UNDERRATED WOODY ALLEN - A SHADOWY TOWN IS HIDING FROM A SERIAL KILLER IN THEIR MIDST IN "SHADOWS & FOG" (1991,) ALLEN'S HOMAGE TO GERMAN EXPRESSIONISTS

 
(Trailer below) - A movie that really is like the black sheep or one of the black sheep in his catalog. And perhaps the most underappreciated film of his, one based funny enough on a one-act play that Allen wrote called Death. Knowing this is a bit of a key to opening up the movie as it's pace and tone is meandering and yet expansive but lives and stays in it's own world without coming to any conclusion. 

This world basically consists of a shadowy town made up of narrow brick streets, run-down buildings, tents, circus performers and even a local brothel, which, plays a unusual but perfect centerpiece for a lot of the film's characters. This is a big cast with some incredible names. John Cusack is perhaps as best as I've ever seen him. A scene between John Malkovich and Madonna is simply exquisite. 

Less heavy on comedic lines and more heavy on philosophy. There are undertones of book of Job from the Bible.. Shadows & Fog is certainly not without it's laughs but Allen is looking more to immerse us in this shadowy world he has created. It's one of the only black-and-white films I know of that I couldn't imagine in anything else but black-and-white. Filmed on a 26,000 sq ft soundstage, the biggest in New York at the time. 

This one also has one of my all-time favorite closing lines in an Allen movie. Armsted The Magician (played by the brilliant Kenneth Mars in one of his last outings) is asked by another character if people love his illusions and the magician responds, "Love them? They need them, like they need the air," he says with a flourish.  

Shadows & Fog is currently streaming free on Tubi. 3.25 stars/5

B-MOVIE OBSCURITIES DOUBLE-FEATURE : "IT!" (1967) & "I SAILED TO TAHITI WITH AN ALL-GIRL CREW" (1968) w/ links you can watch right now

 

Roddy McDowell, just a year or so ahead of Planet Of The Apes fame, stars in this British low-budget horror flick about a museum curator who takes possession of a rather unique statue. A must-see for any B-movie or horror fan. 2.75 stars/2.75

LINK TO DAILYMOTION FULL MOVIE

This used to show a lot on Channels 52 and 56 in Los Angeles during the eighties. It's a super campy screwball comedy about two guys who make a boating bet - can one win with an "all-girl crew?" You'll have to watch it to find the answer. Great late 60's fashion and music.  2.75 stars/2.75

GRIZZLY II : REVENGE (1983/2020) - VERY POSSIBLY THE WORST MOVIE I'VE EVER SEEN NEXT TO BLOODSUCKING FREAKS

 

I was just talking a couple of weeks ago with a friend about the level of deception in these days and times which seems to be at an all-time worldwide high. And what do you know, along comes Grizzly II to astound me even further. Since when does a movie that's been shelved for 37 years translate to "37 years in the making?" Trust me, this mummy should have stayed in the tomb, never to be resurrected. Bad doesn't even begin to describe this incoherent mess, bad vibes all around.

So the story goes, the producer split the very first day of shooting taking with him the movie's funds.  And that was it, game over. That alone should have been enough to signify the disaster that lay ahead. And to bill George Clooney, Laura Dern and Charlie Sheen when they're literally in only like five minutes of the movie is downright disgraceful. Their representation can't have been too happy about that one. The special effects are equally insulting with the shots of the bear looking like some guy put a bear's head costume on his head and shook it around. 

The movie also centers around a rock concert in Hungary, a huge early '80's spectacle with all sorts of props and lighting reminiscent of the early '80's MTV era. It's also the strangest rock concert I've ever seen and takes up way too much of the movie. The vibe is so weird in this concert and film overall that after watching it I felt like I had just walked through the murder scene at 8763 Wonderland Ave. I think martians may be landing on earth soon. 

Giving this one a quarter of a point for nice shots of Laura Dern's legs in the first five minutes of film. 0.25 stars/2.75

Editor's Note - and congratulations btw to Grizzly II for receiving the lowest rating ever on B-Movie Gazette in six years.

ERNEST BORGNINE HAS CAPTURED A COUPLE OF BANK ROBBERS AND WANTS TO HAVE A NICE "SUNDAY IN THE COUNTRY" (1974)....THE BORGNINE WAY!

 

Also known as "Vengeance Is Mine," Sunday In The Country is Ernest Borgnine at his absolute Borgnine best. He plays a farmer, a simple god-fearing man whose granddaughter (Hollis McLaren) lives with him. Three bank robbers on the run make the catastrophic mistake of deciding to cut thru Borgnine's property. He captures them and decides to have a little fun, Borgnine style. His granddaughter wants him to do the right thing and call the sheriff but he soon alienates her too. 

Sunday In The Country is a surprisingly good drive-in or low-budget flick. Borgnine was born to play this kind of part, it's a must-see if you're a fan of his work. McLaren was in a slew of '70's stuff and she always reminded me of a Brady Bunch sister type. Always appealing to look at and on point, she's the same reliable self here. 

The film moves along at a nice brisk pace, filmed nicely on location, I believe in Canada. Available on Prime Video and what appears to be a legal up on You Tube, link below. Good enjoyable '70's flick.  2.75 stars/2.75

UNDERRATED WOODY ALLEN - CHRISTINA RICCI STARS IN A MOVIE THAT IS JUST LIKE "ANYTHING ELSE" (2003) FROM WOODY ALLEN...OR IS IT?!

 

The second-to-last movie Woody Allen filmed in NYC before starting his European phase was followed (and a bit overshadowed) by 2004's moderately successful Melinda & Melinda and preceded by two of his absolute worst - Curse Of The Jade Scorpion and Hollywood Ending. 

I'm being a bit oversimplified here but Anything Else is basically about a young couple (Jason Biggs & Christina Ricci) trying to work through a lull in their relationship. Woody Allen plays Dobel, the guy's older friend who acts like a father and a mentor to him, giving him all sorts of advice on life but he's also a bit crazy. As he has done on more than one occasion, Woody writes the main character as a alternate version of himself. This gives the character of Dobel a platform for Allen to release a lot of his trademark comedic topics and lines which is the secret weapon this film has. It tips it into the adequate or "one of Allen's better" films category which I mentioned in my post about Scoop, Allen has many of in his filmography. 

There's some great support here - Stockard Channing as Ricci's dipsy doodle mom is a shining light in this film. I've never been a Ricci fan but she does an adequate job playing the precious princess. To me, the real faux pas of this movie is Jason Biggs who seems in way over his head with the role. Allen, for one of the first times, has cast himself perfectly as a support player. 

If you like Allen's comedy and views of life, Anything Else is absolutely worth the watch and is currently making the rounds Tubi, Plex and Redbox, all free.    3.0 stars/5