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The Black Gestapo (1975)
A real anti-racist movie! (I'm serious!)
In this movie, the army formed by a Black community fail to accomplish its purpose because some of the leaders don't give a damn about the good cause. They just think about making money (except the main character)... just like White gangsters! This is a real anti-racist movie, because it shows that in both White and Black races,there will always be goddamn gangsters who don't care about the color of their own skin, of the meaning of their own culture, and of fighting with their community for a real purpose, for a good cause. Savage capitalism and profit just haven't got any color! This film shows in every race, there will always be people who will sell their own color and culture for money... (Am I right Will Smith?)
Very interesting film! I recommend it (I rate it 9 out 10)
Class of Nuke 'Em High (1986)
A nuclear reefer joint by Troma!
The secondary school described in this movie is totally crazy! Every character's got an insane streak. The vandal gang is perfectly caricatural and it made me laugh several times. The nuclear plant near the school is completely bad-managed and the consequences are terribly funny: at the beginning of the movie, a weak-looking geek turns into a drooling monster after drinking nuclear-polluted water and this makes him become outstandingly strong -- though dead and melt, after jumping through a first floor window! I think that when the heroes smoke a joint made with nuclear stuff is the best scene of this mad movie! The way Troma shows you nuclear power is so horrific that you could believe this movie was made by environmentalists! I recommend to watch this film with friends. It's an outstanding horror-comedy!
The Last Days of Frankie the Fly (1996)
Story of a revolt on 60's music background.
Frankie The Fly' (Dennis Hopper) has decided he had enough that everyone calls him The Fly' since the day Sal (Michael Madsen), his boss, humiliated the porn actress he's in love with. At the same time, Sal blinds Joey (Kiefer Sutherland) in one eye, a small porn films director who's tried to rip Sal off. Afterwards Frankie asks Joey to film him killing Sal, in order to be avenged and by the same way make a good «snuff movie»
The screenplay of this excellent movie («Frankie», not the snuff !), indeed quite more tricky than this brief summary, don't miss to be striking and reminds us Gary Felder's cruelty in «Things to do in Denver when you're dead», or even the gangsters little stories in «Pulp Fiction». You must see Frankie now playing it «cool-styled» with his sunglasses, his three-piece suit and his sports car, now being totally old-fashioned when he bluntly barks at his car parker because he's driving too fast.
But besides, Frankie is an engaging character. He can fairly well talk to girls but he's rather wimpy when Sal or one of his henchmen totally ticks him off !
Michael Madsen («Kill me Again» ; «Reservoir dogs») takes himself very seriously in his little mafioso part. I enjoyed one of my favorite actors once again ! For once, Kiefer Sutherland doesn't play a too twisted character like in «Freeway» or «Truth or Consequences, N.M.». As for Dennis Hopper, he has already become a legend since «Easy Rider» and later, «Blue Velvet» and `Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2'
The dialogs have got a black sense of humor and even sometimes a particular subtlety. I just love the original soundtrack, the songs fit very well to the sequences. So, I recommend this terrific movie to crime films and black humor fans.
Adoration (1987)
Cannibalism or mad love?
"Adoration" shows the story of a Japanese young guy who's head over heels in love with a pretty young student. His love is so crazy that he decides to eat her.
I once heard somewhere this film was based on a true story. Very reassuring!
Olivier Smolders, a moviemaker from Liège, Belgium, made this black and white short film. I bought a videotape with everyone of his "spiritual exercises". I just LOVE this kind of bizarre short films! "Adoration" seems very strange in his form (totally soundless, except when the Japanese guy records his girlfriend's voice reading a novel's short passage). But you leave this film with a profound ambivalent feeling, wondering if you've attended to a wonderful love act or a piece of despair's darkness.
I recommend this one to short films aficionados and to weird, underground or gore movie fans.
Alas, "Adoration" is probably a bit difficult to find elsewhere than in Belgium.
Gisèle Kérozène (1990)
Funny, mad, quick
An ugly sorceress steals the fetish (a skull) from two other weird-looking characters. Giselène Kérosène, the sorceress, "flies" away with her broom across the city streets, pursued by the two cretins. All this pursuit short film seems to have been shot (or edited) picture-by-picture: every character's moves are totally jerky. No doubt: Jan Kounen, the French director, has seen the Japanese film "Tetsuo" (an underground masterpiece be Shinya Tsukamoto). The long chase along the town streets is very similar, but more humorous in this case. The character's stupidity is a real pleasure to see, so are all these swift jolting broom travels. The make up, costumes and special effects are awesome. We recognize very well Jan Kounen's world, as we can experience it in "Vibroboy", another Kounen's mad shorts.
This one is actually very short, but hilarious. If you could find it anywhere, just watch it! You won't regret a little delirious moment!
Jour de fête (1949)
How lively!
At a small village fair, the postman François is watching a documentary movie on American postmen: they use helicopters, airplanes and parachutes to deliver mail, for a rapidity question. Rapidity, haste: that's what's in François's mind now. He wants to deliver mail as faster as he can into the small communities he crosses everyday
This film has surely got an easy-going atmosphere; the gags succeed and are never totally alike. The mosquito each time comes back when you don't expect it. François riding his bike always finds something different to get you laughing! If you are French, then you'll understand villagers' peasant accent, and you won't miss to giggle! Some gags may remember you Charles Chaplin's ones, except that Jacques Tati used speech and colors, but dialogs almost escape notice, and colors aren't shocking.
I recommend this one to Chaplin's fans and other film-lovers.
Wild at Heart (1990)
Beautiful love story in a trash world...
Beginning : a guy frenetically shatters his armed aggressor's head on the floor, «In the Mood» of «Slaughterhouse», by PowerMad. Aggressor commissioned by Marietta, the Wicked Witch, to kill Sailor, the guy called into question.
The dubbing was awful: Sailor speaks an inexpressive French. As for the sound quality, I thought I was attending a 60's movie. I hope the original version is better! Except for that, I adored this film. Refind Nicolas Cage in Face/Off, his double role playing is outstanding!
9/10 for this « love and trash » movie.
Acción mutante (1993)
Good symbolics of society behind a very black humour
-Ramon : We're gonna show those assholes what terrorism is ! » La banda terrorista « Accion Mutante » hates cosmetics, slimming diets, sperm banks, plastic surgeons, aerobics and all that's beautiful people's advantage. They're ugly, bad, twisted, dumb and mutant. Excepted Ramon, the leader with a half-burned face, who's much more clever than the other ones. « I'm a pro », he says to himself while he's right in the middle of the desert with the only woman of the planet Axturias. We have to say the women are very demanded on this planet. This lady, Patricia, Ramon kidnapped her on Earth : she's an important businessman's rich daughter, and he has to exchange her an for a large ransom.
Classic situation, till a Stockolm Syndrome out of the ordinary. Patricia tenderly addresses him a stupid «I love you», kinda «The Young and the Restless», and Ramon answers in the end by starting up a general gunfight as worthy as John Woo's best ones ! Imposing !
In this Alex de la Iglesia's first feature film, the football-suited cops are as twisted as the reporters : some thrash and kill over the slightest thing and others show the pigs' «feats» on T.V. News
The original soundtrack is excellent, composed by Def Con Dos, a cool band which is almost unknown out of Spain, alas.
Antonio Resines , as the leader of the terrorists, plays his part horribly well, as well as Alex Angulo, the siamese dragging his stuffed brother. In a distinctly softer kind, you can find an Antonio as good in « Como ser mujer y no morir en el intento », and Alex Angulo in Iglesia's second feature film, « El dia de la bestia ». This second film is as successful as his big brother ! I've never seen such a black humour than in this terrific movie among terrific ones : « Accion Mutante ! »
I'll give 10/10 for that « sci-fi/black comedy » super film !
The Doom Generation (1995)
I've never seen the male sex so tortured!
A young couple of 18 years old, Amy and Jordan, in a night club that seems to say "Welcome to Hell". Meet another young man called "X" (Xavier).Drive away of the three people, 'cause X is attacked by imbecilic junkies. Stop at a QuickieMart. Alas, no dough to pay the chow they took. Not happy, the cashier. Riot gun. Intervention of X. BLAM! Cashier's head fly away in the onions(A little like in the video game "Mortal Kombat").
New drive away of the trio after X stole some money to the Quickiemart's register. Next stop: a drive restaurant. Misunderstanding with the clerk. Another riot gun. Drive away.Motel. During the night, the clerk shows up, still armed. New intervention of X. BLAM! The clerk's arm is shot off. They rush out again. On the road again... All along the film, they run away and they have sex. Alas, I think their flight will never finish.
But why the number 666 always comes back (Motel 666, 6$66)? Are the three young people damned? Why each person they meet asserts that they know Amy, the girl, by a different name (Sunshine, Bambi...)? Why do everybody is always after the three people's poor fate? Why this message, in the clothing shop: "Prepare for apocalypse"? Why are the dialogs so cool? (Heh, heh!) And why so much violence towards the male sex? (See the bar scene, and the hangar scene at the end of the film).
I think the French producers of this film would answer:
"Why Not?" Anyway, some violence scenes were really too gratuitous. The sex scenes too, but the last scene is very disturbing; It's best to take it at face value. The three actors have really well played thier role, especially Rose McGowan, (see her good performance in "Scream"), the fiancée of Marilyn Manson. She's one of the prettiest actress I know.The sceneries were really cool (see the hotel room).I think Gregg Araki is a little like the American Jean-Luc Godard of the 90's.
8/10 for this hard road movie.