Viewings: February 2022

Dada Debaser had nothin' but love to give during the month everyone went Clive Myrie over world affairs, while AnnaLynne McCord released the latest Hollywood cringe video. More importantly, February was also the month yours truly came correct with one of Jon Kitley's Mystery Photo I.D. quizzes. Not to toot my own horn, but being listed as one of the winners, along with an esteemed walkin', talkin,' movie encyclopedia Troy Howarth, felt like a "made it, Ma! Top of the world!" moment for this film geek.

As far as first time viewings go, Passport to Shame, Seconds, Black Caesar and The Tough Ones were my picks of the litter. Honourable mention to Hell Up in Harlem for not only being an entertaining follow-up to Black Caesar, but for being way more surreal than the two Eastern Bloc movies I happened to watch this month.

The Adams family get a special nod from me for Hellbender, the first 2022 release I have enjoyed thus far. Well done, fam!

Film:

 The Dark Eyes of London (Walter Summers, 1939)*

I Walked With A Zombie (Jacques Tourneur, 1943)

Passport to Shame (Alvin Rakoff, 1958)*

Honeymoon of Terror (Peter Perry Jr, 1961)*

The Monster of Camp Sunshine or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Nature (Ferenc Leroget, 1964)*

Daisies (Vera Chytilová, 1966)*

Seconds (John Frankenheimer, 1966)*

Baby Love (Alastair Reid, 1969)*

The Cremator (Juraj Herz, 1969)*

And God Said to Cain (Antonio Margheriti, 1970)

The French Connection (William Friedkin, 1971)

Black Caesar (Larry Cohen, 1973)*

Hell Up in Harlem (Larry Cohen, 1973)*

The Tough Ones (Umberto Lenzi, 1976)* 

Free Hand for a Tough Cop (Umberto Lenzi, 1976)*

Class of 1984 (Mark Lester, 1982)

Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (Tom McLoughlin, 1986)

Mona Lisa (Neil Jordan, 1986)

Arabella Black Angel (Stelvio Massi, 1989)*

Frankenhooker (Frank Henenlotter, 1990)

Hiruko the Goblin (Shinya Tsukamoto, 1991)*

Nekromantik 2 (Jörg Buttgereit, 1991) 

Deep Cover (Bill Duke, 1992)

Morvern Callar (Lynne Ramsay, 2002)*

Rust and Bone (Jacques Audiard, 2012)

Gimme Danger (Jim Jarmusch, 2016)*

The Beach Bum (Harmony Korine, 2019)* 

House of Gucci (Ridley Scott, 2021)*

Nightmare Alley (Guillermo del Toro, 2022)*

Scream (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett, 2022)*

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (David Blue Garcia, 2022)*

The Tinder Swindler (Felicity Morris, 2022)*

Hellbender (John Adams, Zelda Adams & Toby Poser, 2022)*

 

Television:

 Mastermind - Episodes 21-24 (Bill Wright, 2021/2022)*

The Book of Boba Fett - Season 1 (John Favreau, 2021/2022)*

Louis Theroux's Forbidden America - Season 1 (Louis Theroux, 2022)*

 

* First time viewings.

 

Dada Debaser Notes:

• Herbert Lom certainly proved pimpin' wasn't easy in Passport To Shame, since his decisions were about as wrong as the Donner Party shortcut. How on earth could he have a blonde bombshell like Diana Dors in his stable, but still think a Plain Jane like Odile Versois would rake in more dough for him? Makes absolutely no sense to me. Also, despite being uncredited, the film marks the earliest appearance I've seen thus far of Michael Caine.
  
• Loved the creepy atmosphere for the blind mens' hostel featured in The Dark Eyes of London and would not be surprised if it played a part in E.C's Blind Alleys story, as adapted by Amicus as part of the classic Tales From the Crypt (1972) anthology. Bela Lugosi was very underrated in this too as Dr. Orloff.
• Finding myself in agreement with Simon Mayo's opinions rather than Mark Kermode's more often. Ridley Scott's House of Gucci is the latest example of this. Mayo comparing Jared Leto's accent with Joe Dolce was 100% accurate.
  
• The nude hippies crushing of the grapes scene in John Frankeheimer's Seconds goes on for what feels like forever and slightly tarnishes what's otherwise a perfect science fiction thriller.
• How Baby Love ever got the green light, I will never know. The middle class thugs in a rowing boat were the weakest looking gang I've witnessed since the Hi-Hats from The Warriors (1979).
  
• The best thing about Vera Chytilová's Daisies, is this review of it on IMDb.
  
• Amazed by how much money a bunch of gullible women gave to The Tinder Swindler; an Israeli conman who resembles Adam Buxton with a douchebag makeover and awful attire.
  
• Well done to Matt Berry, whose Star Wars piss take episode from Toast of Tinseltown was infinitely more entertaining than his official appearance in the laboriously bad The Book of Boba Fett. Note to self: avoid your old school mates' T.V. recommendations!
  
• Rooney Mara was dreadfully miscast in del Toro's Nightmare Alley remake. Gorgeous looking movie, but like most cases, the original trumps the remake. No idea what was going on with Cate Blanchett's face either, but it looked almost as terrifying as Courtney Cox's mug in the latest Scream film.
  
• Tinashe's channeling of Sally Hardesty and the Sawyer fam in her latest music video, proved to be a far worthier spirtual successor to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre than Netflix's Gen Zzz reboot/sequel/requel:
  

Tinashe - Naturally
(Digital Single, 2022)

 
 

Influencers, Final Girls and Chainsaws

Watching the latest offerings from both the Scream and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchises back to back made for a grim double-bill at Casa de Spartan. Not only were they a complete waste of time, but they further highlighted the continuous problems with the slasher subgenre. Can you believe Terrifier (2016) and Hush (2016), the last great slashers, in my opinion, were released over five years ago and we've had nada since then? Sure, there have been a handful of films like Haunt (2018), that have entertained me, but they were nowhere the mean-spirited levels of the majestic slashers of yesteryear. Truth be told, it's a sub-genre that has become little more than a soap-opera for me, to the point it has effectively cross-pollinated into actual soap-operas. It's hardly a new phenomenon, I remember sitting in the cinema back in the day feeling like one important yet clumsily delivered plot revelation from Scream 2 (1997), belonged right out of a storyline from Sunset Beach, or something. This lazy, mind-numbing distraction has legitimately hijacked slashers since then and has gotten bad to worse. We are now at the point where the teen drama aspect consumes the majority of the film's running time, while the stalk and kill is virtually minimal. It has reached the point where I'm yearning for the return of TV shows like Harper's Island again - at least that was a better series than Scream's and addressed the issue raised here.

Another issue that's more than apparent in the modern slasher, is its lack of an iconic villain. Antagonists like Chromeskull, The Collector and Jigsaw were effectively the millennials answer to Jason, Michael and Freddy, but with the exception of perhaps Jigsaw, are any of them really in the pop cultural lexicon? Doubtful. Art the Clown might very well be the only Gen Z offering that immediately comes to my mind, but he's far too underground to have crossed over to a mainstream audience. As a result, film studios too scared to take a risk with creating anything new, squat over the sacred bones of familiar franchises and unload like Vegard Vinge's art paintings. We've now reached the point where the respective continuities of Messrs Krueger and Voorhees make more sense than Michael Myers and Leatherface's confusing reboots, since the former have been untouched for over a decade. How are you going to do away with the Halloween sequels, where Jamie Lee Curtis reprised her role as Laurie Strode - Halloween II (1981), Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), Halloween: Resurrection (2002), and then have the audacity to pretend they never existed, while comically repeating similar mistakes altogether with the recent Halloween (2018) and Halloween Kills (2021) films? All this could have been sensibly avoided with time and effort in the creativity department with a new I.P, rather than flogging a dead horse all over again.

The cast has also changed. Attitudes and behaviour exhibited by the latest batches of cannon fodder in today's Gen Z casts are almost as psychotic as the very antagonists they're faced up against. It's gotten to the point where I find myself relieved when the latest intolerable brat is dispatched in the most gruesome way imaginable, putting us all out of the terrible misery of their wasted presence. Sure some of these traits were evident in various characters during the eighties and nineties, but they were usually intentional, spoilt preppy types who served as secondary villains. However, in the 2020s, even the heroic final girls of today are unbearable. It came as no surprise that the biggest talking point from Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) was the bus scene, where an age-defying Leatherface made swift business of a bus full of young influencers. Its two antagonists locked themselves in the toilet as their friends were left to face their grizzly doom like lambs to the slaughter. For me, it was a huge relief from all incessant and unnecessary social commentary that came as being detrimental to the film. If only Candyman (2021) also observed this facet, since it completely neglected to understand the fundamentals of being a horror film first and foremost and let social commentary take all precedence. Taking into account Bernard Rose's original Candyman (1992), which dealt with similar issues (racial inequality and gentrification), it's shocking how the recent film failed to convey these points with the same level of efficiency as its predecessor thirty years ago. Talk about whatever, just remember this is a horror film!

Personally, I think the slasher format has fallen victim by thinking it could cater to the most common demographic, while sacrificing an integral part of its formula in adhering to changing attitudes. In my review of Abel Ferrara's The Addiction (1995), I pointed out how the horror film had effectively gone underground to a certain degree in the nineties and that's effectively what's happening again here to some extent. The obvious difference here is governing bodies such as the M.P.A. as well as the B.B.F.C. played an overzealous censorous hand the first time around, but here, it's alarmingly brought upon by the very audience itself. I'm somewhat grateful for the ownership rights issues over Jason Voorhees dragging on for so long, since he would have succumbed by the same way as poor Leatherface and Michael Myers by now. I'm actually thankful Freddy Krueger remained unscathed, apart from that poor remake. Could you imagine a wisecracking Freddy Krueger featured in a problematic scene like the scene below in this current era?

Freddy vs. Jason (Kia's death scene)

(Ronnie Yu, 2003)

 

Hi Yo, Driver!

In an era where we seem to question the legitimacy of virtually anything and everything, I find myself asking who watches women's football? How is Ed Sheeran, the most annoying ginger little bastard since Chucky, such a global phenomenon? More importantly, who are these completely deranged idiots thirsting over Adam Driver? Don't get me wrong, the 4/1 favourite at Cheltenham has real acting talent, both Silence (2016) and Marriage Story (2019) are two notable examples that prove this. However, much like Lucifer Valentine's entire catalogue, I'll never willingly watch any of those films ever again. This gangly looking humanoid with equine features, is not by any realistic definition a specimen in the adonis category. The horse comparison goes even further when you consider he starred in Burberry's advertisement last year for their Hero fragrance by comically swimming in the sea with a horse and manifesting into a centaur.

Fortune had smiled upon me as I had never watched the television series Girls, therefore I was spared witnessing Driver's sexcapades with Lena Dunham, despite reading about it on the net. My luck ran out however when I watched Lidl brand Steven Spielberg, J.J. Abrams' horrific Star Wars remake, which masqueraded as the sequel to Return of the Jedi (1983). Whilst folks went all fandom menace over Disney's misguided sequel trilogy, I had already checked out in taking any of the shit remotely seriously once I realised Driver was cast as the emo sprog of Han Solo and Leia Organa. All laws of genetics were effectively broken by having what was essentially the De Loy's Ape as the homunculus progeny sprung via the loins of the greatest couple in cinematic history.

"Princess Leia is not my lover
She's just a girl who claims that I am the one
But the kid is not my son
She says I am the one, but the kid is not my son"

Could not even make it through Leos Carax's latest film Annette (2021). Musicals are not my thing (The Wizard of Oz (1939) and The Wicker Man (1973) being the only exceptions), adding insult to injury, imagine my complete disdain that the songs were written by the incredibly overrated band Sparks, arguably the creepiest duo in pop music. There's also the disturbing sight of Driver having naked contortionist sex more than once with Marion Cotillard (a beastly perverse scene which would only be belligerently acceptable in a potential Catherine the Great biopic). Watched about an hour’s worth of the film before I realised there was another ninety minutes of this painful shite left and thus abandoned ship. One of the rarest of times I've ever jettisoned from a movie before the end titles.

Say what you want about Ridley Scott's recent resume, but I'll give him credit for achieving the impossible: casting Adam Driver in not one, but two of his movies and not making me feel like I needed to have a bucket at hand to retch my guts out like that poor girl from City of the Living Dead (1980). What would have otherwise been a couple of films that I would have steered away from, became must-see sideshow carnivals for yours truly. Scott's period epic The Last Duel (2021) was a rewarding experience since it happened to be a medieval take on The Accused (1988), told via three conflicting points of view. Although, not calling it Ivan-Hoe was very much a missed opportunity, in my honest opinion. Perhaps it was because I was smitten by Jodie Comer, the fittest scouse lass since Abbey Clancy, or it could have been because a mullet rockin' Matt Damon hilariously resembled the shifty bloke who offered to clean my gutters not too long ago; either way, these were all very positive distractions for me. Without spoiling it, the actual duel itself was a satisfying watch, since it fulfilled a personal film fantasy I've harboured since laying eyes upon Adam Dobbin and hence The Last Duel made it onto my Best Films Of 2021 list. Scott's furore with millennials served as an unexpected but welcome bonus, as I found his comments completely valid. I personally believe the hiveminded, blue-checkmarked critics were so offended by his outburst that they picked The Green Knight (2021) in their echo chamber Best Films lists over Scott’s film just to spite him. Sadly, I wasn't as won over by his next film, House of Gucci (2021) as it meandered way too much for my liking. The film's main appeal was its cast being made up to look as obscenely grotesque as possible. You've all seen the pics and clips of Jared Leto by now, but in Adam Driver's case, donning a pair of glasses was all that was deemed necessary by the make-up department. Perfecto! Sure that helped keep the film’s accountants happy, but shelling out an extra bob or two on a better screenplay would have done wonders in creating any legitimate investment for its real crime plotline.

Much like Werner Herzog gave a lotta love for Nic Cage which culminated with an incredible performance in Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009), I feel Ridley Scott achieved something just as invaluable with Adam Driver; in him not make me feel so nauseous like in his other movies. Maybe the pair can continue on as a fine director + actor combo like Scorsese & DeNiro, who knows? That's a good way to end this ramble on a positive note.

EDIT - Who would have predicted there's a huge issue over The Lone Ranger's trademark catchphrase, whether it was  "Hi Yo, Silver!" or "Hi Ho, Silver!"? Maybe I should have stuck with my rough draft "Neigh Sayer" title pun.

Fakin' The Funk: Non-U.S. Funk Soundtrack Songs

"The fuzz gonna come and claim you
But you mo' better wise
When the buzz gonna come and take you away"

Following on from my Greatest Blaxploitation Soundtrack Songs post, I thought I'd share some of my personal fave soundtrack choons from across the pond. What initially started out as a Bork funk alternative, which highlighted the overwhelming influence of the sounds of blaxploitation to the point it was shamelessly ripped off, quickly became an opportune way to showcase a fine selection of themes from across the globe, that built upon and developed into their own unique sounds.

Soundtrack heads, if you're wondering why there aren't more recognisable themes by the likes of Morricone, Cipriani and Ortolani listed here, then you should probably be aware, I kept it to a more funkier selection than the typical sounds they were associated with during the seventies. 

 Bob Hoskins - Talking to the Police
(The Long Good Friday Soundtrack, 1981, 1989)

 

Non-U.S. Funk Soundtrack Songs:

Rito a Los Angeles (3° Version) - Peppino De Luca (Dorian Gray, 1970)

Carter Takes A Train - Roy Bud (Get Carter, 1971)

Giorno Di Notte - Ennio Morricone (A Lizard in a Woman's Skin, 1971)

Main Theme - Mike Vickers (Dracula A.D. 1972, 1972)

Preludio - Osanna (Milano Calibro 9, 1972)

End Titles - John Cacavas (Horror Express, 1972)

Le Bracelet - Alain Goraguer (La Planète Sauvage, 1973)

Gangster Story - Guido & Maurizio De Angelis (High Crime, 1973)

The Beast Must Die Theme - Douglas Gamley (The Beast Must Die, 1974)

The Marseille Contract Theme - Roy Budd (The Marseille Contract, 1974)

Bargain With the Devil (Main Theme) - Franco Micalizzi (Beyond the Door, 1974)

The Street Fighter Theme - Toshiaki Tsushima (The Street Fighter, 1974)

Death Dies - Goblin (Deep Red, 1975)

La Dimostraz - Daniele Patucchi (Metraletta 'Stein', 1975)

The Reason of a Just War - Guido & Maurizio De Angelis (Violent Rome, 1975)

Bambole Di Droga - Stelvio Cipriani (Blood, Sweat and Fear, 1975)

M-1 T-2 - Toshiaki Tsushima (Cops vs. Thugs, 1975)

The Thief - Roy Budd (Diamonds, 1975)

 Nude Per L'assassino - Bert Pisano (Strip Nude For Your Killer, 1975)

L'Alpagueur Final - Michel Colombier (The Hunter Will Get You, 1976)

Italia A Mano Armata - Franco Micalizzi (A Special Cop in Action, 1976)

Roma A Mano Armata (Seq. 1) - Franco Micalizzi (The Tough Ones, 1976)

Dirty Gang - Bruno Canfora (Free Hand for a Tough Cop, 1976) 

Nucleo Antirapina - Fabio Frizzi, Franco Bixio & Vincenzo Tempera (Day of Violence, 1977)

Ritornano quelli della Calibro 38, Seq. 19 - Lallo Gori (Return of the 38 Gang, 1977)

La Banda de Gobbo - Franco Micalizzi (Brothers Till We Die, 1977)

Cyclone End Titles - Riz Ortolani (Cyclone, 1978)

Zombi - Goblin (Dawn of the Dead, 1978)

Stridulum Theme - Franco Micalizzi (Stridulum, 1979)

Contraband Theme - Fabio Frizzi (Contraband, 1980)

Zombi Parade - Nico Ferdenco (Zombi Holocaust, 1980)

N.Y.C. Main Title - Roberto Donati (Cannibal Ferox, 1981)

Who Dares Wins - Commando (Theme of SAS) - Roy Budd (Who Dares Wins, 1982)

 

A special mention really should go out to composer Franco Micalizzi. Not only does his music dominate my list of personal favourites, but his lockdown session, conducted amongst all that tat in his garage, was way more productive than that hellish cover of Imagine which assaulted my ears by a bunch of narcissistic celebrities striving to boost their P.R. profile when they ran out of shit to plug. 

Franco Micalizzi & The Big Bubbling Band - Italia A Mano Armata
(Italy Lockdown Session, 2020)

 

Dealin' Good For The Man

"The jungle creed says the strongest feed

On any prey that it can

And I was branded beast at every feast

Before I ever became a man"

 

Deep Cover (Bill Duke, 1992)

Always something of a risk returning to a film for a repeat viewing after many years; you really can't expect to feel the same way about it after such significantly long time. In my case, I had not seen Bill Duke's crime thriller Deep Cover (1992) since perhaps the mid nineties. That's a long time, where both taste and perspective can significantly change over the proceeding decades. Definitely was a fan of the film back in the day, but I think it got lost for me during the high output of classics from the nineties. Pleased to report that Deep Cover has aged like fine wine.

The plot of an undercover cop working his way up to the top of the drug distribution chain is hardly unique, but Duke successfully manages to keep it interesting with his conspiratorial take on the war on drugs and the socio-political effects it leaves behind in its wake. It's a thought-provoking spin then that at the behest of his governing superiors, a lawman would commit a 180° turn in his desire to make a positive change. In effect, he becomes the very monster he despises. A character arc that appeals to me greatly. 

 

"Twenty-five thousand for a jacket, wear it once"

 

Of course an intriguing plot alone isn't enough to hold a film down, a worthy cast is also required; in particular a worthwhile actor to play our film's lead protagonist - Laurence Fishburne (credited as Larry Fishburne in this film). That's a win, right there. The man cropped up in some personal favourites of mine like Apocalyspe Now (1979), Death Wish 2 (1982) and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987). Crazy how versatile an actor Fishburne was back in the day and how he could wear a black and white 8 Ball leather jacket and look cool in it. From White Lines to Perry White, Fishburne caught my main attention with his scene stealing performance as the iconic Jimmy Jump in Abel Ferrara's King of New York (1990), but here, he carries this entire movie on his back. Love his narration that pops in here and there - it's like a complimentary extract read out from an Iceberg Slim novel. Even with a great supporting role by Jeff Goldblum as David Jason (no Del Boy), the shady attorney turned gangster (predating Sean Penn's similar career change as David Kleinfeld in Brian De Palma's final classic Carlito's Way (1993) by a year), before his manifestation as  another quintessential karma piñata actor for r/movies vultures. On the under acknowledgement tip, I'm a big fan of 'roided up, Terminator quoting rival dealer Ivy and his unnamed Ilsa She Wolf of the SS looking partner in crime. Not surprised by the quotes however, since Bill Duke starred in two of Arnold Schwarzenegger's most famous films. Would have loved to have seen a spin-off movie of the pair of them back in the day, especially when killer couples were all the rage back then; even Perdita Durango from David Lynch's Wild at Heart (1990) appeared in a dedicated spin-off movie.

 

Visually, the film is super stylised with an omnipresent application of primary colours to keep the eyes peeled to the screen, which I find reminiscent of early Spike Lee and Pedro Almodóvar movies from the same era. It makes excellent use of dark blues and blacks, too; it's one of, but not the only reason why it's labeled as a neo-noir. Particularlly fond of the framing and composition, especially all the gorgeous angled shots. Dukes' film is incredibly striking, which I didn't initially pick up on during the VHS years, but it's instantly recognisable now from the switch to high definition.

 

"I love the way you talk
(Oh yeah Betty Jean)
Speaking little, saying a lot.
(Oh yeah Betty Jean)"

 

The soundtrack is perhaps even more appreciated than the actual film, since it was the first time most heads were introduced to a young pup named Snoop Doggy Dogg, as he featured on the classic Dr. Dre title single. It also featured the massive Shabba Ranks hit Mr. Loverman, along with two other big time personal faves: Jewell's Love or Lust and Kokane's Nickel Slick Ni@@a. The former of which I regret not adding to my 101 Best Non-Rap Singles Of The 90s list. There's also soundtrack composer Michel Colombier's synth banger John and Betty's Theme which is a nice sample of Death Wish 2's soundtrack and a fitting nod to Fishburne's appearance in it.

Criterion releasing this fine film in their collection is somewhat bittersweet to me: on the one hand, it raises the film's profile and potentially attracts new fans in the process; on the other, Deep Cover is the type of film that has had those very same film snobs turn their nose at it in times past. Seeing this film get the deluxe treatment is a step in the right direction and way better than some of the overrated pretentious shite they normally put out.

Dr. Dre introducing Snoop Doggy Dogg - Deep Cover
(Deep Cover soundtrack, 1992)

Dada Debaser's 100 Alternative Valentine's Day Movies

Taxi Driver (Travis & Betsy's date scene)

(Martin Scorsese, 1976)

 

Much like having the right wine with your meal, the same applies with the type of movie you watch with your partner. She wants to see the new J. Lo at the local multiplex; you want to cotch at home and check out that Ebola Syndrome 4K you copped before last Christmas. A compromise is therefore in order.

Below is a list of one hundred mostly unconventional movies, that for me at least, have a far more evocative and what I would define as romantic than the usual dross that's churned out to the masses, or listed by your typical clickbait reliant filmsites. Much like a venn diagram there has to be an overlap of commonality somewhere for both parties involved:

Dada Debaser's 100 Alternative Valentine's Day Movies

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Robert Wiene, 1920)

The Man Who Laughs (Paul Leni, 1928)

King Kong (Merian C. Cooper & Ernest B. Schoedsack, 1933)

The Lady from Shanghai (Orson Welles, 1947)

Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)

Mudhoney (Russ Meyer, 1965)

The Collector (William Wyler, 1965)

Bonnie and Clyde (Arthur Penn, 1967)

Twisted Nerve (Roy Boulting, 1968)

Camille 2000 (Radley Metzger, 1969)

The Laughing Woman (Piero Schivazappa, 1969)

Deep End (Jerzy Skolimowski, 1970)

Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny & Girly (Freddie Francis, 1970)

Daughters of Darkness (Harry Kümel, 1971)

Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde (Roy Ward Baker, 1971)

Girl Slaves of Morgana Le Fay (Bruno Gantillon, 1971)

The Abominable Dr. Phibes (Robert Fuest, 1971)

Vampyros Lesbos (Jesús Franco, 1971)

The Blood Spattered Bride (Vicente Aranda, 1972)

The Case of the Bloody Iris (Giuliano Carnimeo, 1972)

Badlands (Terrence Malick, 1973)

Count Dracula's Great Love (Javier Aguirre, 1973)

Immoral Tales (Walerian Borowczyk, 1973)

The Iron Rose (Jean Rollin, 1973)

The Night Porter (Liliana Cavani, 1974)

Story of O (Just Jaeckin, 1975)

Island of Death (Nico Mastorakis, 1976)

Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)

In the Realm of the Senses (Nagisa Ôshima, 1976)

Nosferatu The Vampyre (Werner Herzog, 1979)

Buio Omega (Joe D'Amato, 1979)

The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980)

Body Heat (Lawrence Kasdan, 1981)

Possession (Andrzej Zulawski, 1981)

Cat People (Paul Schrader, 1982)

Breathless (Jim McBride, 1983)

Christine (John Carpenter, 1983)

Risky Business (Rick Brickman, 1983)

Body Double (Brian De Palma, 1984)

The Terminator (James Cameron, 1984)

Brazil (Terry Gilliam, 1985)

Manhunter (Michael Mann, 1986)

Sid and Nancy (Alex Cox, 1986)

Near Dark (Kathryn Bigelow, 1987)

Hellraiser (Clive Barker, 1987)

Coming to America (John Landis, 1988)

The Vanishing (George Sluizer, 1988)

Heathers (Michael Lehmann, 1989)

Cry-Baby (John Waters, 1990)

Edward Scissorhands (Tim Burton, 1990)

Nikita (Luc Besson, 1990)

Pump Up The Volume (Allan Moyle, 1990)

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (Pedro Almodóvar, 1990)

Wild At Heart (David Lynch, 1990)

Nekromantik 2 (Jörg Buttgereit, 1991)

Basic Instinct (Paul Verhoeven, 1992)

Candyman (Bernard Rose, 1992)

Bram Stoker's Dracula (Francis Ford Coppolla, 1992)

True Romance (Tony Scott, 1993)

Return of the Living Dead 3 (Brian Yuzna, 1993)

Cemetery Man (Michele Soavi, 1994)

Natural Born Killers (Oliver Stone, 1994)

The Last Seduction (John Dahl, 1994)

Leaving Las Vegas (Mike Figgis, 1995)

To Die For (Gus Van Sant, 1995)

Bound (Lilly Wachowski & Lana Wachowski, 1996)

Crash (David Cronenberg, 1996)

L'appartment (Gilles Mimouni, 1996)

Jackie Brown (Quentin Tarantino, 1997)

Perdita Durango (Álex de la Iglesia, 1997)

Tromeo and Juliet (Lloyd Kaufman, 1997)

Bride of Chucky (Ronny Yu, 1998)

Buffalo '66 (Vincent Gallo, 1998)

There's Something About Mary (Peter Farrelly & Bobby Farrelly, 1998)

Audition (Takashi Miike, 1999)

Cruel Intentions (Roger Kumble, 1999)

Quills (Philip Kaufman, 2000)

Amélie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001) 

Disco Pigs (Kirsten Sheridan, 2001)

The Piano Teacher (Michael Haneke, 2001)

Irreversible (Gaspar Noé, 2002)

May (Lucky McKee, 2002)

Secretary (Steven Shainberg, 2003)

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (Tom Tykwer, 2006)

Let The Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

Love Exposure (Sion Sono, 2008)

Drive (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2011)

Maniac (Franck Khalfoun, 2012)

Sightseers (Ben Wheatley, 2012)

Blue is the Warmest Colour (Abdellatif Kechiche, 2013)

Nymphomaniac Vol. I &  II (Lars von Trier, 2013)

Alleluia (Fabrice du Welz, 2014)

Spring (Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, 2014)

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Ana Lily Amirpour, 2014)

The Duke of Burgundy (Peter Strickland, 2014) 

The Lobster (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2015) 

The Love Witch (Anna Biller, 2016)

Promising Young Woman (Emerald Fennell, 2020)

Apples (Christos Nikou, 2021)

Dinner in America (Adam Rehmeier, 2021)

Dada Debaser Notes:

• Stuck to the one film per director rule.
  
• Realised two things while compiling this list: erotic vampire tales (particularly those based on Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla) and psychos in love, are two themes that have been long time stablemates in my viewing habits.
• Wanted to include Tony Scott's The Hunger (1983) in there as it was perfect for the list, but True Romance unquestionably trumps it. Also, Scott's reusing of The Flower Duet from Delibes' opera Lakmé has far more impact in True Romance than it orginally did in The Hunger.
  
• It might be one of the better golden age slashers, but George Mihalka's My Bloody Valentine (1981) has one of my least favourite love triangles in cinema (and one of the least likeable final girls, for that matter). That's why it never made my list.
  

"I can feel it inside, I can't explain how it feels
All I know is that I'll never dish another raw deal
Playing make believe pretending that I'm true
Holding in my laugh as I say that I love you"

Dada Debaser's Five Pillars of Love and Happiness

With the soaring cost of living, it's great to have another festive consumer scam on the horizon, especially one so stressful and relatively soon after last year's wallet hemorrhaging Christmas. Valentines's Day is coming, folks, although, if you've been to any shopping centre or supermarket since the start of the year, you noticed all that malarky already. For this blogger, it's a time where many a poor sap is running around like a headless chicken trying to book a reservation at that swanky new restaurant the missus wants to dine in, with the notion of finding it perfectly acceptible you're gonna get bumped for a three course meal that's about as filling as a tictac. Being a film blog and all, it's worth sharing some of my favourite movie moments that schooled me on some important love and relationship driven lessons.

Presentation: We live in an era where a simple swipe right can potentially change your life forever like it's Logan's Run (1976), it's essential to make yourself be presentable. Been to enough film fairs and conventions in the past, to the point that I wouldn't be at all surprised if some of the attendess and stall vendors there were registered sex offenders. Let's be honest, some of them look like they belong in that Only You music video by The Flying Pickets. Not only is personal appearance neglected, but their priorities is completely out of whack, as nerdom outweighs their basic necessity for personal hygine. Hence, the reason why I bounced that time while at the Electric Ballroom film fair. The entire place reeked of bad body odour and stale piss. How that actress who played Warrior Woman with the shoulder pads from Mad Max 2 (1981) could eat her fried noodles in that putrid shithole without retching was beyond my comprehension. Soap, water and a good deodorant should be de rigueur on a daily basis. If you can muster the effort to bathe, then you can also make the effort to dress apporpriately, too. Big respect to my man, Disco Donny from Don't Go in the House (1980) for taking the initiative after his dear old abusive mum passed away, by hitting the clubs with "a dynamite outfit". Unfortunately, looking clean and dapper can only you get so far if you're a complete and utter pyromaniac.

Don't Go in the House (Moss Bros. and Disco scene)

(Joseph Ellison, 1980)

 

Confidence: People admire a person with a strong and direct sense of confidence. It bodes well in both a working and personal relationship. Not everyone exudes classic Sean Connery in Dr. No (1962) swagger, some folks need the odd tipple for some much needed Dutch courage. However, if you're planning to go that one step further to quell those nerves with any medication, do consult your local G.P. for further assistance and not from a med student scoring you some dodgy old tranquilisers that make your urine go green. Take landlord lothario Rupert Rigsby and his quest to woo his equine objet de désir, Miss Jones. How on earth could he fancy a woman that makes Laura Kuenssberg look like Margot Robbie is beyond me, but I do have utmost respect for his persistance. Take note as he masterfully takes charge at the table with his compliments to Miss Jones while exhibiting his worldly man of culture persona with the "Daddies sauce" request as the perfect condiment to his pasta meal. All this while poppin' pills like a hungry hippo, which sadly leads to his eventual burnout. Shine on, you crazy diamond!

Rising Damp (Rigsby's date with Miss Jones)

(Joseph McGrath, 1980)

Respect: This is a big one, which applies to both parties (or more, if that's how you're livin'). It is with the utmost importance to maintain complete respect for yourself, your family and humble abode. If either of those are disrepected by your significant other (potential, or otherwise), then it more than likely will spell doom for a relationship. Complete respect for yourself will help you avoid the inevitable pitfalls of looking like a desperate creep, like May over here. Coming from the Edward Gein school of bad mother syndrome, she carries all the red flags to avoid in a loving relationship: on the one hand, I can almost feel sorry for her, for being burdened by such an awful mother (just like Donny above); on the other, being anywhere near a six foot radius of her could be a fatal mistake for you.

May (Adam's hand scene)

(Lucky McKee, 2002)

 

Composure: There is nothing worse than losing your cool in public, especially when it's witnessed by someone significant in your life. Look at Driver over here. Things are about to go pear shape for him and Irene, hence they share a tender loving kiss together. Unfortunately, our poor protagonist winds up head stompin' an armed thug in an elevator until there is brain matter and bits of skull all over his fine leather boots All this to protect his love. Romantic for sure, but women aren't going to understand this chivalrous and romantic effort and would probably run away at that very sight of all that blood and gore splattering all over and ruining their jimmy choos. Chances of a second date? Zilch.

Drive (Elevator scene)

(Nicolas Winding Refn, 2011)

 

Future: So you've been together for a bit and things are going great. However, the time will come when she wants to hear wedding bells and you want to hear the questions on Mastermind. You've got to plan for the future as you can bet your life she's shared enough information about you to her friends and family that you would half expect Eamonn Andrews to be carrying a big red book and sneaking up on you when you least expect it. Her family are going to be wanting to know how you'll support her and probably her wasteman little brother for that matter. Kick that b.s. to the curb with Sid's tactful explanation of their beloved girl's future.  

Sid and Nancy (Intentions scene)

(Alex Cox, 1986)

 

That's it. Well, there's probably more, but this nonsense eats into my dedicated free time I usually put away for watching movies. I sincerely hope this helps anyone who strayed here (which is miraculous, since this blog doesn't show up on Google). Your welcome.

I Used to Love H.E.R.

Free Hand for a Tough Cop (Umberto Lenzi, 1977)

 

Managed to catch this film just recently and I thought this would be a worthy follow-up to my previous appreciation post for Bruno Canfora's heavenly slice of soundtrack funk, Dirty Gang.

Truth be told, any film that reunites Umberto Lenzi with both Tomas Milian and Henry Silva again after the insanity of Almost Human (1974), is going to make it on my must see list. That film still packs a punch, even to this day. Here, Free Hand for a Tough Cop doesn't reach the sadistic highs as the aforementioned, although, it is a Lenzi film, so it's still going to deliver something hilariously problematic, regardless. 

Lenzi is way more playful with this one in comparison to some of his other filmography. We're greeted by a spaghetti western style intro, replete with a desert setting during the opening credits, which had me thinking I was perhaps watching the wrong movie; until the camera pans back and it's a movie being watched in a prison. There's also a scene later on in the film which features an old school cinema with film posters of Le Cercle Rouge (1970) and Salon Kitty (1976), which had me buggin' out and wishing for my local cinema to be as cool as that.

Silva's role reversal as a villain comes in a particularly memorable fashion when he yells at a sobbing and severely sick little girl he's kidnapped with the line, "shut up, bitch", which is cold-bloodedly brutal to hear being uttered to someone so young and innocent. I only wish he was featured more in the film, since he's hardly in it, until he is turns up in the inevitable finale. Milian owns the film as the antihero Monezza, AKA 'Garbage Can', with his Kevin Keegan wig and black eyeliner. Been on a Milian binge lately and I definitely appreciate his unique caricatures; the most striking looking being hunchback psycho in A.C. Milan colours, Moretto. Not a fan of the hero cop in Free Hand for a Tough Cop, however. Just find Claudio Cassinelli a flat actor in general. Seen him in a bunch of Italian genre movies and I barely remember him in anything. His performance felt flat, considering the plot had him in a temporary alliance with a group of villains raping and murdering their way to get to another group of villains; you would expect more anger and revolsion from his character.

Think I know why only a 7" single was released as the only soundtrack for this film, since it's on repeat for much of the film's running time, or at least a variation of the theme. I can appreciate that.

Biggest gripe was Nicoletta Machiavelli. First laid eyes on her many years ago in Sergio Corbucci's Navajo Joe (1966), the one with Burt Reynolds as a Native American in a spaghetti western. The real highlight for me was Machiavelli looking absolutely beautiful. She looks a bit older in this film, but still stunning, as Silva's gangster moll. Not sure if Lenzi was still playing games with the audience, but pulling the wig off Machiavelli, revealing an ultra short hairdo which reminded me of Kenneth William's Julius Caesar hairdo from Carry on Cleo (1964) pissed me right off; to the extent the film lost put a dampener in my interest for the film. Sure, that sounds terribly superficial, but in the same week a mate of mine shared a recent pic on WhatsApp of Bridget Fonda, I've been offguard since then and this felt like a punch in the gut. Really hoping one of the boutique labels pick up Machiavelli's film lead in Gian Andrea's western, Garter Colt (1968); that's the one I really want to watch. Unfortunately, it's very hard to find, but you can watch a blurry YouTube ripped video with terrible English captions. I refuse to watch it, however.

Other than all that, Free Hand for a Tough Cop is a fairly decent film, overall. Not one of Lenzi's best, nor is it his worst. Just a shame everything felt overshadowed by Machiavelli's terrible barnet. Should have paid more attention to the reveal disclosed in the film's Italian only trailer:

Free Hand for a Tough Cop (Original Trailer)

(Umberto Lenzi, 1977)

Dada Debaser Bonus: 

Managed to find an old YouTube video from back in the day that I thought got deleted. It's one of those fan vids, which usually makes me cringe, but I would allow it, as it's the only decent video around with Nicoletta Machiavelli from Garter Colt and the Morricone theme from Revolver (1973) surprisingly compliments it:

 

Garter Colt (Nicoletta Machiavelli Fan Video)

(YouTube, 2010)

Juvenile Hell: Part 2

Class of 1984 (Mark L. Lester, 1982)

The future is here. A generational leap from the previous entry as Mark L. Lester realises an eerily prophetic vision of high school life through the eyes of music teacher Mr. Andrew Norris (Perry King). Set two years in the future, our film's protagonist receives a series of lessons in the school of hard knocks. He's transplanted from his idealistic and optimistic perspective into a run-down, graffiti-ridden education centre where CCTV, security guards and walk through metal detectors are the norm. Far fetched predictions in high school life which eventually came true. It doesn't take long when Norris falls afoul of Lincoln High's kingpin of crime Stegman (Tim Van Patten) and his gang of vicious punks, as he is taken to absolute hell by them. 

"If you sprinkle when you tinkle
Please be neat and wipe the seat"

Having a film revolve around the teacher as its main protagonist gives it a necessary perspective, as they sensibley serve as an avatar of reason and maturity, which is completely contrasted by the level of chaos represented by Stegman and his  punk thugs. Coming across as a mix of High School Confidential (1958) and Death Wish (1974), Lester's film kills two birds with one stone, as it fulfils both criterias of a juvenile delinquency movie and an all out revenge film. The finished result is a film that both flirts the realms of exploitation and serious drama. 

As far as villains go, Stegman is the psychopathic son Krug Stillo always wanted, that Junior could never be. A school bully who makes Norman "Gripper" Stebson look like Lucy Van Pelt. There are a bunch of reasons why Tim Van Patten's character is so enthralling to watch: on one hand, you've got to admire any young entrepreneurial whipper snapper runnin' a criminal empire from a grotty rundown hovel, with punks lining up to see him like he was Vito Corleone; the scene where he's on the old joanna playing like Richard Clayderman, revealing his hidden gift (incidentally, that's an original Van Patten joint), is no recompense for his foul rap sheet; and, it just might be that he's a Nelson Muntz turned up to eleven that makes him such as a memorable manifestation of fear for older generations.

"Knowledge to others in a song let me demonstrate
the force of knowledge, knowledge reigned supreme
The ignorant is ripped to smithereens"

Not all the youts are bad seeds, however: there's Arthur, played by a podgy Michael J. Fox, in one of his earliest film roles; and that clarinet girl who looks like that Elliot Page geezer. They represent the handful of fresh-faced do-gooders, who made the mistake of enrolling at Lincoln High. It's not easy for them either, since shankings seem pretty common. It gets to the point that both the faculty and pupils are surprisingly nonchalant after Arthur got stabbed in the cafeteria riot.

Veteran of The Planet of the Apes franchise Roddy McDowell was cast as deflated science teacher Terry Corrigan, and wound up delivering a stellar performance. The scene where he walks into his science classroom where his beloved lab pets are gruesomely slaughtered is truly heartbreaking. Matter of fact, those were real dead animals from a morgue used for that nightmarish scene; not fake props like one would assume these days. According to a behind the scenes interview with a crew member, the smell was completely unbearable, which no doubt helped with McDowell's horror and disgust. Really tragic stuff seeng a character sink to such a depressing low that he resorts to pulling a handgun on his class in order to get the kids learning. Surprisingly, it seems to work. Who would have known that having a gun aimed at your face would be incentive enough to have the cogs in your brain turning and firing correct answers like Mark Labbett from The Chase? Apparently, writer and director Tom Holland remembered McDowell's performance in this film when his first choice as Peter Vincent for Fright Night (1985), Vincent Price had turned down the role. Winner!

"Life... is pain. Pain... is everything. You... you will learn! "

Ultimately, the film is very much focused on confronting the viewer with an increasingly opposing force, before the line can finally be drawn and it's time to push back. Corrigan and Norris are two idealistists who thought they could pass on their knowledge to the next generation, little realising those irredeemable punk kids are the progenitors that would be running rampant in Mad Max's world. They both play a game with loaded dice, since the law and justice are driven here on two very seperate lanes, which leads to both teachers reach a breaking point: Corrigan, with the murder of his beloved pets; Norris, with the gang rape and abduction of his wife. One fails by going insane, while the other fights back for his and wife's very survival.

Lester's filmography is very patchy, much of his resumé consists of him producing some straight-to-video shite, although as a director he has delivered some legitimate gems: his underrated take on Bonnie & Clyde  Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw (1976) (Lynda Carter !!!!), Armed and Dangerous (1986) and Showdown in Little Tokyo (1990) are notable highlights. His biggest film however would undoubtedly be the Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle Commando (1985)- a film with enough testoterone to fuel the eighties action movie scene alone. Lester would go on to helm a non-direct sequel to Class of 1984 with The Terminator inspired Class of 1999 (1990). Nowhere in the same league as its predecessor, but it's entertainingly trashy fun. Pam Grier as a homicidal android teacher is worth your time, if you ask me. However, it doesn't have a villain as good as Peter Stegman, nor does it offer a satisfying build-up and conclusion like its predecessor. Class of 1984 is a great example of the juvenile hell that this blogger loves to death. A cult classic. 

Class of 1984 (Norris meets Stegman scene)

(Mark L. Lester, 1982)