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Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a riot



"Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" hits the theatres in a time of holdiay movies, but its excitingly funny cast and fresh humor are just what this season needed. Right off the back, we are placed into the mood of this movie with an opening that will surely leave you cringing in your seat. From that point on, the movie manages to entertain with a mixture of mystery, comedy, and even a little action.

The movie is basically about a petty criminal named Harry (Robert Downey Jr.) who ends up in the "right" place at the wrong time. From this point on, he is thrown into the Hollywood world of sex, murder, and mayhem. He then encounters a gay private eye by the name of Gay Perry (Val Kilmer) and a sexy struggling actress by the name of Harmony (Michelle Monaghan). The movie has the perfect feel of an old mystery book written for the easily amused.

I will say that first time director Shane Black, best known for writing screenplays to the "Lethal Weapon" series and "The Long Kiss Goodnight," brings a lot of spunk to this film. He has a style that is completely original and unforgettable. This is the perfect film to showcase his amazing talents and we are sure to see much more of him in the future.

The acting in this film is superb. Robert Downey Jr., best known for his run-ins with drugs and jail, brings so much to this role, that it is impossible not to forget about his "bad" days. He manages to remain grounded in the believability of his character while at the same time balancing his excellent "dry humor" skills. Honestly, I feel that he is a comedic genius and deserves much more attention than he has gotten. While Ben Stiller and Adam Sandler's antics are getting old, Downey is most certainly on the rise. Val Kilmer surprised me here by actually doing a good job. As of lately, Kilmer's career has somewhat dissipated into nothingness with such roles in "Alexander" and "Mindhunters." Finally, he is given the chance to once again prove to us why he once was a great actor. He is extremely funny with his funny one-liners as the gay Gay. And lastly, how can I forget the sexiness of Michelle Monaghan? Her only other role that stands out to me is a young worker friend of Charlize Theron's in "North Counrty." Seeing her play that serious role and now this, truly shows that she has range as an actress. Though her role requires a bit of cheesiness near the end, she manages to be drop dead gorgeous and hot while at the same time being hilarious. I look forward to seeing much more from her in the future. And let's not forget that she does display a little T and A.

I will end this review by saying, ignore a lot of the big blockbuster crappy comedies that keep coming out and go see a fresh, hilarious, and completely absurd film that will have you laughing from start to finish. I give it a 9 out of 10. ---Aliye's Abercrombie & Fitch sidekick, KYLE

Monday, November 14, 2005

Back in the day when I was young and I'm not anymore but someday I wish......

Giaretta GianCarlo on the left screaming in Bruno Mattei's "RAts" and on the Right are two pictures of 1)Is Chris on far left and Giaretta in the middle and me on the right gving thumbs up.2)Giaretta just posing.

















I will tell my tales of a place I used to work at called Videorama, where I met Christopher Dennis Carson who conducted this interview that was used in a local paper and his gonna be the first interview displayed on this site. Plus i believe Chris did a good job and I'll introduce you to the man that taught me everything I know about movies and still has my back all the way in Chicago. I will also tell you many stories about how Chris stumbled upon this interview with a Euro-Trash star. It was a Haley's comet that night in North Portland.
Chris Dennis Carson grew up as kid with an appetite for Italian horror films, with help from his mother he endured the masterworks from Lucio Fulci, Dario Argento, Lamberto Bava, Mario BAva and Bruno Mattei. He also is a huge Charles Bronson fan and loves most of the "Death Wish" series. The kid grew up to be awalking IMDB. AFter getting a stint working two years at Movie Madness after getting fired for calling an obscenity to owner Mike Clark (Chris' story is funny and only he could tell it, which he will). Then afterwards headed to North Portland and worked at Videorama (then called Video Chest.) That's where I noticed him and he pretty much got me the job. It was a blast working with Chris and hanging around with him and hearing his stories and trading movie knowledge with him and watching over him when he was druk. Their were the down sides and that lead him to walk out of the job due to manageral conflicts. But before he did, during a time when he was going threw his baby mama taking his kids, his mother dying, going to jail, being on probation. That's when he noticed a woman come into the store, he was weirded out by her nad was trying to put his finger on who she is. Then when she comes up to the counter Chris asked,"I don't mean to be rude, but were in a movie". She was like," YEa.......", right before she could finish the sentence Chris spouted out,"You were in "Demons", the same womanwho was the first person to turn into a Demon in Lamberto Bava's "Demons". Chris started spouting off about how he grew up with "Demons" and Giaretta was taken by his attitude and loved the fact that the store had have a Euro-Trash section. I was standing their the whole time watching Chris buttering his own popcorn. Chris just went crazy and they started talking about Italian directors and the movies she's been in and the director's she worked with. I loved every minute of it, same as Chris(literallly). TO make a long story short and get into the interview, one of the mangers mentioned that their was a polaroid camera for shoplifters in the office. Chris said", YEahhhhh, hold on a minute", he got the polaroid camera took one of him and her and another one with me, Chris and Giaretta(which is the photo int he middle). That making some sort of history for me and adds a lot more history for Chris. After she autographed the store copy of "Demons", and Chris' copy on "Demons". Then Chris left the photo underneath a clear placement matt on the counter for all the customers to see. Then Chris would later conduct an interview with her in the store in the morning. I was graduating from high school at the time and Chris wanted me to make it but I couldn't. Anyway, to get to the interview, this is what came of it and Chris printed it in a local newspaper. I felt that it deserved better than that( even though my blog isn't any better) but i hope you enjoy. It brought back old memories!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Interview with Giaretta Giancarlo with Christopher Dennis Carson

Chris: How did you get in the horror film business?

Giancarlo: I flew to Italy and I was an actress: during the early 80's, horror films were a big thing there.

Chris: How was the make-up?

Giancarlo: Full horror gore makeup the whole time. It was psychologically very intense. It's a hard thing to stay in the stinky bloody makeup for ten days. We really got into the characters.

Chris:I bet the contacts were unpleasant.

Giancarlo: The contacts that I wore were bright orange, and they were difficult, but the biggest thing was my nails. It took five hours every morning to have those nails put on, and if you watch the movie (Demons), i'm the girl who goes into the bathroom with a pimple that explodes and infects everybody, so to do that effect, it was cottage cheese and milk under a plastic apprentice. Once that spilled on my clothes for, so I was in stinking spoiled-milk-stained clothes for five days.

Chris:Was Mario Bava in the film? Did you meet him?

Giancarlo: No, I didn't meet Mario. Lamberto was the director on that film, and the person that showed up was Dario Argento. He was the producer and he was on the set every day. And now Asia Argento is quite well known, but if you watch "Demons", it's her sister Thearella who also stars in the movie.

Chris: Asia is in Part Town, right?

Giancarlo:I think so, because Thearella gets killed.

Chris:You were in Lucio Fulci's "Murder Rock". Please tell me about that experience.

Giancarlo: It was great! The woman who played the mom in it, I think it was Anna Tanexis, had just come from playing the head of the dance studio. She was the mom in Prince's "Purple Rain". I know these movies seem really funny now, but she was a well-kwown Greek actress. It was the first time I ever saw the crew give an actress applause after the performance on a set. Then it clicked in me," OH!OH! That's what we're going for! You want to do good performances!" It was really good, but we had all been warned that Lucio had a ferocious temper, and we were told never to talk back to him. One guy tried it and man I tell you, it didn't work.

Chris: I've read that Fulci was a madman, and sort of a terror on the set of his films. In your experience, did you ever see him flip out on people?

Giancarlo: Yes, I saw him flip out on one of the young male actors, but you were well warned. In Italy you learn a lot about talking back directors, and now that I am a director, I hate it when people do it to me. You were told "Don't talk back to Lucio", and as long as you didn't, he was fine. Filmmaking is not a democracy.

Chris: Have you done any other film acting over the years?

Giancarlo:I was in Susan Sidelman's first film, the one that made her famous enough to do "Desperately Seeking Susan". I was in "Smithereens". I think my last film was something called "Mafia Bride" with Carol Alt. It's a mini series here, and it did really well. In 1992, I stopped acting and attended the American Film institute and graduated from there.

Chris: What are you doing thes days?

Giancarlo: I'm a film director, and I'm here in Oregon making my second film. it's called "White Patty". We're shooting here in August and September. So far, it's starring Kareem Abdul Jabar and Debra Wilson from Mad TV. It's a funky romp from the 70's about a young married woman woman falls in love with her child-abusing neighbor, and the screenplay was a Sundance finalist.

Chris:What's favorite horror film?

Giancarlo: My favorite film, it's not even a horror film; It's Hitchcock's "The Birds".

Chris:Who is your favorite horror director?

Giancarlo: George Romero.

Chris:Do you think David Warbeck would have made a good James Bond?

Giancarlo: At that time and place, yes; today, no".

Transcipt from August 2004

I would like to take this time to state the reason why I took the time to present this on my website. Not to long ago I was fired at Videorama two weeks ago on a Sunday. I started this website, because a friend told me I should look into it. i'm 19 and carry with a lot movie memorabilia and just personal memorabilia, and i have all these movie in my head i just have to express them some how. I would later persuade Chris to write reviews on this site, if not than I'll rely on other folks. During my week of unemployment, Chris called me on a Friday all the way the from Chicago after he heard I was fired. He called the store and told the managers that they were a bunch of bitches and said "I got you back dogg, even from all the way from Chicago......Nigga!". That made my Friday, I thought for doing that I honor him by putting up this interview for me and for other people. It captured a time in my life during high school that i liked, But of course the only constant is change. Alright, enough getting sappy. That's why the title of this post "Back in the day when I was young and I'm not anymore but somday I wish........", that's what I'm getting at. Then again I got nothing to complain I'm just 19 and I should move on and getting fired is not the end of the world. It just feels so good to look back. Enough, it's time to move on and get back to reviewing. You can hear me crying over the keyboard. I thank anyone for reading this. Aliye Nyoka saying "Good Night, and Good Luck".

The noirish beauty of "Elevator to the Gallows"


Thats a beautiful poster. About time they re-realeaed this movie cause it was out of print on VHS for a long time. Jeanne Moreau you the definition of beauty. The print was exceptional, Cinema 21 is a nice theater to be showing this movie. Enough, let's get to the movie. Louis Malle was young when he made(of course he was) and made an awesome debut predating even "A Bout De Souffle'"(Jean-Luc Godard's "BReathless", I don't even know why I used the FRench title. I don't speak French but I love the FRench title). The trademarks are their that pushed the FRench New WAve taking a simple noir story and turning it on its ear. Instaed of using jump cuts and camera movements behind the head the protagonist when their driving: Trademarks evident in Godard, but really its not all about him. Let's talk about Malle's style and where he got it from. Malle renders storytelling using close-ups in favor of Robert Bresson, the humanistic quality quos Bresson and using supense storytelling like Hitchcock or Sam Fuller. More on Malle, he is the most forgotten of the FRench New WAve and would never be in that category. While Jacque Rivette, Claude Chabrol, Francois Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Eric Rohmer, Alain Renais and Agnes VArda are in that category, no one mentions Malle. It's like the rest are having junior high dance bumpin to "Mystikal", while Louis Malle is playing Magic the gathering by himself on the side of the cafeteria. Or probably that's just me, because he is most provocative of the group. The thing I' ve notice is that he is the only out of the French New Wavers to leave France and do commercial work for Hollywood from"Pretty BAby", to "Crackers"(Featuring a pimp named Boardwalk). The NW film center did a whole festival on him that was touring from the east coast to here to promote "Elevator to the GAllows". It was called "Risk and Reinvention", I like that title, theirs truth to that. He left an impressive resume, but always allowed himself to do a different movie everytime. i saw as much Malle films as I could during that festival. I would later review some on this site. Now back to "Elevator to the Gallows", the story Jeanne Moreau playing a wife of a rich business plotting to kill him and make it look like suicide. With the help of a lover she as an affair with to do the killing. THe execution goes smooth and you think it will a movie about them running and getting into adventures, but instead the plan goes awry ending into one hell of a night. Leaving Jeanne Moreau alone while she looking for lover on the streets and he's actually stuck in an elevator. The story takes on mutiple characters and multiple stories ending in a humanistic ending wiht a little help from Miles Davis. The score alone just makes you love the movie and respect the setting while Moreau is walking the streets all cute and fine!!!!!!!!! I love that girl. Moreau was in another movie by Malle I saw at the festival called "The Lover", the movie was beautiful and featured a setting that would seem cheesy but executed so elegantly by Moreau and Malle. Then check "Madamoseille", that movie will drive you insane. If wanna see Jeanne Moreau and all her cutenes than watch "Touchez Pas Au Grisbi", eng. translation, "Hands Off the Motherf**kin' Loot". (That's my version of it because I love the movie so much that I wish it was called that). Now back to "Elevator to the Gallows", the trademarks that helped established the FRench new Wave that was evident in this movie was the use mise en' scene. I never knew what that meant, but always loved the term and loved it when Godard used. I always wanted to use it and now I can. YEAHH!!!!!!!! Well, I'm not Godard, but to use it in this pretext I always took it as cinema of randomness. The movie turns its story into that concept and allows the atmosphere to flow into the audience. No doubt that it still tells a story, but exemplifies concepts the French New Wave wanted to make. Overall the movie is as close to perfection as perfect can get. I say that all the time, but I just love this movie. We'll miss you Louis Malle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! R.I.P. playa

Last Night at the GrindHouse film Festival, and One hell of a night


I woke up late and missed the 3:00 showing for "Fist of the White Lotus". Don't worry I own it on DVD and watched it a lot of times back in my youth(wait a minute I'm 19). But I really wanted to see it on the big screen, instead I saw the martial epic by Chang Cheh,"5 Masters of Death". Once again the Manchu dynasty has invaded the Shaolin temple and destroyed half the monks and gang. Now 5 only stand then come an awesome training montage and 5 staged battle between the 5 masters of Death and the men who dare invade their temple. Chang Cheh could ever present an epic with lavish Shaw BRothers production and a beautiful score. I didn't forget to mention the kung fu is soft like cream cheese, life is complete after watching this, all you need in life is DAvid Cheng, Ti lung, Alexander Fu Sheng, and Chang Cheh to make a Kung fu epic like this. I said many of times, but it's true. I arrived late at the showing and missed 15 minutes because I was coming from Cinema 21 seeing "Elevator to the Gallows", great double feature from French New Wave to Old School Kung fu. I would write a review about it later on the site. BAck to "5 masters of Death". From start to finish you get once again invested in characters and wonder in the end if they would live through the battle finale. Unfortunately, some characters make it and some don't. An awesome movie to end a great Film festival. To learn more about the great Chang Cheh check out this I found back in my high school days, it really helped me a lot with reports: http://changcheh0catch.com I asked the co-ordinator at the end of showing for what's the features for next year. He didn't know for sure and I gave him suggestions like"Mystery of Chess Boxing", and show "One-Armed Boxer" double featured with "Master of the Flying Guillotine". Then show some old school John Holmes films playing Johnny Wadd. Then show more blaxploitation greats life the "Black Gestapo" or "Cotton comes to Harlem". Probably show some more Fulci like "The Beyond". The Hollywood would always be remembered for that and still have my number!!!!!!!!

Sunday, November 13, 2005

2nd Night at the Grind House Film Festival



Man, Pam Grier still looks fine. Aliye here, and just back from the Hollywood getting my triple feature on and saw "Executioners from Shaolin", "For a Few Dollars More", and "Coffy". I skipped Shogun's assassin because I seen as a kid a lot and really appreciate the uncut, subtitled versions of Lone Wolf and Cub. Don't get me wrong, I still find "SHogun Assassin" entertaining, but not on the big screen. The Japanese cuts show more beauty and scenery than the American cut dubbed version. Even though it serves its purpose as a party film(still you can the watch the Japanese versions with a bunch of friends) I just couldn't see it in theatres. The first film I saw was in the afternoon, "Executioners From Shaolin" , a beautiful martial arts epc from Lar-Keu Leung( Shaolin Master Killer). It was a movie that blends, not just dope kung fu, but a fresh sense of humor and melodrama. Lo Lieh, of course, playing the inevitable bad guy Pai Mei. The industructable Pai Mei invading the Shaolin Temple and killing the abbott, and leaving behind one student to lead his vengeance on Pai Mei. Lo Lieh is a great actor and is basically the Erich Von Strohiem of kung fu movies, he is the "man you love to hate". Pai Mei is one of the biggest bad ass characters ever to hit the screen.
After the feature I saw "For FEw Dollars More", what hasn't been said about that movie? SErgio Leone is a G!!!!!!!!!!!! Lee Van Cleef is badass, the score rocks, EAstwood kicks ass. i could go on. Plus Gian Maria Volonte is just a poetic bad guy playing Indio. I could go on and sweat this movie and not analyze it. I won't, out of the whole "Dollars" trilogy I can choose. i believe to watch them all simultaneously and just enjoy. Their all perfect. i could say that this is the most highly underrated of the trilogy. The opening shot in "For a Few Dollars more", is just genius. A pan widescreen of the landsape and you see a guy riding a horse in complete silence. All you can hear the horses feet. Then bam gunshot from nowhere and the guy is dead and falls off the horse. No close-up to see if he's alive, just the cameras stays like that and the opening credits are what opening credits should be. The style is there, but Leone was not looking at this film from the outside. He invoked characters that you get into and that justify the style. It is a movie that flows. You get invested in these characters so much, that Leone's style just passes through you and invites you to his movie. The scene I do love is the end when lee Van Cleef rides off to the sun and Eastwood counts the bodies finds out he's missing one. Then one of hthem is behind him and right before he loads his gun Eastwood just blast his ass. Then it cuts back ot Lee VAn Cleef on his horse riding off in the sun and he turns back and says," Any trouble, boy", Eastwood replies," Just having trouble with my counting". Need I say more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Coffy" is another excepetion of "what hasn't been said about this movie". But who cares. i was familar with this movie at the age of 14 and loved every minute of it. it was a pleasure to see this on the big screen, because you just don't get feel has do on TV. Especially the dialogue, that went on to influence "jackie Brown" and Tarantino's style. i prefer jack Hill's dialogue though because it has resonance of Shakespeare using street slang. Watching TArantino's revival DVD special on Jack Hill for "Switchblade Sisters", said that most of Shakespeare's trademarks are found in most of his movies. Jack Hill use to direct Shakespear theatre. The movie overall was shown at the upstairs theatre at the Hollywood, and I sat up close to Pam Grier's busty size. That right there stills the show for about a second and the audience just shuts up and gaze. Even the girls. Guys that brught their girls said,"DAmn give some of that brown sugar". Guys were pleased. BEfore the movie started was old school trailers for other blaxploitation movies that were real cool. "J.D.'s REvenge", that is awesome, starring the great Glen Thurman and Louis Gossit, directed by Arthur Marks. The whoole audience was laughing, but I found it so enjoyable. After that was an 70's mpaa label, rated R for adults or something. Then the trailer to "Shaft" starts playing and the theme music starts playing and at the end of the trailer the voice tagline was "If you wanna see Shaft, You better ask Yo' Mamma". Everyone was dying, and I was hootin and hollering. Then the movie played and the one thing I love about "Coffy" is the opening. Its the Roy Ayers music playing in the background while Willie walks into the club, and I know everyone single of dialogue from this entranace."Look over there. I plenty of tail. I got more tail than I can handle. I even got white tail. Waht you talking about ........." The whole is just great from start to finsh, and starting to repeat some the lines in the theatre out loud. Then listened to the soundtrack suppiled by Roy AYers. The opening title is just awesome. The title flies out the screen, and then "Coffy is the Color of your skin". The whole audience was reacting to it just as much as I was. The one scene i do love is at the end when she aiming the shotgun at Howard and he talks her out of shooting him, then the white woman shows up and she shoot him in the crotch. That was influenced by "King Lear". The last shot when she walks off in the sunrise on the beach and the Roy Ayers track "Shining Symbol". its start off,"Its not the End, Its the beginning". Then is blast into ," Revenge is a virtue, you stood while you could. You're a shining symbol". It's just perfect. Didn't mean to spoil it for you, but through the bloody mayhem, T&A, sex, drugs, and the N' word just look out for that scene. You might miss it. It's not a vital scene, because the all the violence and dialogue is done so well that you might overlook it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is Mr. Nyoka sayin 'Good Night, an Good Luck".