Sette scialli di seta gialla (1972)

...aka: Crimes of the Black Cat

...aka: Seven Shawls of Yellow Silk

Directed by:

Sergio Pastore

Gialli are as hit-or-miss as anything else, though some die-hard fans may lead one to believe otherwise. For every one film classified as such that's an enjoyably stylish thriller (the best seem to come from Bava, Argento and Martino), there are about three that are pedestrian, lifeless, sloth-paced, visually unexciting and completely devoid of originality. I've honestly had a difficult time trying to stay awake while watching some of these films. So, not surprisingly, I tend to disagree with others about which are actually the better films in this subgenre. This one has had a less-than-warm reception for the most part, but I actually thought it was more entertaining than many others I've seen. Why? Because it's nutty, goes OTT a few times and the killer's modus operandi is every bit as ingenious as it is ridiculous! Don't get me wrong, this is painfully derivative of many other, usually better films (Bava's BLOOD AND BLACK LACE and Argento's CAT O' NINE TAILS instantly come to mind), but since the exact same thing can be said for about 95 percent of the films this one shares company with, that really didn't bother me a whole lot. And silly as this was at times, it also had some legitimately great moments that deserve mention.

Blind pianist Peter Oliver (Anthony Steffen) decides to start his own independent investigation after his unfaithful model ex-girlfriend Paola Whitney (Isabelle Marchall) is killed under mysterious circumstances. A fashion house run by wealthy Françoise Ballais (Sylva Koscina) and her ex-con playboy husband Victor Morgan (Giacomo Rossi-Stuart), soon becomes the centerpiece for the obligatory string of cover-up murders to follow the first crime. Since Peter can't see, he enlists the aid of his assistant Burton (Umberto Raho) and fashion house employee Margot (Shirley Corrigan) to help uncover the killer. Throw in a caped, strung-out heroin addict ("Jeannette Len"/Giovanna Lenzi), a photographer, a police inspector, a temperamental black kitty cat with toxic paws and a pair of lesbian models and your list of suspects and victims is now complete.

There's the expected backstabbing, blackmail and adultery to help provide a motive, plus some nudity and gore thrown in for good measure. The cast isn't too bad (Steffen and Lenzi both do good jobs here) and there are some pretty solid scenes, especially one taking place at some outdoor recycling facility (I think that's what it was) full of broken glass. Also worth mentioning is an awesomely gory shower slashing that's one of the nastiest (and best) set pieces in the entire giallo oeuvre. On the down side, the ending feels very rushed and the score isn't quite up to par, but all in all, this was a decent enough effort that should entertain its target audience.

★★1/2

Vierde man, De (1983)

...aka: 4th Man, The

...aka: Fourth Man, The

Directed by:

Paul Verhoeven

I don't know if I'd consider this a masterpiece of not, but it's extremely well made, artistic, suspenseful, intricately plotted, thematically all over the place and full of bleak foreshadowing and sexual-religious imagery. There's also some great camera-work from Jan de Bont, an atmospheric score from Loek Dikker and outstanding acting from Jeroen Krabbé and Renée Soutendijk, the latter giving one of the most sneaky, subtle 'femme fatale' performance I've ever seen. Like many other European movies, this movie has an unashamed, non-judgmental attitude toward sex, nudity and the complexities of sexuality and has zero reservations about mixing it all up with religious and/or surrealistic (some would say blasphemous) images. In other words, if you can't bear the thought of seeing a lust-driven homosexual envisioning the object of his carnal desire as Jesus crucified on the cross before the two of them go at it inside a cemetery crypt then this might not be the movie for you. What surprised me more is how this bizarre movie managed to completely dodge being a pretentious mess. It mixes the abstract/surreal/parallel fantasy-reality scenes and somehow makes it all work. Like any good mystery, you can see the pieces slowly falling into place as the movie progresses. There is NOT an out-of-left-field resolution here. The movie has direction, there's no needless filler and once it concludes, you begin to understand the purpose of what may have confused you earlier. If you like the work of Ken Russell and David Lynch, I can almost guarantee you will love this movie. Hell, if you have no idea who they even are, you still might like it.

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I'm not going to spoil the plot by getting too detailed here, but the film's opening shot - through a web as a spider catches its prey - sets the stage as Krabbé, as unshaven, smug, bisexual writer Gerard Reve (interestingly, also the name of the writer whose novel this is based on) crosses paths with a wealthy, mysterious, sexy woman named Christine (Soutendijk, melding androgynous stylings with Simone Simon-like innocence/cuteness that's pretty unnerving), who may be a literal 'black widow' responsible for the deaths of her three previous husbands. The two become lovers and move in with one another, but we're led to believe (through Christine's bizarre behavior and the frequent appearances of another woman - played by Geert de Jong - who may or may not actually exist) something terrible is boiling under the surface. When another of Christine's lovers, the young and "beautiful" Herman (Thom Hoffman), shows up at the house, things take an unexpected turn. And that's all you need to know.

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THE 4TH MAN was a huge art-house success in much of the world, but didn't make it over to the US until 1983, where it was awarded the Best Foreign Film of the year from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.

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Ironically, Verhoeven himself has said in interviews that he deliberately wanted to craft an "art house"-style film - at least partially as a joke - to counter the frequently criticism he'd received for being an artless director who wallowed around in "working class realism." Regardless of his original intention, this film is so well-made and intriguing that Verhoeven managed to both one-up his detractors and please audiences at the same time. As a result, he was soon offered a studio contract in Hollywood, where he'd churn out a few great films (FLESH & BLOOD, ROBOCOP) and a few lousy ones (SHOWGIRLS). In fact, Verhoeven's biggest hit, BASIC INSTINCT (1992), is almost like a less interesting, junior league version of this one. Soutendjik also tried her hand at acting in America, and since GRAVE SECRETS (1989) and EVE OF DESTRUCTION (1991) were the best offers she was getting, she headed right back home to the Netherlands.

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A word of warning, though... If you happen to stumble upon an old VHS copy of this film (the one distributed by Media), keep on walking. Their version is virtually ruined by awful dubbing. Instead, head straight for the subtitled Anchor Bay DVD release, which is a subtitled and excellent quality print.

★★★1/2

Fade to Black (1980)

Directed by:

Vernon Zimmerman

Closed-off, movie-obsessed geek Eric Binford (Dennis Christopher), who does errand work at a film studio, is frequently ridiculed by his co-workers (including Mickey Rourke in an early role) and lives with his cruel, wheelchair-bound, domineering aunt (Eve Brent), goes off the deep end and starts murdering people. The novelty here is that he dresses up as his favorite screen villains (movie monsters, gangsters, etc.) and adapts their personalities to do the dirty work. The premise itself is great, but the film is half-baked and badly scripted, with the combination of horror, classic film references and bizarre humor not exactly a seamless one. The film also completely lacks suspense and tension. Some of the murder scenes are unnecessarily intercut with footage from the films (which include NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON and HORROR OF DRACULA) our killer is imitating and the homages themselves (THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, PSYCHO, etc.) are normally too obvious to spark much interest. Christopher (who had just appeared in the hit BREAKING AWAY) is unfortunately rather whiny and annoying (not to mention unsympathetic) in the lead, but some of the supporting players are fine, particularly Linda Kerridge, whose bright presence as a Marilyn Monroe-esque aspiring model nearly lifts this out of the muck. But not quite.

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Also with Tim Thomerson as a criminal psychologist, Gwynne Gilford as his partner, James Luisi as a cop, Norman Burton, Morgan Paull, Peter Horton and John Steadman (THE HILLS HAVE EYES).

★★

Flavia, la monaca musulmana (1974)

...aka: Flavia: Heretic Priestess

...aka: Flavia, Priestess of Violence

...aka: Flavia the Heretic

...aka: Flavia the Rebel Nun

...aka: Muslim Nun, The

...aka: Rebel Nun, The

Directed by:

Gianfranco Mingozzi

Review coming soon.

★★

First Power, The (1990)

...aka: Pentagram

...aka: Possessed

...aka: Possessed by Evil

...aka: Transit

Directed by:

Robert Resnikoff

Review coming soon.

★★

Firestarter (1984)

Directed by:

Mark L. Lester

Review coming soon.

★★

Final Exam (1981)

Directed by:

Jimmy Huston

Is this an exposé on how juvenile mentality, hazing insensitivity and substance abuse plague college campuses around the country? Actually, no it’s not. It’s just a terrible slasher film about bunch of worthless, blabbermouth college kids sitting around and behaving brain dead for about an hour before the director shows us some mercy by throwing a psychotic killer into the mix. Only the most dedicated of slasher fans will have the patience to endure this notoriously boring exercise in repeat false alarms, college hijinks, endless talk that amounts to nothing and dull, gore-free murders from a motiveless and identity-free killer.

Score: 2 out of 10