Well, after losing my job I quickly developed a nasty stomach bug that's laid me up in bed (when i'm not in the bathroom) for the last day or so. I seem to be feeling better now but it has meant that i've actually managed to get some films watched.
Heaven's Gate
Unfairly criticized on it's release it's taken Cimino's underrated classic some time to gain the respect its due but thankfully with Second Sights beautiful looking presentation of the fully restored directors cut it looks like it's finally happened. The film uses a similar opening to the deer hunter, this time showing the main characters Harvard graduating ceremony rather than the drunken stag do of Deer Hunter. It seems to serve the same purpose however as portraying more innocent and peaceful times before the characters Decent into hell.
Instead of Vietnam it's Wyoming ten years before the beginning of a new century and James Averill (played by Kris Kristofferson) heads into the territory only to find himself embroiled in what would soon become the Johnson County war where the local cattle barons created a death list of 125 names. People considered to be anarchists and cattle thieves but who also turned out to be poor Eastern European immigrants some of whom had rights to portions of the land claimed by the barons. Averill falls for a beautiful whore played by Isabell Huppert but soon finds he has competition from Christopher Walken's character who works for the Barons not realizing exactly what it is their planning.
Heaven's Gate is a beautiful and lyrical western made just as the genre was dying out. Its long (216 minutes) but uses every second admirably. Kris Kristofferson has never been better in a film in my humble opinion. Christopher Walken is also excellent as is John Hurt and Isabelle Huppert. We also get turns from Brad dourif, Joseph Cotten, Sam Waterston and an early appearance from Micky Rourke who would later work with Cimino again in year of the dragon. Its a shame that the film entered film history for the wrong reasons as it's a genuine classic and was probably one of the last great westerns (until Eastwood made Unforgiven at least) It's tale of racism seems as contemporary today as when it was made given the stories of armed vigilantes patrolling the borders of mexico and it makes you realize this kind of intolerance is nothing new. If you get a chance please check it out. Criterion have also issued it but The second sight blu is an admirable release and has fantastic cover art.
The Car
More lighthearted than the previous film, the car is a film i've always enjoyed watching. It feels more like a Tv movie of the week perhaps, but one of those really great Tv movie of the weeks that really sticks with you. The premise is simple, a car turns up in a small town one day and begins killing people off. It enters in a storm of wind and sand and disappears as quickly as it arrives. It seems to have purpose as it deliberately avoids R.G Armstrong's evil wife beater and seems to go for innocent people. As the death toll mounts the local sheriffs (including great actors James Brolin and Ronny Cox) begin to suspect there is something supernatural about the mysterious car.
The Car is a superbly shot and edited slice up suspense with some great writing and well developed characters. Director Elliot Silverstein's mission was to deliver 'Jaws on the land' and for the most part he pulls it off. It's a real testament to a film that can deliver great scenes of suspense in broad daylight. Arrow's Blu-ray looks STUNNING. This is not hyperbole as i've seen the film a lot of times over the years and never have I seen it looking so good.
Crawlspace
Cinemas greatest lunatic (both on camera and off) Klaus Kinski plays a demented landlord who in his previous career as doctor in South america had developed a taste for killing off his patients that became a full blown addiction. In his new role as landlord he fills his daily impulses through watching his female tenants from the crawlspace that stretches throughout the house and tormenting them with strange noises and rats. Eventually when things go too far he ends up killing a tenant and has to find a replacement. Each night he takes a bullet, loads a chamber and puts the gun to his head playing a game of russian roulette. When the gun fails to kill him he say's 'so be it' and continues his demented hobby's (and I haven't even mentioned the Nazi fetishism inspired by his war criminal father yet!)
Shot in Italy for Charles Band's Empire pictures Crawlspace is a short but great looking thriller thanks to Sergio Salvati's excellent photography. We also get a great score from Pino Donaggio. The whole package is well directed by David Schmoeller who delivers a great film in what can only be described as 'difficult circumstances'. He also made a short documentary on his experience called 'pleas kill mr Kinski' which turns up on the SF blu-Ray and is an amusing watch though Werner Herzog's MY BEST FIEND is still the definitive look at the torment of working with Kinski. The thing to remember however is that as difficult as Kinski was, if a director could stick it out and complete his film the end performance was always astonishing. Here in Crawlspace it's a large reason why the film works so well. We also get a dry but informative commentary from David Schmoeller and and interview from effects artist John Vulich. It looks fantastic on Blu-ray and is the best presentation of the film to date. Sadly it's all region locked as usual so here's hoping Arrow decide to release it over here.
Lurkers/Die sister, Die!
On to a Scorpion double bill. Here we get two mediocre horrors bundled together. Lurkers is a paranormal mystery in the vein of films like Rosemary's baby, where it seems everyone around the character is involved in a bizarre conspiracy. This one is directed by Roberta Findlay so a lot of people here should be aware of what to expect. I've always had mixed feelings over Findlay's pictures. I genuinely enjoy Tenement and Shriek of the mutilated but I'm not so keen on a lot of her other pictures. Lurkers falls somewhere midway in terms of quality. It has some great scenes but overall feels very lackluster. Looks great however.
Die Sister, Die! is more a thriller that feels like a tv movie of the week. A greedy businessman with a dark secret hires a nurse to assist in her up till now failed suicide attempts in order to get her out of the way and claim the fortune for himself. The nurse has a change of heart and decides to try and save the sister instead. This one feels like a 30 - 40 minute story dragged out over 85 minutes. The story is good and there are some nice scenes but it feels a little overlong and would work better in a twilight zone style TV series rather than a feature.
Overall as a double bill it isn't bad. I wouldn't want to fork out for either film individually but it was cheap enough that they didn't work out too dear as a double bill and both films are obscure enough for a collector to warrant picking them up on that basis alone.
American Nightmare
Actually Canadian, this is one of those films I enjoyed in spite of wanting a long shower straight after watching it. Shot in the seediest locations available to the crew it follows a pianist looking for his wayward sister on the mean streets where she has become lost in a world of drugs and vice. At the same time a serial killer is busy carving up strippers with a straight razor. The film is shot in 4:3 and looks really scuzzy, this adds to the general grimy tone of the film which comes across as Paul schraders Hardcore crossed with the general tone of films like Henry portrait of a serial killer and Combat shock. (though nowhere near as bleak as Combat shock!) It IS a good film, it's well written and has some great acting, especially a small role for Michael Ironside. Just make sure you book time after for a shower.
Body Melt
A firm 90's favorite of mine gets a great release from Scorpion on the Katerina label. This one is from back in the day when most horror had all the gore excised out of it. Somehow Body melt slipped through relatively intact so the teenage gorehound that I was got a lot of kicks from the great effects work. Today i'm pleased to say the film still holds up. The tongue in cheek approach to the proceedings still works and the effects still hold up. The satirizing of gym culture and bodybuilding works well and it's certainly great to see Harold Bishop playing a crazed gun toting doctor!
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