It's been a nice learning curve for me these past couple of weeks rewatching all these later Dario films.

I'd definitely like The Card Player on Blu now and i'd probably search for a Phantom of the Opera when i next want to watch it. I won't be upgrading Trauma though. I won't upgrade Giallo either as it's fine on dvd and although i enjoyed it, not enough to pay for a HD release of it when there's so much other stuff out there.

I'm obsessed with Dario Argento and am often upgrading the films on my Argento shelf. I've even pre-ordered the forthcoming Italian 4K UHD of Dracula. Edit: It's a pretty harmless hobby and I really do adore almost all of his output. Luckily my wife doesn't mind, she's actually quite a big Argento fan herself. btw I've attached a couple of photos of my wife and I meeting Dario. He very kindly signed my arm and I then had his autograph tattooed over, next to an already existing Suspiria tattoo.

Fantastic pics, SF. Can i be cheeky and ask you to post a pic of your Suspiria tattoo?

I don't mind sharing a pic of my arm. But first I must warn you that it has scars on it which have sliced through my old rough and ready Suspiria tattoo and the signature. I'm dependent on medication for paranoid schizophrenia and once, after not taking it for quite some time, unfortunetly I cut up both my arms. :( Sorry that this conversation has taken such a dark turn! :( Anyway, this is what my arm looks like today.

Thanks for showing, the signature looks really good. You must have been pleased it came out so well.

That's very kind of you to say so, it's a shame it got damaged. You should always take your medication is what it has taught me. Marv in Sin City would probably agree. :)

Currently working my way through a small pile of dvds, blu-rays and 4K UHDs.

I revisited the second Jurassic World on a cheap second hand 4K UHD (which thankfully played just fine). Really enjoyed myself. The only other film I've seen by this director, is the modern horror masterpiece The Orphanage. Bearing that earlier film in mind, it's probably not surprising that Fallen Kingdom is the closest in the franchise, to being a straight up horror film. As much as a PG 13 rating allows anyway. There's even some gothic type imagery involving dinosaurs, if such a thing is possible.

It's always nice to see Toby Jones making a supporting role appearance (same with Ted Levine and Geraldine Chaplin) and it was pretty cool to see Guillermo del Toro being given special thanks in the end credits. It's also probably the closest we'll ever come to seeing an adaption of the ageing Dino Crisis video game by Capcom. I seem to recall that this film was fairly poorly received at the time. Not sure why, I see it as an improvement over the prior movie. Was fun to revisit. If I had to award a score, it would probably be 7.5/10.

btw I sometimes get a bit fed up with the overuse of cgi in films. I think the classic example is a fake looking snake near the beginning of Terminator 3 (couldn't they just have filmed a real snake?). I don't mind using cgi when it's absolutely necessary and I have to say that here, the computer effects were absolutely flawless (even in 4K resolution), a real showcase for how to use digital technology.

Edit: Just ordered a cheap blu-ray of J. A. Bayona's A Monster Calls.

Cactus Jack. 1979.

Kirk Douglas plays Cactus Jack Slade, a cowboy who tries his best to rob a train that fails, blow up a bank safe that fails, is given a chance for freedom all he has to do is steel a box full of money from Ann-Margaret who is being accompanied by big Arnie. Certainly took a lot of inspiration from cartoons with Kirk using everything he can and it fails like Wile E Coyote, even at the start you can his train jumping skills aren't the best. This film is never to be taken seriously just good laughs and plenty of humour with Arnie trying to be a good citizen that also backfires on him a few times. Good comedy flick.

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Mother of Tears (2007)

Dario Argento's third and final film in his Three Mothers trilogy. I've always thought it unfairly criticized. Perhaps due to the first two films being Suspiria (1977) and 1980's Inferno. For sure Mother of Tears doesn't compare to them, but what does?

The movie focuses on the third mother residing in Rome's underworld, Mater Lachrymarum, who has been awakened by the finding of an ancient tunic.

There are flaws. Rome falling to pieces under the spell of the witch of tears is hampered by budgetary constraints and should have been left out - a couple of men bashing a car with iron bars does not really suggest that modern society is breaking down - and the arrival of witches from across the globe into Rome is more St. Trinian's than the end of the world.

Despite this it's well paced with some tremendous gory set pieces courtesy of Sergio Stivaletti. Dario's daughter Asia, holds the film together well in what i think is her best screen performance, and the easy to follow script has several nods to the two earlier films in the trilogy and a creepily debauched wicked witchery feel to the second half of proceedings.

A special call out to Claudio Simonetti's soundtrack and especially the end credits song Mater Lacrimarum as performed by Simonetti and the band Daemonia with vocals by Dani Filth.

Some 27 years on from Inferno, Mother of Tears is actually a very good Italian horror film and a fitting finale to an excellent trilogy of terror.

Unseen Movie 37
 

Hercules In New York. 1970.

Feed up being at Olympus, Hercules decides to go to Earth and lands in New York.

Yes this is a movie I have never watched and always remember holding the Hollywood dvd in my hand at our local pound shop years ago and then placing it back on the shelf. Arnie in his first feature film plays the big man Hercules (in a dubbed voice) decides he wants to head to New York. I have never laughed so much in this, throwing guys about a boat, fighting people with a plank and then fighting a grizzly bear in Central Park and also finding love. Suppose everyone starts at the bottom of a barrel to be in a film and Arnie being embarrassed to discuss the film, can't say I blame him.

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