What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Sweet Charity (1969)

Although this is a hugely entertaining musical about the life and love of a hostess at a fairly seedy New York club, Act II isn't anywhere near as good as the first aside from brilliant routines from Sammy Davis Jr's drug induced religious fest and Shirley MacLaine's wonderful 'I'm a Brass Band' routine.

Maclaine as Charity is an utter delight, her kooky sexiness to the fore in all her numbers, but even she's outshone by Fosse's song and dance numbers. The best of which arrives quite early on in The Pompeii Club called 'Rich Man's Frug' and is an outstanding display in three parts, stunningly choreographed and particularly creative in the use of unusual poses, gestures, and arm movements and it gives the first act of the film a feel of the sixties Italian films especially ones like The 10th Victim.

Seeing this via Indicator's Blu-ray for the first time this evening was a breathtaking showcase of colour and sound with the routines and highly memorable songs ("You Should See Yourself", "Big Spender", "If My Friends Could See Me Now" etc) a revelation.

[MrBarlow]

Dawn Of The Dead. 2004.

Zach Snyder's take on the classic Romero film set in a shopping mall with a bigger group of survivors rather than 4 and even quicker bloodied zombies that don't get a pie in the face.

Sarah Pollock is the nurse who manages to flee from her neighbourhood after her husband is attacked and meets up with copper Ving Rhames, tv salesman Jake Webber, Mekhi Phifer and pregnant partner Inna Korobkina who band together and find the safe heaven who are later joined by more survivors but have to battle it out with Michael Kelly at first to stay the night.

The film starts off nicely with everyone doing their normal thing and mentions about someone with a bite then all hell breaks loose. Scott Reiniger, Tom Savini and Ken Foree have a small cameo appearance and we see a Gaylen Ross clothing brand. This is something I didn't see being any good but after the first watch I was surprised how well it was done with some character bonding placed in the middle.

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[J Harker]

Originally Posted by MrBarlow

Dawn Of The Dead. 2004.



Zach Snyder's take on the classic Romero film set in a shopping mall with a bigger group of survivors rather than 4 and even quicker bloodied zombies that don't get a pie in the face.



Sarah Pollock is the nurse who manages to flee from her neighbourhood after her husband is attacked and meets up with copper Ving Rhames, tv salesman Jake Webber, Mekhi Phifer and pregnant partner Inna Korobkina who band together and find the safe heaven who are later joined by more survivors but have to battle it out with Michael Kelly at first to stay the night.



The film starts off nicely with everyone doing their normal thing and mentions about someone with a bite then all hell breaks loose. Scott Reiniger, Tom Savini and Ken Foree have a small cameo appearance and we see a Gaylen Ross clothing brand. This is something I didn't see being any good but after the first watch I was surprised how well it was done with some character bonding placed in the middle.



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I like Zach Snyders remake more than Romero's original.

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[Justin101]

I keep meaning to order the Shout Factory 4k. Might do it today.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by J Harker

I like Zach Snyders remake more than Romero's original.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by J Harker

I like Zach Snyders remake more than Romero's original.

It's certainly not as silly.

[J Harker]

I don't dislike the original version but I don't think it's a patch on Night or Day.

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[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Driver's Seat (1974)

I get the feeling this strange psychological thriller (with definite Giallo overtones) was a deeply personal film for Elizabeth Taylor. Her career was in decline and the public were tiring off her jet set lifestyle and trials and tribulations with Richard Burton. So a mystery thriller about a wealthy 42 year old woman (Lise) with fading looks who takes a final trip to Rome dressed like a garish peacock with the aim of finding a man she's looking for. Any man. Who will fulfill her darkest desire.

This is as far away from a travelogue on Rome as you can get. Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck swanning round the sights this is not. We see a different Rome here. An underbelly, although Taylor stays in a luxurious hotel that's as much of a tourism board film as we see.

The Driver's Seat also known as Identikit is more a trip round a desperate woman's psyche. There's a depressive intensity about Taylor's performance and she clearly has no hang ups in regard to her body. Flamboyance and fun are a thing of a decayed past, sex and death, particularly death, are what matters most in Lise's disintegrating mind.

The film is non-linear, throughout we see the Rome police interviewing the various men Lise takes up with in a bid to find out the reasons for her fate. Although non-linear film making is more common nowadays it adds to the fractured atrophy going on here.

The great Vittorio Storaro was cinematographer - He also filmed Apocalypse Now (1979) and in this Taylor is effectively playing her own version of the unhinged Colonel Kurtz long before Brando ever thought about it - and many of his compositions are fascinating to behold and certainly give the film a dream like or nightmarish perspective in what is an atmospheric, complex, occasionally funny deep dive into a corroding mind.

[Justin101]

Excellent review for a very unconventional film, I’m still collecting my thoughts a week later, but I know I enjoyed it, it looks fantastic and the dialogue is really good!

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Justin101

Excellent review for a very unconventional film, I’m still collecting my thoughts a week later, but I know I enjoyed it, it looks fantastic and the dialogue is really good!

Thank you.

It's not the sort of film you recommend blindly to people but it's very memorable and rewatches will probably give it classic status for me.

I classed it as partly Giallo and it is in that realm of films like Footsteps on the Moon or The Pyjama Girl Case.