The Diabolical Dr. Z [aka Miss Muerte] (1966) Alejandro Ulloa provided the exquisite black and white cinematography for Jesse Franco’s dissociative collage of horror. Irma [Mabel Karr] takes revenge on the doctors who mocked her father’s research on “the moral centers of the human nervous system.” Dr. Z is himself less a moral center than … More The Diabolical Dr. Z (1966)
Married to the Mob (1988) Jonathan Demme directed this Romantic comedy about a mob wife, Angela del Marco [Michelle Pfeiffer] who tries to start a new life after her husband’s murder. The FBI Agent, Mike Smith/Downey [Matthew Modine] wires her apartment up and then falls in love with her. However, the great Mercedes Ruehl as … More Married to the Mob (1988)
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) I never knew that Burt Reynolds could sing, and I was right. All the sophisticated charms of Carol Hall’s Broadway lyrics were sanitized or deleted in the hopes of creating a movie that could bluff its way past censors. That’s hard, given the title. First of all, it … More The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982)
Hickey & Boggs (1972) After the cancellation of their television program, Robert Culp made one last attempt to recapture the partnership with Bill Cosby that never acknowledged race. What arose was a grim portrait of decadent, soulless, and corrupt Los Angeles, with Culp mostly sulking at the bar, and Cosby devastated by the brutal slaying … More Hickey & Boggs (1972)
The Color of Pomegranates (1969) Sergei Parajanov recreates the story of Armenian bard Sayat-Nova through a series of iconographic tableaux. The resplendent colors and austere asceticism of historic locations saturate this movie in ritual. “Actress Sofiko Chiaureli notably plays six roles in the film.” Soviet censors had little understanding or sympathy for such celebration of … More The Color of Pomegranates (1969)
Strictly Dynamite (1934) A pre-code theatrical farce, directed by Elliott Nugent to promote the “Mexican Spitfire,” Lupe Vélez, only to be upstaged by Jimmy Durante. Nick (Norman Foster), a poet of mediocre talent, agrees to write sophisticated jokes for malapropistic radio ham Moxie (Jimmy Durante). Money goes to the Nick’s head, and he winds up … More Strictly Dynamite (1934)
Thunder Road (1958) Stripped down to stark black and white, this noir about Harlan county whisky runners was helmed by Robert Mitchum, who co-wrote, supposedly directed, and starred as Korean War vet Lucas Doolin. The movie aims to capture authentic hill culture, right down to speech patterns. Its country title song, co-written by Mitchum, and … More Thunder Road (1958)
Cartels (2017) Here’s another macho fantasy about U. S. Marshals caught in the crossfire of Eastern European drug cartels. Evil overlord and martial artist Georges St.Pierre plays insane Salazar, confronted by Steven Seagal in a fat showdown. Critics who complain that Seagal’s in this movie only fifteen minutes miss the point. Everybody knows that when … More Cartels (2017)
The Fisher King (1991) Richard LaGravenese wrote this tragicomedy of guilt and redemption that Terry Gilliam directed, with Jeff Bridges as a former radio jock whose cynicism inspired a mass murderer, and Robin Williams as a manic driven by the death of his wife to find the holy grail that can cure him. Its subject … More The Fisher King (1991)
Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) A sitcom biopic that honors the free spirit of Radio DJ Adrian Cronauer by replacing him with the manic riffs of Robin Williams in free-style verbal improvisations. Parts of Sergeant Cronauer’s Vietnam experiences – volunteering to teach English to Vietnamese youth, witnessing the bloody aftermath of a Vietcong attack that he … More Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
