Russ Tamblyn is one of the very few circus acrobats to make it in Hollywood. It is a shame he never found a director who could use him properly, and maybe his high energy style was too fast for that time. The movie is a good coward theme western, with an excellent duel scene at the end..obviously.
The Fastest Gun Alive (1956)
Can’t imagine a better soundtrack for summer bike rides, freshening up with the wind while checking girls out. Great or not (in this case, great!) it gives the coldest soul that sexy summer vibe that is the mark of what is supposed to be, the soundtrack of a summer. Music isn’t always quality , it is about utility, about the company it provides and the use you make of it.
The Blackbyrds - Action (1977)
The most discussed aspect of this movie is the miscasting of Franco Nero for the Lancelot role. It was instead a stroke of pure genius: by casting him, you take the iconic, legendary knight Sir Lancelot, and you make him a Jesus loving simple minded hunk with a thick italian accent. Or how to destroy a huge myth just with a terrible, terrible actor.
Camelot (1967)
The greatness of choreography is this capacity of clearly integrating a movement into a definite space, and letting our mind reconstruct the feeling of that movement with our imagination and our senses. That is why the artificiality of kung fu movies is so effective, it gives us the time to observe clearly what is happening, allowing us more material to imagine how that kick in the teeth felt like.
Ip Man ( 2008 )
A flop with a very unfair reputation, it has many flaws but a few funny scenes, great over the top villains and obviously a very cool ( for a teen anyway ) duo of singing classy thieves. But you know what’s the very best thing? The dog fucking dies. Now that is reckless filmmaking!
Hudson Hawk ( 1991)
The story of a peace loving man who is forced to kill and fights to maintain his innocence. It’s really great to have an all american hero that is skilled with a gun, strong , smart… and a little bit of a pussy. One of John Carpenter’s favorite westerns.
From Hell to Texas (1958)
Never has the expression “eye candy” has been more appropriated. The equivalent of a ton of gummi bears in video game graphics, it has also a great detailed animation and wonderful backdrops. The charm of sprites is in their artificiality, and this is as artificial as you can get!
Marchen Adventure Cotton (1994)
Westerns without cowboys are a rare treat. Mainly a portrait of an isolated microsociety built around superstitions and self made beliefs that is disrupted by a secular man, who brings the true miracle of the gods, surgery. Deep down it is really about each one’s perception of the wonders of this world, giving the film a very dreamy atmosphere. A quiet movie for a quiet night.
Shepherd of the Hills (1941)
Probably the best song about friendship ever written, it takes a bittersweet meaning here because of the conflicted relationship this duo would soon develop. Admittedly, Lewis was jealous of Dean Martin, who was much funnier in real life, and Martin was tired of being the straight man counterpart in their movies. They would make their peace almost 30 years later, live on television and hosted by Frank Sinatra.
Jerry Lewis & Dean Martin “Side by Side”
Andrew Davis is a great director of spaces and cities. When you live a long time in a city, you always end up picking your favorite train stations, tunnels, bridges and buildings. And this is where Davis excels. Most of his films are set in his native Chicago, a city which he loves and never fails to display it ; the bridge in “Chain Reaction” , the St Patrick procession in “The Fugitive” or the end fight on top of the subway in “Code of Silence”. Plus an impressive amount of great..parkings.
Above the Law (1988)
