Blu-ray Review: The Sicilian

The Sicilian stars Christopher Lambert as Salvatore Giuliano, a bandit who becomes a hero to the people of Sicily. It was written by Steve Shagan (who also wrote Primal Fear), based on the novel by Mario Puzo, who of course also wrote The Godfather. The book in fact is sort of a sequel to The Godfather, with Michael Corleone appearing at the beginning. The film version, however, opens with Professor Hector Adonis (Richard Bauer) visiting Aspanu (John Turturro) in jail, and does not include the Corleone connection. The film was directed by Michael Cimino, who is known mostly for directing The Deer Hunter, for which he won the Oscar. And now the director’s cut has been released on Blu-ray (it is approximately thirty minutes longer than the theatrical release).

After the brief first jail scene, the movie goes back in time to tell the story of Salvatore Giuliano and his rise in popularity and then his fall. He and Aspanu are carting a coffin through the countryside when stopped by the police, who discover that the coffin contains stolen grain that Giuliano intends to distribute among the peasants. The ensuing altercation results in a policeman being shot and killed, and Giuliano being shot as well. After stealing two horses from the estate of Prince Borsa (Terence Stamp), they flee to the protection of some priests. This is only the first time that Giuliano seems to cheat death, and his luck is part of what draws people to him. While healing in the care of the priests, he gains a new sense of invulnerability.

At the same time, we see the power of Don Masino Groce (Joss Ackland). There is a scene where Don Masino goes to the University of Palermo to ask that his nephew be given a degree to become a surgeon. One person at the university tells him no outright, and then after Don Masino has left, Professor Adonis turns to that man and tells him he’ll have to leave Sicily, that no one says no to Don Masino. One of the interesting aspects of this film is the paternal feelings that Don Masino has toward Giuliano, even before meeting him. Giuliano is the sort of son Don Masino wishes he had. At the same time, you know a confrontation is brewing that cannot end well for both men.

The film is burdened with some clunky dialogue, like “Don’t worry, opposites attract, they say”; “Well, if you want to be an angel, you’ve got to change your shoes” and “What are you going to do?”/”Save the world, what else?” (all of those examples being from the same scene). But there is some good dialogue as well. Like when Giovanna asks Giuliano why he doesn’t run for president of Sicily, Giuliano responds: “I’ve killed too many people. Or maybe not enough.” And later when they are driving through the streets of Palermo, and Giovanna worries that he’ll be recognized, Giuliano says, “I don’t look like me all dressed up, do I?” She responds, “Well, you don’t look like someone who wants to help the poor.” Giuliano then says: “I bought you that dress because you are poor. I bought this suit because I am poor.” And when Aspanu warns Giuliano that a man will betray him, Giuliano responds: “Betray me? Only a friend can do that.”

Certainly, the film isn’t as good as The Godfather (though it is much better than The Godfather Part III), and Christopher Lambert is no Al Pacino. But it’s an enjoyable film, with plenty of good moments. And it’s beautifully shot. Alex Thomson was the director of photography. Thomson also was the cinematographer on such films as Excalibur, Labyrinth and Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet. And Terence Stamp is excellent, as always. He always brings something unexpected to the roles he plays. For example, check out his reaction when Giuliano and his men show up at his estate to rob his guests of their valuables.

The Sicilian was released on Blu-ray on March 29, 2016 through Shout! Factory. The disc does not contain any special features.

DVD Review: Children Of The Stars

I’ve always thought you had to be a bit of a kook to join a cult, with equal parts lunacy and sadness dominating your personality. But I’ve also always found these people fascinating. Children Of The Stars is a documentary film about Unarius (meaning “universal articulate interdimensional understanding of science” – oh boy!) and its members (or students, as they are referred to). The film focuses on several members (none of whom are young, interestingly), who are allowed to tell their stories through a series of interviews.

The film begins with some images from science fiction, with a man telling us how we have waged war on Martians. “Call it sci-fi, but it’s real,” he says earnestly. And that’s one defining and interesting characteristic about the Unarius folks: they don’t believe there is any such thing as imagination; they believe it’s all memory. And so they will say things like “Star Wars is real.” And they believe that Gene Roddenberry, through the Star Trek series, was actually giving us information about real events. They also believe very strongly in past lives, and in a confederation of planets. Unarius student Billie McIntyre says: “Every year in October we have a Conclave of Light, welcoming the brothers of the confederation to land. It’s active with thirty-two other planets.” Sadly, she informs us that Earth has yet to join the confederation. “But we will soon,” she promises.

The Unarius Academy Of Science was founded by Ernest Norman (known as Raphiel or The Moderator to the cult members) and Ruth Norman (referred to as Uriel by her faithful followers) in the 1950s. And after Ernest’s death in 1971, Ruth became the leader, and the members seemed to worship her, calling her an archangel. Ruth was a nut, but she was all about a peaceful existence for people, and you can’t argue with that. Though the film largely follows the viewpoints of the members, it does give us some background information on Ruth Norman through an interview with a sociologist. And a lot of their ideas are presented in snippets of science fiction films that the cult members made themselves. Yes, these people make their own science fiction films. (One failing on the part of this DVD is to not include these films as bonus features. That would have been great!)

They believe that they have had past lives on this planet and other planets. Apparently Ernest and Ruth both come from the Planet Aries. One of my favorite moments in the film is the series of paintings of Ruth’s past lives – everyone from Queen Elizabeth I to Johannes Kepler to King Arthur. Unarius student Tracey Kennedy tells us that when she met Charles (whom they refer to as Antares), he told her, “I know you from Atlantis.” Unarius student Dan Smith, however, has the funniest line of the film. When describing meeting Ruth at a dinner, he says: “Wow, this is an archangel, and she’s telling me I should have some custard.” But he does get a bit of competition from Kevin Kennedy, who says: “Martians did interbreed with peoples on our world. That is what started the Chinese civilization.” Ah! That of course prompts the question, Can Martians drive?

There is a lot of great stuff in this documentary, and yet I found myself wanting more. For example, there is nothing on the current structure of the cult. Ruth Norman died in 1993, so who has been running the show since then? And is there some sort of hierarchy? And how is the group funded? Toward the end, a few of the members talk about how and when they joined, but I wanted more of that. These folks are allowed to tell their stories, which are certainly entertaining, but the interviewer never puts them on the spot. He is very gentle with them, and that ends up being a weakness of the film. Also, I found myself wondering about ex-members. That might be outside the scope of the film, I understand, but I’m curious and I wish at least one ex-member had been interviewed. Or has no one ever left the group?

Special Features

The DVD contains approximately twenty-six minutes of bonus footage, most of it from interviews in which members focus on their problematic past lives. One guy talks about how his past lives affect his marriage. It must be exhausting to be crazy. One woman talks about her past life in Germany: “She was an opera singer also that entertained Hitler.” But this woman seems old enough to have been alive during World War II in this lifetime. And guess what, she is. She explains this, sort of: “Now I was in this body at that time, but I also had another body at that time, out there.” Uh, what? She then adds, “I probably shouldn’t have brought it up.” Another guy went to see Gladiator (the Russell Crowe movie) and spotted himself – well, one of his past selves – in the arena. (Hey, that extra used to be me!) The sociologist does touch upon the question of where the cult gets its money.

The last couple of minutes are actually a trailer for the film, which is tacked onto the bonus footage rather than included as a separate special feature.

Children Of The Stars was directed by Bill Perrine and was released on DVD on March 8, 2016.

DVD Review: Strange And Familiar: Architecture Of Fogo Island

Strange And Familiar: Architecture On Fogo Island is a wonderful documentary about a small community working to maintain its particular personality, history and culture while also drawing in new people via more contemporary architecture. Fogo Island is located off the coast of Newfoundland, and this film features some stunningly gorgeous shots of the area. Right away the documentary introduces us to Todd Saunders, an architect who grew up in Newfoundland and who returned to take on this special project, and Zita Cobb, the woman behind the Shorefast Foundation and the project.

Zita Cobb made quite a bit of money through her job, traveled the world, then returned to Fogo Island with the idea of building an inn there. She tells us, “I think that people are made of the place they’re from.” She talks about how people are tied to the place of their birth, particularly if they’re island people. And she wanted to express the feeling of the place in a contemporary way, and to attract contemporary artists from around the world to the island to work. And so it wasn’t just the inn, but also a series of smaller structures to house artists that were built there. Todd shows us some of these places built for artists, touching upon the idea of architecture that is both familiar and strange, how he attempted to put the old idea of function becoming form into the contemporary architecture. One building was designed specifically for writers, and the whole place is like a giant desk. It’s remarkable.

There is a wonderfully casual and friendly feel in the way both Todd and Zita talk to us about the place, about the architecture and about the project, as if they’re speaking to people they genuinely like, people they care about. And it’s such a natural way of speaking, even though of course this project is of tremendous importance, not only to them, but to their families and the community.

The film also follows the progress of the construction of the inn, and we meet some of the designers and workers, and learn that whenever possible local craftsmen and local materials were used. The detail is great. We even meet the people designing and making the quilts. And what’s striking is that all of these people, in these various creative areas, all have the same goal, and truly feel connected. It’s a beautiful thing. I want to go to this inn (and I’d like to stay in room 22 – you probably will too once you see this film).

Strange And Familiar: Architecture Of Fogo Island was directed by Katherine Knight and Marcia Connolly, and was released on DVD on March 29, 2016 through First Run Features. The DVD includes a photo gallery, featuring images of some of the structures.

DVD Review: Albert Up, Up And Away!

Albert Up, Up And Away! is an animated movie based on the children’s book by Danish writer Ole Lund Kirkegaard. It’s about a young boy named Albert who dreams of being the pilot of a hot air balloon. The opening shot follows a red balloon (of course making me think of a certain short film from 1956), which drifts to the statue of the town’s hot air balloon captain. Almost from the moment of Albert’s birth, he seems to cause mischief, leading to the destruction of the statue. One townsperson exclaims, “The boy must supply us with a new one.” Odd demand to make of an infant, right? But this film has an odd, whimsical tone, and it’s not long before Albert wants to make it up to the town. After all, he realizes the people of the town dislike him because of the mishap with the statue. So he announces that he will become a hot air balloon captain and travel the world. The townspeople applaud his decision (more because they’ll be getting rid of the boy than because they’ll gain a new statue).

The movie then follows his adventures as he pursues that dream, accompanied (somewhat reluctantly) by his best friend Egon, who is more interested in piracy than balloons. The boys become involved with a trio of bumbling crooks who plan to steal a diamond. Add a couple of bumbling cops as well, and a funny psychic who threatens her own crystal ball (“you’ll end up as a disco ball”), and you have a decent children’s film. It is aimed at younger kids, and should appeal to their sense of adventure. There are also some fart jokes, which will basically only be funny to children.

Early on the film relies on a somewhat weak device to show the passage of time and to supply exposition. We see a photo album while hearing voice over by Albert’s parents saying things like, “Amazing how fast he grew” and “But Albert was never friends with Palle, was he?” But the animation has a really nice look, particularly the landscapes. And I love the use of the word “cheeky,” a word we don’t hear often enough. I particularly like when a policeman asks a woman to describe the boys, and she responds, “They looked cheeky.”

Albert Up, Up And Away! was directed by Karsten Kiilerich (who also wrote the screenplay), and is scheduled to be released on DVD on April 19, 2016 through Shout! Factory. The DVD includes the film’s trailer.

DVD Review: Ron Taylor: Dr. Baseball

Despite the song claiming that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, you and I know that in fact the most wonderful time of the year is baseball season. And it is upon us once again. So it’s the perfect time for a baseball documentary. Ron Taylor: Dr. Baseball is a short film about the pitcher who became a doctor, and stayed in the game as team physician. It was directed and produced by Ron Taylor’s sons, Drew and Matt.

This film features an interview with Ron Taylor, who talks about his childhood and the influence of his father, and about the scout who found him in Canada. He also discusses signing with Cleveland but wanting to continue school rather than do spring training, and of course about pitching in the 1964 World Series. “And all of a sudden I was completely focused. I didn’t hear any sounds. It was Tim McCarver and me playing catch.”  Tim McCarver adds, “The hitter didn’t exist as far as he was concerned.” Yes, in addition to the interview with Ron Taylor, this film features interviews with several other ball players, including Tim McCarver, Kelly Gruber, Lou Brock and Bob Gibson. McCarver also says, “He threw so hard that it felt like he was doing something illegal, like using a spitter.” Taylor was also a part of the Miracle Mets in 1969.

There is also old footage of Taylor playing, including footage of the 1964 World Series and 1969 World Series. Surprisingly, some of the most interesting material isn’t about baseball at all. Ron Taylor talks about his USO tour in Vietnam, and how that trip changed his life, how visiting wounded soldiers made him want to become a doctor, and how that led to his work with the Blue Jays. By the way, there is also some really good music in this film.

Special Features

The DVD contains quite a bit of bonus material. There is an interview with the filmmakers, in which Matt Taylor and Drew Taylor talk about how it was at first difficult to convince their dad to tell his story, as he’s a rather private person, and about the challenges presented by their being so close to their subject. This interview is approximately twenty-one minutes.

There are also several film festival Q&As. Cinefest International Film Festival includes a panel with Ron Taylor, Drew Taylor and Matthew Taylor. The Napa Valley Film Festival panel includes Ron Taylor, Drew Taylor, Matthew Taylor and composer Mikel Hurwitz.  The panel at the St. Louis International Film Festival includes Ron Taylor, Tim McCarver, Drew Taylor and Matthew Taylor. The sound isn’t perfect on this last one (there is a lot of background noise), but there are some great stories from Ron Taylor, including one about signing with Cleveland, and about the differences in the game between then and now. Tim McCarver tells some wonderful anecdotes as well. These three Q&As total approximately fifty-six minutes.

The special features also include a short piece on the scoring session, and portions of the soundtrack.

Ron Taylor: Dr. Baseball was released on March 29, 2016 through First Run Features.

DVD Review: All Hell Breaks Loose

All Hell Breaks Loose is a comedic horror film that tries to reproduce the feel of some classic low-budget horror and exploitation flicks from the 1970s and 1980s, and does so with varying degrees of success. It’s about a group of satanic bikers looking to sacrifice some virgins, and a young husband who tries desperately to save his bride.

It establishes a somewhat comedic tone almost immediately, when in the first scene a group of college friends gather around a fire, and one tells the tale of a killer who perhaps was never caught, a killer who could be out in the woods at that very moment “getting ready to sodomize us.” But it is an evil motorcycle gang that shows up, looking for a virgin. And though Tina (April Mai) looks like she hasn’t been a virgin in ages (perhaps never was a virgin), she’s the one the leader chooses. They take her along in a coffin which is attached to a trailer.

We then go to the wedding of Nick (Nick Forrest) and Bobby Sue (Sarah Kobel Marquette), and the scene reminds me of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, partly because of the music, partly because the opening shot pans down from the tower to the small, kind of crummy church, and partly because of Nick’s glasses. And uh-oh, it soon becomes clear that the young couple hasn’t yet done the deed. And so the motorcycle gang shows up, killing Nick and abducting Bobby Sue. But don’t worry, God happens by, re-animates Nick and hands him a gun, telling him to go get his girl. So Nick tucks in his intestines and begins his quest. The only problem is he has no idea what he’s doing (and at one point it looks like Bobby Sue might be better off against the gang on her own).

Obviously, this film is meant to be purely fun, with over-the-top lines like “I’m thirstier than a child molester in hell” and “Two on one, now that ain’t fair, unless you’re talking about sex” and “For all I know, you spend your evenings raping bunnies in the woods” and “I like to stick chess pieces up my butt.” There is some nudity, of course, though Tina’s tattoos are off-putting. Is she really supposed to be a virgin? Geez, Bobby Sue has a tattoo also. It’s never a good idea for an actor to get a tattoo, but casting directors should really avoid using actors with them to play virgins.

I could do without the fake flickering on the screen in a pointless attempt to imitate the look of a scratched old film print. It’s distracting. And it’s a shame they went with CG instead of practical effects at times, like that odd close-up of a guy getting shot in the chest outside the bar. It’s just a splatter shot over his shirt, which looks stupid. Why do that in close-up? Plus, if you’re going for the look of old films, then that pretty much eliminates the possibility of using CG, doesn’t it? You have to make a choice, folks.

But there is some nice gruesome stuff involving a bartender’s fingers. And I love the scene of the small bag of Nick being prayed over by a less-than-enthusiastic, less-than-holy priest. And there are some good lines, like the priest’s “Lord, I know I don’t ask for much, and clearly you’ve obliged.” And of course, “Jesus saves, motherfucker!” And hey, any satanic ritual that’s accompanied by a cool bass line and involves a Village People record can’t be all wrong, can it?

Special Features

The DVD includes a commentary track by director Jeremy Garner and the writer, who irritatingly goes by the name The Vocabulariast. But he mentions that he modeled the first scene after a scene in Neon Maniacs (a terrible movie that I happen to love, partly because my uncle is in it). They also talk about shooting with a low budget, and how the dialogue is done completely as ADR.

There are also two deleted scenes, both involving Bobby Sue once she’s been brought to the bar, as well as the film’s trailer.

All Hell Breaks Loose was directed by J. Garner, and was released on DVD on March 22, 2016 through Wild Eye Releasing.

DVD Review: Mystery Science Theater 3000 Volume XXXV

Do you love cheesy, bad movies? Do you hate them? Either way, you’re in luck, for a new volume of Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes is about to be released. Volume XXXV contains four episodes previously unreleased on DVD – two Joel Hodgson episodes and two Mike Nelson episodes. And if you’ve never seen this show before, don’t worry about trying to watch the episodes in order. There’s no need. Volume XXXV is as good a place to start as Volume I.  This four-disc set includes “Teenage Cave Man,” “Being From Another Planet,” “12 To The Moon” and “Deathstalker And The Warriors From Hell,” as well as bonus material.

Disc 1: Teenage Caveman

“Teenage Caveman” is a Joel episode from 1991 that opens with two shorts. Aquatic Wizards is about the joys of water skiing, and includes references to The Go-Go’s and Monty Python. Tom Servo tells us, “And the incentive to stay up is… crocodiles!”  The second, Catching Trouble, is about a man named Ross who captures wild animals, with Joel and the robots firmly on the side of the animals. Joel says, “Guys, I’m deeply ashamed of my race right now.” And afterward, during a break segment, the gang puts on a wonderful skit about catching Ross and torturing him. The main movie was directed by Roger Corman, which leads Crow to quip, “Well, this must have been filmed painstakingly over the course of three days.” When a hunting party starts shaking rattles, Joel asks, “What, are they hunting babies?” Crow tells them, “Throw your spears at the monster stock footage!” And when the monster shows up, Joel says, “Something goofy this way comes.” The gang criticizes the dull, repetitive scripts, with Crow noting: “This is why the dinosaurs died out. You bored them to death.” This episode contains lots of pop culture references, including references to Bruce Springsteen, The Monkees, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Doors, The Warriors, Westside Story, Grease and Jaws.

As for bonus material, the first disc contains I Was A Teenage Caveman, a short documentary about the film, including an interview with Roger Corman.

Disc 2: Being From Another Planet

“Being From Another Planet” is a Joel episode from 1992. The invention exchange in this episode is particularly good. I love the Tragic Moments figurines. Someone ought to make those. As for the film, the gang is off and running early on, making jokes about each of the opening credits. The first scene is terrible, so Crow says, “So far this movie looks like a dramatization of a movie.” When a student points to an X-ray and asks, “What’s this,” Tom Servo answers for the professor: “No idea, I’m a complete phony.” When a woman on screen says, “I myself can’t take a quantum leap into the supernatural,” the gang adds, “Not in these clothes, anyway.” At one point Crow quips, “Oh no, it’s that thing again, the thing that’s been driving the plot to nowhere.” And Joel says, “Okay, we’re all going to join hands now and try to contact the script.” At the end Tom Servo says, “You know, I think this is the worst movie we’ve ever seen here.” That sure is saying something! The episode contains references to Badfinger, The Cars, Neil Diamond, Hart To Hart, Get Smart and My Dinner With Andre.

The bonus material contains the original film, titled Time Walker. It is presented in a widescreen aspect ratio. There are short bits included that were cut from the MST3K version, such a little more of the scene after the reveal of the injured hand, and a bit of nudity. Also, the opening credits sequence is different. This is a great bonus feature, and I hope that future MST3K DVD releases will include more original films. This disc also includes Richard Band On Time Walker, in which composer Richard Band talks about the film. And the Time Walker trailer is included.

Disc 3: 12 To The Moon

This is a Mike episode from 1994, and it includes the short film Design For Dreaming, a weird musical about a materialistic woman. Crow tells us, “I had a near-death experience like this.” After the woman decides she wants a series of expensive vehicles, the gang jokes, “This is a rebuttal to Roger And Me.” I love that it includes a reference to Happy Birthday, Wanda June. At the beginning of the main film, a man introduces the twelve astronauts. He goes on and on, so that when he says, “During the entire flight-” the gang jumps in with “I’ll be talking.” And the twelve characters being from different countries gives the gang a chance to practice various accents while poking fun at the film. When one character is speaking into a handheld microphone and says, “I am now switching over to my helmet microphone,” Tom Servo comments, “I’d love to get the storyboards for this scene.” And during a seriously poor-looking special effect, Mike announces, “Ladies and gentlemen, the budget just ran out.” During a break, the gang pretends to be on a trip to the moon, and they’re interrupted by the singing materialistic chick from the short film. This is a particularly hilarious episode, and it contains references to The Muppet Show, Star Trek and Romeo And Juliet (and contains a great joke about those Wall Drug signs).

And for bonus material, we get You Are There: Launching 12 To The Moon, in which Jeff Burr talks about the film.

Disc 4: Deathstalker And The Warriors From Hell

“Deathstalker And The Warriors From Hell” is a Mike episode from 1996, in which Dr. Forrester suffers a visit from his mother, Pearl. The first of the opening credits of the movie reads, “New Classics Presents,” leading Tom Servo to observe, “Oh, so you can just declare something a classic, huh?” I love that, especially as idiots do that all the time. When one characters says, “He gets around, one village one day, one the next,” Mike says, “So two villages.” When their village is attacked during some sort of festival, the guys remind the characters to grab the gate receipts. Afterward, when a princess dies, the gang jokes, “If I knew your name or anything about you, this would be sad.” When another princess says, “That’s not the way love’s supposed to happen,” Crow adds, “It should be secret and shameful and leathery and dirty.” During a particularly inept fight sequence, Crow quips, “It was a good idea to film the walk-through.” This is the movie with an entire scene dedicated to potatoes. And the villain seems to like furs almost as much as I do. During the breaks, the robots make fun of Renaissance festivals. This episode has references to the Grateful Dead, Neil Diamond, Annie Hall, Life Of Brian and Chinatown.

The bonus is Medieval Boogaloo: The Legend Of Deathstalker III, which features an interview with actor Thom Christopher in which he talks about the movie, including preparing for the fight scene.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 Volume XXXV is scheduled to be released on March 29, 2016 through Shout! Factory. In addition to the bonus material already mentioned, the box set includes four mini-posters by artist Steve Vance.