hire an escort!?
No, not that type of escort! Apparently, there’s a rent-a-date firm. You send them some money and they send you a handsome man who will pretend to be your date or your boyfriend and who will basically charm everyone in your social circle and totally make all of your friends jealous. Even though Diane is skeptical, she finally agrees to give them a call. I mean, it seems like a good idea at the time. They send over Miles (Nick Ballard).
At first, Miles seems perfect. He’s charming. He’s handsome. Diane’s boss likes him and even invites him to play a round of golf. In fact, Miles is such a hit that, when Diane has to go to another party, she calls the firm and requests Miles a second time. Diane starts to open to Miles about her husband’s death. Miles starts to open up about his wife’s death. Soon, Miles is becoming more than just an escort. Soon, he’s becoming a real boyfriend….
The only problem of course is that …. well, it’s right there in the title. Miles is a psycho escort! And soon, Miles is becoming just a bit obsessed with Diane, to the point that he’s willing to commit murder to prove his love….
Well, you know how it goes. This is a Lifetime movie and, as I’ve said countless times, the fact that these films all follow a certain formula is one of the most likable things about them. There’s something comforting about watching these films and knowing that someone is making a huge mistake that you would never make (except, of course, you totally would if you were in Diane’s situation). Psycho Escort is elevated by the performance of Nick Ballard, who is dangerously likable in the role of Miles. It’s easy to see how someone could fall for Miles and, as a result, Diane doesn’t come across as being as naive or willfully blind as one might expect. Victoria Barabas also gives a very good performance as Diane and is especially effective when she’s talking about the death of her husband. The trauma is obviously still with her and has left her vulnerable to someone like Miles. As a result, you don’t quite roll your eyes as much at Diane as you might at some people who let a total stranger into their life. There’s a reality to her situation that elevates the story.
Psycho Escort. Watch it the next time you’re tempted to rent a date.
Also known as Sinister Savior, this film tells the story of Karen (Marci Miller), an emergency room doctor and a recovering alcoholic. One night, as she’s leaving an AA meeting, she’s attacked by an apparent mugger. Fortunately, for her, Daniel (Kelly Blatz), just happens to be walking by the scene. He steps forward and fights off Karen’s attacker, probably saving her life in the process. However, during the fight, Daniel’s arm gets slashed with a knife.
Being a doctor (and, according to her best friend, also being way too trusting), Karen takes Daniel back to her house so that she can take a look at his wounded arm. Daniel seems friendly-enough. He says that he’s in real estate and that the reason he was in the neighborhood was because he was checking out potential properties to buy and sell. Daniel also tells Karen that he’s never been in a real fight before.
Daniel, it turns out, already has several scars. When Karen notices them and asks about them, Daniel says that he got them in a bar fight. But …. uhmm, Daniel ….. you said you’d never been in a real fight before. Daniel quickly explains that he wasn’t actually in the fight, he just got stabbed accidentally. That may make sense but, even if Daniel isn’t lying about his past history, why does he have pictures of Karen’s house on his phone?
For those of us watching, red flags start to go up as soon as Daniel shows up. That’s because this is a Lifetime film and, if you’ve seen enough of these films, you know better than to trust any good Samaritans. The fact that this movie is called Sinister Stalker gives us another reason not trust Daniel. When Daniel starts to talk about how much he and Karen have in common and makes a rather awkward joke about how they must have a connection, those of us in the audience are like, “Get out of there!”
But, of course, if Karen did that, there wouldn’t be a movie. So, instead, Karen does stuff like take a shower while there’s a complete stranger hanging out in her home. Meanwhile, Daniel is walking around the house and basically invading her space. Various friends of Karen come by to check on her and Daniel tries to send them all away. We know that there’s something not right about Daniel. It’s just a question of how long it’s going to take Karen to figure that out as well.
Though the story may be familiar, Sinister Stalker does experiment a little with the typical Lifetime format. As opposed to most Lifetime films, which usually take place over several days and typically feature a lot of visits to the neighborhood coffeeshop and at least one yoga class, the action in Sinister Stalker takes place in one location and over the course of just one night. The film almost seems to play out in real time, which actually pays off surprisingly well. The film actually does a petty good job of generating some suspense as to how long it’s going to take Karen to figure out that Daniel’s motives are not exactly pure.
Kelly Blatz is perhaps a little bit too obviously sinister as Daniel but Marci Miller does a great job in the role of Karen. She plays up Karen’s hesitation just enough to suggest that she had her doubts about Daniel from the beginning but, at the same time, she also feels that she has an obligation — as both a doctor and someone whose life was saved by Daniel — to check out the wound on his arm. In the small but important role of an alcoholic who keeps calling Karen for help, Lew Temple makes a good and sympathetic impression.
Sinister Stalker plays with the typical Lifetime format and, for the most part, it pays off. Watch it the next time you’re tempted to let a complete stranger hang out in your house for a few hours.
Werner Herzog and Friend (Image from the documentary The Burden of Dreams)
Since today is Werner Herzog’s birthday, I thought I would share a Herzog scene that I love.
Herzog is such an iconic and eccentric figure that I think there’s a tendency to overlook just how good of a director and a storyteller he actually is. People just tend to think of him as being the man with the German accent who makes random comments about how the universe is governed by chaos.
But, he’s actually a brilliant director as well and if you need proof, just watch his 1972 film, Aguirre, The Wrath of God. The scene below is actually from the final few minutes of the film so I guess it’s technically a spoiler if you haven’t seen the film yet. That said, people who get upset about spoilers are wimps.
Klaus Kinski plays Aguirre, a Spanish conquistador who attempts to conquer the South America by floating down the Amazon River. Things don’t quite go the way that he intended. By the end of the film, all of his man are dead and a large amount of monkeys are congregating on his raft. Has Aguirre conquered the monkeys or have they conquered him?
That’s up to the viewer to decide.
Happy birthday, Werner Herzog!
“What a nice ranch!” I thought as I watched the opening scenes of Killer Daddy Issues.
Listen, I live in Texas. I’ve grown up all over the Southwest. I’ve seen a lot of really nice ranches and I’ve seen a lot of really mediocre ranches and the ranch in Killer Daddy Issues is definitely a nice one. The scenery is green and bountiful. The hills are covered with beautiful trees. There’s a big river nearby. Majestic horses run across the fields. This is the type of ranch that you definitely want to visit. Unfortunately, even the best ranches have their issues.
This ranch is currently owned by Grace (Carolyn McCormick) and her daughter, Carrie (Jillian Murray). They inherited it and a good deal of money after the death of Grace’s husband. However, a new man has entered Grace’s life. Carrie is shocked when Grace returns from a five-day cruise with a new husband! Reed (Chris Riggi) is handsome and charming and young enough to be Carrie’s brother. Carrie takes an immediate distrust to Reed. Despite Reed assuring her that he’s already independently wealthy and that he doesn’t have a criminal record, Carrie is convinced that Reed is only after her mother’s money. Carrie’s suspicions are not eased when Grace is seriously injured during a riding accident.
Meanwhile, Sofia (Kristina Reyes) has made a shocking discovery. She and her mother both work at the ranch and, while Carrie treats them with superficial respect, it’s still obvious that there’s a world of difference between their lives and the lives of Grace and Carrie. When Sofia discovers that her father was Grace’s husband and that she’s actually Carrie’s half-sister, she’s not happy at all. She’s been cheated out of the ranch that she views as her birthright.
Meanwhile, someone is wandering around the ranch with a rifle, taking shots at people. Hmmm …. I wonder if that could have anything to do with all the other stuff that’s going on at the ranch?
Needless to say, there’s a lot going on in this movie. Not only do you have a mysterious new husband who might be a murderous gold digger but you also have the issue of Sofia’s paternity. One thing that really struck me about this film was just how unlikable Carrie and Grace are. Even though they’re the main characters, both of them seem to be a bit too secure in their positions. In the beginning, at least, Sofia is a far more sympathetic character because she does have a legitimate complaint. She had been denied what rightfully should belong to her. It’s a bit subversive actually. Even though Carrie and Grace are presented as being the protagonists, it’s clear that the audience’s sympathy is meant to go to Sofia.
Anyway, this one is okay. It crams three hours worth of plot into a 90-minute runtime and, as a result, the film does occasionally seem to be a bit overstuffed. There’s a lot to keep up with. But the ranch is gorgeous and Kristina Reyes gives an excellent performance as Sofia. This is a good movie to watch on a weekend afternoon.
Okay, I absolutely love this movie.
When Anna (Cystal Allen) loses her husband and one of her daughters, all in one night, it doesn’t do much for her state of mind. Even though the official report is that the fire that killed them was due to a gas link, this is a Lifetime movie and that means that they had to have been murdered. And since the name of this movie is Beware of Mom, it doesn’t take a lot of effort to figure out that Anna must be responsible. However, she didn’t mean to kill her daughter. Sometimes, you’re just trying to murder your husband and these things happen.
Anyway, Anna and her remaining daughter, teenage Jessie (Monica Rose Betz), move to another suburb and try to start their life over. Anna is one of those moms who is determined to be the “cool mom.” She’s friends with musicians. She has thousands of followers on social media. She throws big parties at her house and encourages Jessie to stay out late with her friends.
Her new neighbor, Tanya (Rene Ashton), is not a cool mom. In fact, Tanya is an extremely overprotective, controlling mom who is determined to make sure that her daughter, 16 year-old Kylie (Nicolette Langley), is not led down the wrong path. She expects her daughter to not date, to not dress provocatively, to not post pictures of herself online, and to not stay out late. Needless to say, Tayna is not happy about having Anna living next door, especially after Kyle and Jessie become friends and Anna starts to encourage Kylie to rebel.
Soon, Kylie is going to parties, posing online, and making out with a 34 year-old musician! Tanya tells Anna to stay away from her daughter. However, Anna is not one to take orders and she also knows both how to fake a break-in and how to poison someone in such a way as to make it appear as if they’ve had a heart attack.
Beware of Mom, indeed.
As I said at the start of this review, I absolutely loved this movie. The plot is just so melodramatic and Anna is just such an entertainingly over-the-top villain that it was impossible not to love it. I mean, to a certain extent, anyone watching this film will be able to relate. I think everyone went through a period where they felt like their mom wasn’t giving them enough freedom or was being overprotective. Everyone was jealous of the girl who had the mom who apparently let her do whatever she wanted. This is a film that acknowledges that our jealousy was understandable and then goes on to explain that the reason why the cool mom let her daughter get away with everything was because she was an insane murderer who wanted to kidnap her daughter’s best friend. It’s so crazy that you can’t help but love it.
It helps that Crystal Allen really dug into the role of Anna. Whether she was murdering a stranger or encouraging underage drinking, Anna seemed to believe that all of her action were very reasonable and she seemed to be genuinely bewildered that anyone would object. Allen was well-supported by the performances of the rest of the cast, especially Monica Rose Betz as her conflicted daughter. It all added up to the type of suburban melodrama that we can all embrace.
Through the Shattered Lens