Director Mike P. Nelson’s “The Retirement of Joe Corduroy” is a fantastic throwback to the revenge films of the seventies, mixing “Death Wish” with a dash of “Taxi Driver” for good measure. I didn’t think Director Nelson could really offer anything new for a plot about a middle aged avenger, but lo and behold I gazed in awe in the final minutes of the film that were immensely trippy in the grand tradition of the seventies.
Countdown to “Man of Steel”!
One of the many aspects of the Superman lore that director Richard Donner and screenwriter Mario Puzo touched on that really helps “Superman: The Movie” rise in to the pantheon of one of the best Superman representations is the dilemma of massive power. Superman or Kal El, is brought down to Earth and is stranded, left to the mercy of Earth’s denizens. It’s only by a miracle that he manages to come across a humble farm couple that not only discover him but take him in, in spite of his horrifying powers that allow him super strength and a plethora of other amazing abilities. What becomes one of the stumbling blocks in “Superman” is that Kal El, now Clark Kent, is tasked with the dilemma of being a God.
There aren’t many films in the ilk as Ernest Hemingway’s “The Killers.” Though I’ve yet to see the Burt Lancaster original from 1946, “The Killers” is never without its assortment of merits and high points. You want cool? You turn to Clu Galagher. You want power, you turn to Lee Marvin, and lo and behold, “The Killers” teams both actors together to form a B grade thriller that’s stylish and entertaining. The duo Siegel’s film centers on are a searing team of hit men. Clu Galagher is bad ass, and Lee Marvin is just great. I can see why Quentin Tarantino would be inspired by this for his own characters Vinnie Vega and Jules Winfield.
John Carpenter is perhaps one of my favorite task masters of the cinematic realm. He’s a man who can change form and tone on a dime, and loves film so much he creates his own tribute to certain genre tropes without relying on them as a crutch. Much as I love Quentin Tarantino, he can force much of his inspiration for his films down audiences throats. Carpenter has always been so much more subtle in his love for the classic films he adored. He never quite had the budget to make westerns nor the studio backing, so he opted to make his own Westerns but in their contemporary settings. Hence, Snake Plissken. John Carpenter is the type of director I’d love to be should I ever lens a film someday. His films garner a style all their own and deliver in action and entertainment.
The catchiest of the series of baffling musical numbers in the deliriously goofy Full Moon
picture “Bad Channels.”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjuUO3clEjU&w=420&h=315]
Jack Sholder’s 1982 horror film “Alone in the Dark” suffers from undeserved obscurity; it’s a morbid and utterly mind bending little thriller that taps popular films, but still ends up a truly great little horror flick when all is said and done. “Alone in the Dark” is its own breed of the revenge film mixed with a Monster in the House film, ending with a mish mash of genre tropes audiences will appreciate when the dust has settled. Jack Sholder’s horror film has a surefire unique style of its own with some scenes that are just outright surreal.
Russ Meyer had an utter fetish for curvy women. Especially curvy women with a large often intimidating bust. Many of whom are looked down upon, and that’s a damn shame. Anne Margaret, one of the sexiest women who ever lived was curvy, and the three women featured in “Faster Pussycat!” are also curvy bomb shells. One in particular, who happens to be my favorite, is Tura Satana, the curvaceous and busty stripper named Varla. “Faster Pussycat!” was considered porn at the time, but Director Russ Meyer loved to think he was better than simple porn, and he’d be correct in his assertion. This is much better than porn, because you can become aroused without feeling obligated to. Meyer prefers to titillate rather than undress his performers and arouse viewers in a Pavlovian routine.