Films That Matter
Johnny on the Spot
There is no doubt that Roberto Benigni will forever have his name etched in the annals of film history after his Academy Award winning film Life is Beautiful – which took home Best Foreign Language Film, Best Score (for Nicola Piovani), and brought forth a most special moment when Benigni climbed atop the seats of the theatre to accept his Best Actor award. Yet, it is a bit of a shame that some of his pre-1997 works are lesser known outside of his native Italy. Case in point, the comedy Johnny Stecchino, circa 1991. Co-written (along with Vincenzo Cerami), directed and starring Benigni, he plays the titular character as well as a near identical lookalike of the man (who is actually our protagonist). Here’s a quick translation – Stecchino means toothpick. So, to explain, Dante is a charming yet rather simple bus driver (who is also trying to pull a disability scam with the government), when one day, he luckily. . . or perhaps unluckily, almost gets run into by a beautiful woman named Maria (Nicoletta Braschi – Benigni’s real life wife) – who seems to be immediately intrigued by the man. As she would exclaim – “Santa Cleopatra!”
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Italian Haitian Vacation
Tropic of CancerDecember 8, 2023The very Italian giallo meets burgeoning blaxsploitation in Port-au-Prince, Haiti in the 1972 crime mystery Tropic of Cancer (sometimes also referred to as Death in Haiti or Peacock’s Palace), directed by Giampaolo Lomi and Edoardo Mulargia (both also co-write along with star Anthony Steffen). A couple on the rocks, Fred and Grace Wright (Gabriele Tinti and Anita Strindberg), make their way to the island paradise to seemingly rekindle their relationship... yet the husband also plans on meeting up with long unseen friend Doctor Williams (Anthony Steffen). Unbeknownst to them (or is it), the M.D. and veterinarian by day and scientist by night (this guy can do everything) has discovered a rather desirable aphrodisiacal hallucinogenic drug formula that everyone is out to get – some legitimately, others not so much.
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Nights in White Satin
A White Dress for MarialéSeptember 5, 2023There is no denying that our childhoods play a very large part in who we become as adults. The proof is in the quasi-giallo pudding when looking at the titular character in A White Dress for Marialé (1972) – it has also been known as Spirits of Death and Tragic Exorcism. Directed by Romano Scavolini, the aforementioned Marialé (Ida Galli, aka Evelyn Stewart) had a traumatic childhood – witnessing the murder of her mother and lover by her father, only for the patriarch to turn the gun on himself after offing the secretive couple. Finding herself in an equally as toxic relationship with Paolo (Luigi Pistilli), the wealthy man hides her away in a half impressive, half dilapidated castle in the middle of nowhere with his trusty banged butler Osvaldo (Gengher Gatti) – looking like an oddball combination of an eccentric Vincent Price and inhuman Lurch.
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The Finnish Line
SisuAugust 12, 20232023's Sisu, written and directed by Jalmari Helander, is a Finnish word that does not translate easily to the English language, perhaps best explained as a sort of persistent rational determination in the face of much adversity... the perfect explanation for this Finnish/American co-production. Thriving in a very old reverse-hybrid form of Nazisploitation combined with classic western motifs and more than a splash of modern John Wick flair, Sisu follows Aatami (Jorma Tommila), a grizzled gold miner in the decimated Finnish Lapland nearing the end of World War II. Finally striking it rich, he transports it back to civilization with his loyal dog at his side.
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Guestwork
The Uninvited GuestOctober 15, 2022Reveling in the motifs of Edgar Allan Poe, think madness/insanity, a haunting location, the double, the uncanny, and maybe even death, Guillem Morales (Julia’s Eyes) explores the recesses of the mind in his directorial debut (he also writes the screenplay), The Uninvited Guest (2004). Who knew a four-thousand square foot home could be so claustrophobic. Félix (Andoni Gracia) finds himself alone in the weeks following the break-up from his longtime wife, Vera (Mónica López). With her having moved into a tiny three-hundred and fifty square foot apartment, it baffles Félix’s mind... unable to comprehend how anyone could downsize so drastically.
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Giallo’s Island
Nine Guests for a CrimeSeptember 7, 2022Sometimes, a comparison just has to be made... and that is the case today with the 1977 giallo Nine Guests for a Crime, directed by Ferdinando Baldi (a film maker who was usually manning westerns or sword and sandal epics, with this being his only foray into the genre). It is also worth noting here that the movie has also been called Death Comes From the Past (in Spain), as well as having the alternate Italian title A Scream in the Night. So, their ship disappeared off the shores of this uncharted desert isle, with Greta (Rita Silva), the Skipper too (he dies too soon), the Millionaire Patriarch (Arthur Kennedy) and his much younger wife (Caroline Lawrence), the Soothsayer (Sofia Dionisio), the Professor of Truths (Dana Ghia), and Michele too (Massimo Foschi), here on Giallo’s Isle.
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Chinese Takeout
Righting WrongsAugust 8, 2022Lawyer by day, vigilante martial artist by night. . . I know, maybe not the most expected combination, but when the courts stop working, sometimes you’ve got to take matters into your own hands. This is the general premise for 1986's Righting Wrongs (it is also known as Above the Law in some circles), directed by Corey Yuen. Hsia Ling-Cheng (Biao Yuen) is a by the books prosecutor who is about to have a rough couple of weeks. First, he is on hand to see his beloved mentor and former law school professor gunned down in New Zealand by relentless thugs attempting to keep a certain lawlessness on the streets (quite the opening scene); then, the key witness in his case, along with seven other family members, are assassinated and incinerated by a group of thugs who believe they are above the law.