Rapito (aka Kidnapped: The Abduction Of Edgardo Mortara) (2023)

In 1851 Italy, a six year old year Jewish boy (Enea Sala) is forcibly taken away from his parents (Fausto Russo Alesi, Barbara Ronchi) by the Catholic church because he was secretly baptized by a family servant (Aurora Camatti) and therefore is considered Catholic and cannot be raised by Jews. Based on the non fictional book IL CASO MORTARA by Daniele Scalise and directed by Marco Bellocchio (CHINA IS NEAR). Historically, the Catholic church has many egregious sins to account for from the Inquisition to shielding pedophile priests. This infamous incident is just one other blot on their history. Bellocchio's film is a masterful telling of the real life case from the abduction to the boy's indoctrination (or is it brainwashing?) into the Catholic church to his becoming a priest and ends with the death of his mother. The church as a fascist political faction does not go ignored. Of course, there is some creative license taken as with all non documentary films on a real life subject or incident but the facts remain explicit. A stunning film that should have been better known in the U.S. and worth checking out. At one time, Steven Spielberg was interested in making a film about Mortara. With Leonardo Maltese as the adult Edgardo, Paolo Pierobon and Fabrizio Gifuni. 

The House Of Seven Corpses (1973)

A film director (John Ireland) is making a low budget horror movie set in a decaying mansion that was the actual setting of seven murders. While making the film however, it seems there is an evil presence in the house. Directed by Paul Harrison, a TV director whose only theatrical film this is. Filmed in Utah, the film has the feeling of an amateurish home movie. If filming took longer than a week, I'd be terribly surprised. For a horror movie, there's no horror! No suspense! And just one raggedy looking zombie moving at a snail's pace. The acting is weak but the scenario and dialog are so poor that it would be unfair to blame the actors for their performances. Calling it a B movie is being generous, grade C is more like it. With Faith Domergue, John Carradine, Carole Wells and Jerry Strickler.

Whiplash (1948)

An easy going painter (Dane Clark) in California falls in love with a mysterious woman (Alexis Smith), who disappears from his life as abruptly as she came in. Months later, after moving to New York, he discovers her singing in a Manhattan nightclub ..... and married! Directed by Lewis Seiler GUADALCANAL DIARY). A nifty if predictable (very) minor film noir from Warner Brothers. Not too much one can say about a programmer like this other than it accomplishes what it set out to do and it holds your interest. Everyone is pretty much cast to (stereo)type: Dane Clark the scrappy tough guy, Alexis Smith the femme fatale, Zachary Scott the slimy wheelchair bound villain, Eve Arden the wisecracking gal pal and S.Z. Sakall the sweet and cuddly bar owner. If it comes your way, you could do worse. With Jeffrey Lynn, Alan Hale and Douglas Kennedy.

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (1965)

A burnt out British M16 agent (Richard Burton in an Oscar nominated performance) is assigned the task of defecting to East Germany with the aim of throwing suspicion on a top communist intelligence officer (Oskar Werner). Based on the novel by John Le Carre and directed by Martin Ritt (THE LONG HOT SUMMER). With the James Bond films, the 1960s ushered in the era of spy movies with exotic locations, beautiful women and plenty of action. But there was a sort of backlash to these glamourous spy movies with bleak films showing the grimy more realistic and often unpleasant side of spy work. THE IPCRESS FILE was one and so was this stark B&W spy movie. The three lead performances (Claire Bloom as a naive communist librarian is the third star) are pure gold. It's not an easy watch as you sense that things aren't going to end well and if there's any flaw in the movie, it's that I wish its obvious desolate ending weren't telegraphed. With Peter Van Eyck, Sam Wanamaker, Cyril Cusack, Michael Hordern and George Voskovec.

Zombieland (2009)

Set in a post apocalyptic world where mankind has been decimated by a disease that has turned them into zombies, a young college student (Jesse Eisenberg) travels to California with a twinkie loving yokel (Woody Harrelson) and two sisters (Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin). Directed by Ruben Fleischer (GANGSTER SQUAD). I love movies that are both scary and funny together! This one is neither. It's rather dumb actually but fortunately, it has an immensely likeable quartet of actors in the leads and it moves fast (it runs under 90 minutes) so it's not too painful to sit through. Filled with blood and gore and guns and vomit, it seems aimed at the 14 year old male audience (I can't imagine grown men being taken with it). There's a bit of uncomfortable body shaming that was still acceptable in 2009 that doesn't play well today. Not quite as clever as its film makers seem to think it is. With Bill Murray and Amber Heard.

Heat (1972)

A ex-child star (Joe Dallesandro) is working as a male prostitute while trying to revive his acting career. He hooks up with a washed up aging actress (Sylvia Miles) who falls in love with him although he's only interested in what she can do for his career. Written and directed by Paul Morrissey (TRASH) and produced by Andy Warhol. Conceived as a softcore porn parody of SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950), the film is amusing at first but there's no where to go after we "get it" and the film meanders in the second half till it just runs out of steam. It's not as fun as Morrissey's outrageous previous film TRASH, there's a rather sad exploitative feeling to it. The film seems improvised while Sylvia Miles does well as the has been star (hey, she is a two time Oscar nominated actress), Dallesandro seems adrift. The film's best performance comes from Andrea Feldman as Miles' crazy bisexual daughter but apparently Feldman was wacko so how much is acting and how much is the film exploiting her? She committed suicide at the age of 24 before the movie came out. With Pat Ast and Lester Persky.

Black Tights (1961)

Four short ballets choreographed by Roland Petit: THE DIAMOND CRUNCHER featuring Zizi Jeanmaire as a pickpocket with a penchant for swallowing diamonds. CYRANO DE BERGERAC played by Roland Petit is based on the Edmond Rostand play featuring Moira Shearer as Roxanne. A MERRY MOURNING features Cyd Charisse as woman enjoying her widowhood. CARMEN features Zizi Jeanmaire as the heroine based on Bizet's opera. Directed by Terence Young (WAIT UNTIL DARK). For lovers of dance, the film is a real treat ranging from tragedy (CYRANO, CARMEN) to the playful (CRUNCHER, MOURNING). If you're not into ballet, you may find the film tedious at times. My two favorites were the whimsical MERRY MOURNING and the saucy CARMEN. Alas, the transfer I saw was in poor shape (it's fallen into public domain hell) and while watchable, it needs a full restoration to return it to its original pristine Technirama and Technicolor glory to do Henri Alekan's (WINGS OF DESIRE) cinematography justice. With Maurice Chevalier, Dirk Sanders and Georges Reich.

The Gene Krupa Story (1959)

Despite the protestations of his father (John Bleifer), who wants him to enter the priesthood, a young Gene Krupa (Sal Mineo) is determined to become a professional drummer in a jazz band. The road ahead is long and hard and fraught with the temptation of women and drugs. Directed by Don Weis (LOOKING FOR LOVE). Gene Krupa is one of the greatest drummers of the 20th century and some would argue, the greatest drummer ever (his drum solo on Benny Goodman's Sing Sing Sing is legendary). Alas, this biopic on his life is rife with the usual biopic cliches and can't rise above it to become anything insightful or fresh. Although the bulk of the film takes place in the 1920s and 1930s, like most movies of the 1950s, there's very little accuracy in clothes and hairstyles. Everybody looks distinctly 1959. Even the rear projection is off: when Mineo's Krupa goes to New York for the first time, we see a movie theatre playing John Ford's WAGONMASTER which was released in 1950! Physically, Mineo is a great choice for Krupa and Mineo even gets Krupa's manic style of drumming down pat. But Mineo who was 20 years old when he made the film isn't convincing as Krupa ages, he's still a baby faced 20 year old. With Susan Kohner, James Darren, Susan Oliver, Yvonne Craig, Gavin MacLeod, Lawrence Dobkin, Celia Lovsky, Bobby Troup and Anita O'Day.

The Falcon In Danger (1943)

At a New York airport, a passenger aircraft crash lands but when authorities enter the plane, it's totally empty, not a soul on board. Among the missing passengers is a leading industrialist (Clarence Kolb), who had $100,000 worth of securities with him. Enter the amateur detective known as the Falcon (Tom Conway) to solve the mystery. Directed by William Clemens (THE CASE OF THE VELVET CLAWS). The sixth film in The Falcon franchise is a notch above average although the solution to the mystery is never in doubt. The only negative thing I have to say about the movie is the irritating Southern belle (Amelita Ward) who plays the Falcon's latest girlfriend. Standard B movie stuff for whodunit addicts only. With Jean Brooks, Elaine Shepard, Edward Gargan and Ian Wolfe.

Strictly Dishonorable (1931)

A young woman (Sidney Fox) and her obnoxious fiance (George Meeker) stop in for a drink at a Manhattan speakeasy. It's there that she meets a famous opera singer (Paul Lukas) and their attraction to each other threatens to cause a rift in her engagement especially after she spends the night in the opera singer's apartment. Based on a play by Preston Sturges and directed by John M. Stahl (LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN). This pre code comedy is pretty racy and it reminded me of the controversial (for its time) THE MOON IS BLUE (1953). It doesn't make any attempt to disguise its theatrical roots. The film is split into two acts and while I enjoyed the first act which takes place at the speakeasy, I found the second act which takes place in the opera singer's apartment exceedingly monotonous (it's too chatty) and my interest started to wane.  Remade in 1951 with all the sexual innuendo deleted. With Lewis Stone and Sidney Toler.

Mardi Gras (1958)

At a military school in Virginia, three cadets (Tommy Sands, Gary Crosby, Dick Sargent) rope their strait laced friend (Pat Boone) into entering a contest to win a date with a famous movie star (Christine Carere) not expecting him to win. But he does win! Directed by Edmund Goulding (GRAND HOTEL). This piece of recycled musical fluff is burdened with forgettable musical numbers and the blandest male leads one could imagine. As if a famous French film actress (Carere) could fall in love with a dull milk guzzling cadet (Boone). The female characters are much more interesting than the males. In addition to Christine Carere, they include Sheree North as a film publicist and Barrie Chase as a stripper working her way through college. The most amusing thing in the movie is how 20th Century Fox cross promotes its own product: in a restaurant scene, the theme from A CERTAIN SMILE (Carere's previous film) plays in the background, Sheree North walks by a movie poster of IN LOVE AND WAR (her previous film) and a Fox executive walks in with a book in his hand announcing he's just bought the rights to THE BEST OF EVERYTHING (released the following year). With Robert Wagner, Jeffrey Hunter, Fred Clark, Geraldine Wall and Jennifer West.

Love Lies Bleeding (2024)

A lesbian (Kristen Stewart) who works in a gym gets the hots for a bisexual female bodybuilder (Katy O'Brian) and gets her hooked on steroids. The steroids turn her into a psychotic female version of The Incredible Hulk as she turns into a killer when she gets into a rage. Directed by Rose Glass (SAINT MAUD), this black comedy is fun for awhile before it sinks into preposterousness and gets just plain silly. Every character in the movie is a sleazebag and it's hard to get empathy for any of them, even the physically abused sister (Jena Malone) who takes her beatings without complaint and desperately wants to return to abuser husband (Dave Franco) even after he's put her into the hospital! The laughs are erratic though there is one laugh out loud moment when O'Brian expresses horror that she's murdered people and Stewart lovingly assures her that there's nothing wrong with her! Reading through some of the favorable reviews of the film, I was shocked to see that some critics took the movie seriously. Personally, I've always found bodybuilders sort of creepy and this film only validates my feeling. Worth checking out but if you want to see a really good movie about criminal lesbians, check out the Wachowski's BOUND. With Ed Harris (who gives the best performance in the film) and Anna Baryshnikov (Mikhail's daughter).