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A Most Bitter Piece of Candy: Joanna (1968)
Recently I fell in love with the delightful 1974 album Romance is on the Rise by the late South African singer, model, and actress Geneviève Waïte. Produced by her then husband John Phillips, Romance is on the Rise is a real treasure, and it’s such a bummer that it was the only album that Waïte… Continue reading
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Tinto Brass in 4K: Cult Epics’ ALL LADIES DO IT
Cult Epics’ hits the 4K market with an exciting new edition of Tinto Brass’ 1992 work, Così fan tutte. Known to English language audiences as All Ladies Do It, Brass’ erotic classic starring the delectable Claudia Koll is perhaps the defining film of Brass’ later career. Inspired by Mozart’s 1790 opera Cosi fan tutte, All… Continue reading
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“The Crows are Laughin.” Visiting Two SCARECROW Filming Locations
Back in the early part of 2018, I spent my final day, of one of the saddest years of my life, in a city I had grown to despise visiting two shooting locations of one of my favorite films…Jerry Schatzberg’s magnificent 1973 work Scarecrow. I had been meaning to visit these two spots since I… Continue reading
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Giant Steps: Gilles Groulx’s LE CHAT DANS LE SAC (1964)
A haunting and moving account of a young couple’s breakup, 1964’s Le chat dans le sac (Cat in the Sack) is an extremely important Canadian film from director and writer Gilles Groulx. Featuring a stunning score from legendary John Coltrane (who re-recorded a handful of his most iconic songs for the film’s soundtrack) and two… Continue reading
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“The sweet smell they adore, I’d rather smother”: Ron Link’s ZOMBIE HIGH (1987)
While its title suggests a goofball Grade-Z horror film, Zombie High (1987) is in reality an extremely smart and savvy look at the disturbing conservative-streak that swept through America’s youth in the Reagan-ruled eighties. Featuring a wonderful cast, including the always dazzling Virginia Madsen and a pre-Twin Peaks Sherilyn Fenn, Zombie High is one of… Continue reading
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Maximumrocknroll: Savage Beliefs (1984)
Imagine you’re a fucked up kid in the mid-eighties living in the Chicago area. School sucks, your job sucks, your friends and family suck, you’re broke, and the president is goddamn Ronald Reagan. Everything sucks and the only escape you have is the local hardcore music scene. Suddenly, a bit of much-needed good news breaks… Continue reading
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I Just Wanna Belong Someplace: Hugh Hudson’s LOST ANGELS (1989)
Few filmmakers have ever fallen from critical and popular grace as far and fast as British-born director Hugh Hudson. Born of a prosperous London family in 1936, Hudson’s early career was especially promising initially as a documentarian and advertiser. Hudson received his first break in feature-length filmmaking when he acted as the Second-Unit Director on… Continue reading
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Death Shrugs at Murder: Serge Moati’s Nuit d’or (1977)
A fitfully inspired but ultimately pointless work from French filmmaker Serge Moati, Nuit d’or (1977) is an extremely odd little duck. Taking inspiration from works as random as John Boorman’s neo-noir classic Point Blank (1967) and Joe D’Amato’s mesmerizing Death Smiles on a Murderer (1973), while failing to match the brilliance of either of those… Continue reading
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Scenes From a Dutch Marriage: Ate de Jong’s Blind Spot (1977)
2024 is only about a week old and I have already made my first great film discovery of the year. Released in Dutch cinemas in 1977, Ate de Jong’s Blindgangers (Blind Spot) is an absolutely extraordinary and powerful look at the up-and-down relationship between an Amsterdam couple in the mid-seventies. Powered by two excellent lead… Continue reading
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Shadows and Vice: Tano Cimarosa’s Il vizio ha le calze nere (Reflections in Black)
Standing just over 5’5, armed with a wide mischievous grin and trademark bushy black mustache, Tano Cimarosa looked like he was ready-made for work as a prolific character actor from the very beginning. Born in Messina, Italy on New Year’s Day, 1922 Cimarosa is probably best known to English language audiences for his performance as… Continue reading
Nostalgia Kinky 