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Not only did this film mark a career defining move for Naschy (it was his first horror film), but also it marked the first time he would play the part of his most famous role, the lycanthropic, Waldemar Daninsky. A role that he would play in a total of 12 films, between 1968 and 2004. What's more surprising, is that the role wasn't even written for Naschy, but Lon Chaney jr. When the filmakers saw the frail 61 year old Chaney jr, they knew they had to recast. Naschy, who wrote the film, stepped in at theh last minute, and the rest is as they say, is cult movie history.
The film follows Count Waldemar Daninsky, after his attacked by a wolf, fearing the changes happening to his body, Daninsky seeks help from a mysterious scientist and his wife. It turns out that they're vampires. Don't ask where Frankenstein comes into the story, because he doesn't. US cinemas promised a Frankenstein film, and when they couldn't secure one, they picked this one up, renamed it, and packaged it as such.
16. Paul Naschy
1. Panic Beats (1983)
2. Frankenstein's Bloody Terror (1968)
3. Crimson (1976)
The original piece of anti-communist propaganda by Hollywood. Starring Kevin McCarthy ("they're here already! You're next! You're next!), the film tells the story of a small town whose residents are taken over by extra-terrestrial pods. The replicas are the same as normal people except completely devoid of emotion or character.
Subtle? Of course not. Hammy? Certainly. However IOTBS is crucial for those interested in the history of Hollywood.
p.s. it was remade most recently most recently in 2007 (The Invasion) with Danny Craig and Nicole Kidman.
Tron Legacy: Really enjoyed it. Don't think it deserved the mauling it's taken. After the first movie's origninal release, I always dreamed of a sequel. And for me it didn't disappoint (especially the flashback of Tron bravely defending Flynn).
&
True Grit: Again, really enjoyed it as it felt much more true to the novel.
At last a superhero film with character, well worth watching in my opinion. A great start to the "Summer".
It's a very good movie, but at the same time I came away from it a bit disappointed. There could have been a few more boxing scenes in the film, and the storyline at times feels a bit rushed. The acting is quite good in the film, although I thought that Amy Adams was far more deserving of an Oscar for her work than Melissa Leo was in this one.
A good movie, to be sure, but one that I expected quite a bit more from considering it was nominated for Best Picture.
3.5/5
Terrible. I was expecting quite a bit more considering the talent involved (Hilary Swank, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Christopher Lee). The result of all that talent is a jumbled mess of a film that, unfortunately, is quite boring.
1.5/5
A delightfully weird pre-Matrix science fiction tale from surrealist Terry Gilliam. Solid performances from Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt along with inventive, elaborate cinematography ensure a rewarding experience.
8/10
A very good film, although one that I'm not convinced should have won Best Picture. A deserving nominee, sure, but of those nominated, I'd place several ahead of it in the pecking order (The Social Network, Black Swan, and 127 Hours are films I'd easily rank ahead of this one). Still, a rather good film with a very good performance from Colin Firth.
4/5
Im gonna watch Papillon next , its prolly good......
Great adventure films and hey, for once an Indy rip-off worked. A good way to pass 3 and a half hours.
If only another one was made. :-((
When I try to edit both of these posts, I have the above deleted messege appear, even in the intended post - which for some reason is below.
I have no idea what's going on. Sorry all. X(
I won't insult this film by calling it a "spoof" because IMO it's not generally played for laughs
this is a genuine attempt to copy the "Bond formula" and create an action / adventure which contains humour
in that sense DTTM has much more in common with the 80s movies who sought to distil the "formula" and replicate the huge success of the Bond franchise, which they were able to do with considerable success,
than it does with the more familiar Bond spoofs of the period in which it was made (the 60s), where silliness and camp humour was too often allowed to undermine and overwhelm any sense excitement or tension
in this movie everyone plays it straight, there are no sly nods or winks to the audience, or camp over the top performances and the movie is all the better for that
the hero is named "Hugh Drummond" (more familiar as Bulldog Drummond, but never referred to as such here), but the character portrayed is pure "Connery Bond" and Richard Johnson is probably the most convincing substitute for the real thing I've seen
it helps that we are actually still in the 60s and so the period detail surrounding the character is still contemporary
but the real ace in the pack is Richard Johnson, who's performance displays a fine understanding of the nuances of the "Movie Bond" character, saying as much with the inflection of his voice and a slight adjustment of his facial expression as with dialogue, which he delivers with understated dry wit
like any good Bond he appears quietly confident in himself, but not smug, not pushing himself forward and demanding attention,
he is suave, with a dry self depreciating wit and often appearing slightly amused by what's going on around him
he lets the good things in life come to him, allows things to develop, anticipates most eventualities and has options in mind
and he is capable of delivering the same flashing, steely glances of dark determination as Connery when comes time to get down to business
on the down side he's only an insurance investigator…
he's also saddled with a young American sidekick, to increase his appeal across the ditch, but this works out ok as the actor chosen is also an appealing performer who's eager naivety provides an effective counterpoint to "Drummond Bond's" composed experience
with beautiful girls, Mediterranean locations, occasional touches of the exotic and bizarre, as far as "ersatz" Bond movies go this is about as good as it gets
looking forward to the sequel, "Some Girls Do", however I see that features robots (female of course), so it may well turn out to be another case of the sequel going to far
Note - apparently Richard Johnson was Terence Young's original preference to play James Bond, but he turned the producers down, as he didn't favour a lengthy contract…(yeah right?)
I watched an interview with him that was a DVD extra, in real life his mannerisms and demeanour are much like the character he played, so it may have been as much luck as skill that made him so well suited to the role
his brief marriage to Kim Novak broke up around the time this movie was made… hmmmm, any connection?
The Seventh Seal (1957) - interesting and iconic; indeed, but I don't rate it as highly as many
Elizabeth (1998) - visceral, fast and fine historical drama
The Darjeeling Limited (2007) - very quirky, stripped-down, yet satisfying spiritual-esque road-trip through India fare
Escape To Victory (1981) - awesome (in its way)
Hope Springs (2003) - rather quirky, yet still formulaic rom-com
Octopussy (1983) - still fun after all these years
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) - Still funny after all these years
Quantum Of Solace (2008) - still not wholly satisfying after two-and-a-bit years
and...
Night Watch (1995) - so bad it's good ;)
In which case, time for an update of my list, methinks...
The flicks I've watched in 2011
CW = Cinema watch
FW = First watch
RW = Re-watch
5 out of 5 ~ *****
Elizabeth (1998) RW
The King's Speech (2010) CW/ FW
Layer Cake (2004) FW
They Shoot Horses, Don't They (1969) FW
WALL.E (2008) RW
4 out of 5 ~ ****
Alpha Male (2006) RW
Beverly Hills Cop (1984) RW
Los Cronocrímenes (Timecrimes) (2007) FW
The Darjeeling Limited (2007) FW
The Departed (2006) RW
The Killing Fields (1984) FW
Scener ur ett äktenskap (Scenes From A Marriage) (1973) FW
Det sjunde inseglet (The Seventh Seal) (1957) FW
3 out of 5 ~ ***
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) RW
Birthday Girl (2001) FW
Brideshead Revisited (2008) FW
Cote d'Azur (Cockles And Mussels) (2005) FW
Escape To Victory (1981) RW
Female Agents (2008) FW
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) FW
Genova (2008) FW
The Ghost Writer (2010) FW
Girl With A Pearl Earring (2003) RW
Hallam Foe (2007) FW
Hope Springs (2003) FW
Monkey Business (1952) RW
Octopussy (1983) RW
Proof (2005) FW
Quantum Of Solace (2008) RW
Les Rivières Pourpres (The Crimson Rivers) (2000) FW
Sweet Charity (1969) FW
Trust The Man (2005) FW
2 out of 5 ~ **
Déficit (2007) FW
Lesbian Vampire Killers (2009) FW
Night Watch (1995) RW
1 out of 5 ~ *
This is a good review of it-
http://doubleosection.blogspot.com/2009/01/movie-review-deadlier-than-male.html
Before that it was Greystoke : the Legend of Tarzan on Saturday & Thor on Friday.
Wow...just wow. Sergio Leone's last great film, Ennio Morricone's last great score...poignant in more than one way. I loved how the hauntingly brilliant 'old man' scenes were interspersed with the frantic 'young man' scenes and the memorable 'child' scenes. Ooh, the word 'scenes' three times in one sentence there. Robert De Niro was utterly superb, the first time I've seen an actor convincingly play the same character years apart since Citizen Kane :P
Once Upon A Time In The West: 8/10
Similar title, same director, same composer, wildly different film. Fonda puts in one of my all-time favourite villain performances, and it's one of the few films that manages to combine a clever plot, wonderful cinematography and superb acting. It doesn't quite top The Good, The Bad and The Ugly for the best Western ever, but it's bloody close.
It's nothing against Koscina, but if I had to make any change to DTTM, i'd have to replace her with Virna Lisi. Sommer and Lisi, for me, would make a perfect female assassin duo. I think it's a shame that Johnson wasn't Bond, and Sommer a Bond Girl. Two missed opportunities, right there, IMHO. Some Girls Do was... alright, just don't compare it to DTTM.:-D
Last film I watched was...
Burning Bright (2010)
That was rather good. An interesting concept (a young woman is, during a hurricane, trapped in her house with her autistic young brother and a very hungry tiger) that I wasn't sure could be pulled off without ending up as unintentionally funny, but it actually worked, and with a straight face, too.
I'd seen the '99 remake and really, really enjoyed it. Love this one as well. And Faye Dunaway looked absolutely amazzzzzzzzzzing. ;-)
Also saw Scream 4. Its a hoot. As good as any of the originals.
Both movies get 5 out of 5!! May see Thor a couple more time on big screen.
5/5
did you know Sean Connery was initially offered the role and he turned it down and then later said he regretted not making this film?
JCVD was an action star of the 90s, who never quite managed to make it to the very top of the mountain
critics were scathing about his acting abilities and he wasn't able to bring the tongue in cheek charm that allowed others, like Arnie and Roger Moore, to make up the difference
by the new millennium he was in "straight to dvd purgatory"
toward the end of the decade he got lucky with "Till Death", which while still no masterpiece, somehow rose above it's origins to be better than it really had any right to be
and this novel concoction, which is part action, part satire, part thriller, part heist, part personal confessional
it has some action, but most of that is during the opening credits, thereafter it attempts to work on multiple levels, as thriller and a satire, and IMO largely succeeds
performed largely in Belgic-French (Waloonese?) it offers JCVD his best opportunity yet to demonstrate some acting ability
the soliloquy he delivers, while breaking the fourth wall near the climax of the movie, may be muddled, but the conviction in his delivery of it is genuinely impressive, displaying a wide range of passion and emotion to the edge of breakdown and back again
is it the benefit of age and experience? or the result of having the opportunity to work largely in his mother tongue for once? or was he always tragically held back by those in the industry who saw him only as "the muscles from Brussels" and handicapped by the one note material he had to work with… (yeah right)
it would have made a nice swansong for his career, but of course he's kept going, flogging his franchise movie "Universal Soldier" for all it's worth and beyond