The Offbeat Marquee: Film and TV Reviews

INTRODUCTION Akira Kurosawa is likely one of the most important filmmakers of the 20th century. Through his feudal films, we saw the works of Shakespeare reborn and new tales that have been told for decades. Through his modern day exploits, we looked into the heart of humanity at the time, peering into the souls of many. In his 1985 latter-day masterpiece Ran , we saw the best of both worlds. This is likely one of the most powerful pieces of film I've ever seen. I simply can't fathom one word against it. So I am going to bring you all on a tour of the elements of Ran , and how they are absolutely astonishing in execution and affect. Now this review will delve into mild spoilers, nothing too serious, but I highly recommend that you all watch this masterful film prior to reading. But if you do read through this, I hope it compels you to watch this gargantuan marvel of a motion picture, or heck, even rewatch it on account of this. STORY Akira Kurosawa's Ran is a 198...

INTRODUCTION If there was ever a niche genre of film that I could simply watch whenever I want, without needing to be in a certain mood, it would have to be the iconic Japanese genre of  daikaijū   eiga. I love the emphasis of practical visual effects, the raucous musical scores, and the pure surrealistic qualities of the concepts presented in these films. One of the titans of the genre is Toho, the company behind the legendary Godzilla franchise. Begun and initially helmed by producer Tomoyuki Tonaka, director Ishirō Honda, special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, and composer Akira Ifukube, this long-running science fiction franchise became the international face of the genre. But these men were also at work on other projects in the genre that weren't attached to the Big G. In 1966, the crew at Toho would produce one of the most unique  daikaijū   eiga committed to celluloid, the tale of two Frankenstein monsters (yeah, you read that right) wreaking hav...

INTRODUCTION When I first saw The Hustler  on TCM, the 1961 pool hall drama starring a young Paul Newman alongside legends like Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie, and George C. Scott, I was rather impressed. I loved its mustiness, Kenyon Hopkin's snazzy score, and the knockout performances by all, and I shall hopefully get around to taking a stab at The Hustler at a later date. So when I learned of a sequel, decades later, but helmed by the one, the only, the cinematic titan Martin Scorsese, my curiosity was more than just peaked. And so I come today to divulge my thoughts on the story of Paul Newman, back at it again as now former hustler "Fast Eddie" Felson, his surprise protégé Tom Cruise, and Cruise's girlfriend, the fiery Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, in Scorsese's 1986 flick, The Color of Money . PROS So there's is a lot to unpack with this film. Does Newman still have it in him to bring back to life the "Fast Eddie" Felson character? H...

INTRODUCTION  I must say this: I'm a fan of Ralph Bakshi, and I'm a fan of music. So put the two together, and that's a recipe for one happy me. And here to deliver the goods is the 1980 animated opus, American Pop , a tale of four generations of talent where only one comes out on top. THE PROS Okay then, where to begin with a piece like this? How about something along the lines of, "My God was that freaking amazing!" Those words were the first out of my mouth after having watched it, and those are words I stand by. I was blown away by this piece for how unashamedly ambitious it was. Conceptually, Ronni Kern's screenplay is an ingenious one, telling the tale of four men whose lives are intertwined with that of the music of their time, showing how sometimes honest-to-God hard work can all be for not, and success can sometimes come from what could be viewed as an "undignified" gateway. The stories are all reasonably developed, at least ...

Well then, this is new... INTRODUCTION So I am an insane fan of Bernard Herrmann. I will watch a crap film just to hear one of his scores, and I can be sucked into a brilliant film even deeper through his brilliant sense of "musical psychology," an odd term I'll use to describe how Herrmann suggested ideas and spun narratives solely through the power of the film score. And to celebrate the legend's birthday, I thought we would tackle the big score of Herrmann's iconic collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock, Vertigo . I call this one the biggie as, while Psycho definitely is a masterpiece in and of itself, Vertigo is one of the most complex and highly regarded film scores ever. And, it serves as just one of the great elements of the twisted tale of obsession woven in such a way as to create one of the most highly regarded films of all time. The man of the hour, American composer Bernard Herrmann BACKGROUND First, I believe setting the stage migh...

Just wanted to also say a few words about the magnificent composer Lalo Schifrin on his birthday. Schifrin is a phenomenal talent who has contributed to some of the most well-known and beloved cult classics, such as the knockout crime thriller Dirty Harry , the martial arts classic Enter the Dragon , and the iconic horror film The Amnityville Horror.  Schifrin, through various works in film and his legendary theme for the TV program Mission Impossible , Schifrin championed writing challenging works that employed jazz and general avant-garde technique that have always worked well with the films they sit behind. But now, let's celebrate with a personal favorite of mine by Schifrin: the Main Title to 1968's Bullitt .  Happy Birthday Mr. Schifrin! 

INTRODUCTION I've decided that for my first giallo on the site, I would choose a somewhat lesser known title. This is not a work of Bava's, Argento's, or even Fulci's. This is a twisted tale of an alcoholic journalist trying to piece together a string of seemingly unrelated murders. This is Luigi Bazzoni's The Fifth Cord . THE PROS My god is this one a real gem. I honestly don't think I have ever been more pleasantly surprised before in my history of viewing gialli. The Fifth Cord was the kind of late-night thriller you would probably pop in to go to sleep watching. But if you actually throw it on to view it, you are treated to a rather impressive work. Franco Nero is grand as our drunken reporter, Displaying competence, humor, and rage between his moments of unadulterated inebriation, Nero is easily the star in terms of acting prowess. But there is one very worth runner up: Rosella Falk, who also starred in Fellini's masterpiece 8 1/2 and Dar...

Today is, somewhat appropriately, a double feature. A birthday shout out to two fantastic men that have been sending everyone behind the sofa and under the bed in fright. Sir Christopher Lee of the Hammer horror fame and the legendary Vincent Price were born on this day, May 27th. I am exceptionally fond of these actors because of how impressive they could be, both with fangs and without. Lee was a man with a wonderfully chilling baritone voice that could strike fear in the bravest, but also could be so eloquent in such odd films from the minds of directors such as Jess Franco. And Vincent Price is a man of versatility as well, whether it was his early years in films like The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex and Laura , or his team-ups with men like Roger Corman for a grand night of frightening people with the power of Poe. And so today, I salute you two terrifying gents today. Happy birthday.

INTRODUCTION Oh...boy. This is one film I was excited to get. But I'm not disappointed. I'm just fascinated. The Plague Dogs is a 1982 animated adventure drama that tells the tale of two dogs that have escaped from a laboratory, and as they try to survive in the wild, they become the target of a hunt because they are perceived to be carrying the bubonic plague, creating two parallel narratives that overlap and intertwine. What fun! And for everyone's information, I am reviewing the ORIGINAL CUT. The 100-minute version that no one seems to want to watch. THE PROS First off, this film was directed by Martin Rosen. He was the same man behind the 1978 landmark animated feature Watership Down . These two features share much in common. Rosen at the helm when it came to direction, screenwriting, and producing. Both were based off of the work of the fantastic late author Richard Adams. And both feature the legendary late actor, Sir John Hurt. And with that, the acti...

Also to be hosted on "The Offbeat Marquee" are editorials discussing a specific topic relating to film or television. Our first is a discussion of a movement and niche genre of Italian film.   An Italian lobby card for the iconic Argento giallo, Deep Red . In my pile of DVDs, there exists a case that contains three films, The Fifth Cord , Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion , and The Pajama Girl Case . These films have three things in common: they're all Italian, they're all from the 1970s, and they are all gialli. Giallo is a term with two meanings. In Italy, the term refers to the films of the thriller genre, like Psycho or The Third Man . To most fans of exploitation cinema, the term refers to a certain type of Italian thriller. It was inspired by 1920s mystery novels, most pressed with yellow covers ("giallo" literally meaning "yellow" in Italian). The genre was first developed by director Mario Bava in 1961 with his film ...

Just a small remembrance of Katherine Hepburn. Hepburn's work is just fantastic. Whether it was a Cukor comedy or a late drama such as On Golden Pond (1981), Kate could light up a screen, and bring a great sense of drama. I will forever remember her with Spencer Tracy on so many delightful comedies as Adam's Rib or Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.  She was a true talent. Love ya Kate.   Katherine Hepburn (1907 - 2003)