FULCI FOR FAKE -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 6/28/20


 

For an unusual filmmaker such as Lucio Fulci comes an unusual approach to a screen biography, FULCI FOR FAKE (2019), which gets points for trying something new even though the attempt isn't always a success.

Writer-director Simone Scafidi, a longtime admirer of his subject, came up with the odd conceit of placing a fictional character, that of an actor hired to play Fulci in a fictitious film about his life, in the position of interviewing actual people from Fulci's life in order to lay the groundwork for his portrayal.

Thus, when we see Fulci's daughters Camilla and Antonella along with various friends and coworkers being interviewed by Scafidi, closeups of the actor are inserted asking the questions.  We also see occasional glimpses of the actor contemplating the role as he goes about his daily business.

For me, this unique form of presentation never really gels, and I began to view the actor segments as more of an intrusion than anything else. It's a cinematic affectation that doesn't really do anything to augment the actual interview material or the film as a cohesive whole.

Still, for Fulci fans the documentary material will prove priceless, as we're treated to extensive contemplations, ruminations, and revelations about the famed Italian film maestro by those who knew and loved him best.

Daughters Camilla and Antonella give the most intimate details of their father about whom they still get visibly emotional.  More essential perspectives on Fulci as a filmmaker and as a man are supplied by the likes of close friend Sandro Bitetto, film composer Fabio Frizzi, actor Paolo Malco (NEW YORK RIPPER), cinematographer Sergio Salvati (THE BEYOND, THE WAX MASK), director Michele Soavi, writer-producer Enrico Vanzina, and official biographer Michele Romagnoli.

The film is at its best when these notable personalities are waxing nostalgic about Fulci. Where I find it most lacking is in the almost total absence of film clips. We never get to see actual examples of the scenes to which the interviewees are referring, and the only visuals besides the talking heads consist of still photos and some home movie footage.

The narrative also tends to stray from the more interesting cinematic aspects of Fulci's life into less compelling areas such as his love for horses and even such trivial things as how unruly his hair tended to be. This results in some rather dry passages that don't really add much to the film.

More pertinent to many viewers will be details such as the making of the maestro's final film, THE DOOR INTO SILENCE, and his beginning work on THE WAX MASK (which was conceived for him by friend Dario Argento) during which he died due to heart complications.

In addition to this is some fascinating coverage of Fulci's most essential works in the horror genre during the late 70s and 80s, including AENIGMA, THE DEVIL'S HONEY, and ZOMBIE 3.

Perhaps the most fulfilling parts of Severin Films' Blu-ray edition of FULCI FOR FAKE (which is in Italian with English subtitles) are contained in the generous bonus menu, which contains Camilla Fulci's entire interview along with extra interview footage with Salvati, Frizzi, Malco, Soavi, Vanzani, and Romagnoli.

We also get more of those vintage home movies (with commentary by Fulci and Romagnoli) and audio recordings by Fulci himself. Rounding out the menu is some zombie footage from the Venice Film Festival and a trailer.

Scafidi himself reveals in a bonus interview that his docudrama isn't intended to be a comprehensive biography of Lucio Fulci--the internet now exists, he says, to fill interested parties in on such details--but is more of an esoteric celebration of the essence of the man. 

This makes watching FULCI FOR FAKE a rather fruitless pursuit for the uninitiated, while those already interested in and somewhat knowledgable about the subject should find it an enriching experience.

FULCI FOR FAKE -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

LARRY FLYNT: THE RIGHT TO BE LEFT ALONE -- DVD Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 9/11/08

 

I've never been a big Larry Flynt fan. He always struck me as an opportunistic smartass who loves to stir up trouble. After watching the 2008 documentary, LARRY FLYNT: THE RIGHT TO BE LEFT ALONE, my opinion of him has softened somewhat. He's still opportunistic, but let's face it--what smut peddler isn't? He's still a smartass, but that's his medium and he works it like a fine artist. And although he does like to stir up trouble, a lot of that trouble was laid on his own doorstep by people trying to send him to prison in 1977 for publishing a dirty magazine.

Nowadays, Larry Flynt has achieved a level of respectability that finds him giving lectures at places like Harvard. Here, we see him before a crowd composed largely of admiring liberals who might regard him with disdain if he hadn't become the poster boy for free speech over the years. His dirty magazine and its politically-incorrect contents are now reluctantly tolerated by those fascinated by his various exploits in the defense of the First Amendment and the advancement of left-wing ideology. Fortunately, you don't have to agree with his politics or be an avid reader of his colorful publication--or even particularly like the guy--to share in their fascination, which is why I found this documentary so involving.

Flynt's reminiscences during his various speaking venues are augmented by lots of old footage from his vigorous younger days, when he first gained national attention by receiving a 25-year prison sentence for obscenity. He may come off as a soft-spoken old sage now, but back then he was hell on wheels (figuratively speaking). The younger Flynt faces news cameras with fearless conviction and backs down to no one. At his sentencing, we're told, he said to the judge: "You haven't made an intelligent decision in this case, and I don't expect one now." Tales of subsequent courtroom antics over the years provide further entertainment later on, including his infamous run-ins with Reverend Jerry Falwell.

We're introduced to Flynt's young wife, Althea, who was a driving force behind "Hustler" and equally outspoken. One of the tragedies of this film is watching her swift decline after becoming addicted to heroin, leading to her death in 1987. The other is, of course, an assassination attempt on Flynt which left him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Losing the ability to walk, however, did nothing to quell Flynt's fiery indignation and his ability to face down any opponent; as we see in some riveting jailhouse deposition footage, he's still the ultimate smartass.

The film documents Flynt's further exploits before the Supreme Court, as a Presidential candidate, and as an object of fear and loathing in the hallowed halls of government, where his ability to find the skeletons in certain Republican politician's closets led to the resignation of House speaker Bob Livingston. Now, seemingly a much more sedate and contemplative figure, the older Flynt is no less opinionated and passionate in his political beliefs.

I don't share many of them, and I never really bought the notion of Larry Flynt as the noble, heroic martyr for free speech, but there's no denying that he is one fascinating character with unshakable convictions. Director Joan Brooker-Marks has deftly assembled a mix of recent interview and lecture footage along with archival material to concoct a consistently interesting story which, despite the volatility of the subject, is low-key and thoughtful, and lacking the circus atmosphere of Flynt's Woody Harrelson-starring biopic.

Presented in 16x9 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Digital 2.0 sound, the DVD contains an informative director commentary, a trailer, some additional interview footage, and over fifteen minutes of extra material from the aforementioned deposition which is just about as irreverent as anything you'll ever see.

Like him or not, agree with his politics or not, LARRY FLYNT: THE RIGHT TO BE LEFT ALONE is a richly compelling documentary about one of the most unusual maverick figures of our time. I'm still not a fan, but I can say that I understand the guy a lot better now.

 

LARRY FLYNT: THE RIGHT TO BE LEFT ALONE -- DVD Review by Porfle

THE SECRET LIFE: JEFFREY DAHMER -- DVD Review by Porfle

 Originally posted on 7/9/11

 

Out of all the low-budget serial killer biopics I've seen, THE SECRET LIFE: JEFFREY DAHMER (1993) may be the most interesting to watch as a film.  Mainly because (a) it's well made, and (b) it doesn't use a sensationalistic real-life story simply as an easy excuse to churn out yet another gory horror film. 

Screenwriter Carl Crew claims to have done his research, and, based on my limited knowledge of the case, the film seems to bear this out.  The familiar bases are covered--Jeffrey Dahmer's unhappy family life, his childhood fascination with dead animals, and his eventual transformation into a coldblooded predator who murdered up to seventeen young men. 

The fact that Dahmer got away with it for so long is accurately portrayed here as a combination of cunning, insane luck, and police incompetence.  We follow the story of his crimes from his first kill (as a teen, he murdered a hitchhiker at his family home), through a series of murders while living with his grandmother, and, after moving into his own apartment, his final rampage in which he was luring victims into his clutches at the rate of one per week.



The pattern of seducing men by offering to pay them to pose for photographs and then drugging them as a prelude to murder becomes somewhat monotonous at times, yet each individual victim adds his own unique elements to the story.  Some even escape, although their stories are dismissed by the police.  The most tragic of these incidents involves an underage boy who gets away and then, incredibly, is delivered right back into Dahmer's hands.  

As Dahmer, Crew's acting isn't always polished but he's intense and convincing, and the fact that he bears little resemblance to the actual person becomes less of a factor as one gets used to his portrayal.  Initially, Dahmer is shown as less of a maniac than an introspective loser who fears being left alone so much that he's compelled to kill those he feels attracted to and keep parts of their bodies as souvenirs.  (You almost sympathize with him as he lovingly cradles a severed head for companionship.)  As the attacks escalate, so does his sadistic streak as the murder sequences become more horrific and brutally graphic.

One of the more disturbing scenes finds Dahmer attempting to turn a hapless captive into a zombie by drilling holes in his head and filling them with chemicals.  Another is lowered into a barrel of acid and fastened inside while still alive.  Perhaps the most elaborate sequence involves some deft directorial touches, a well-crafted build-up with Dahmer displaying some wry behavorial quirks, and an extremely realistic fake head.

Still, the film isn't as exploitative as it could have been, and these powerful scenes of violence and gore are done with an understated, nonsensational style that makes them even eerier while sometimes evoking a sense of melancholy.  Originally hired to score the film before being promoted to director, David R. Bowen's subtle stylistic touches add to the mood while the lighting and cinematography give everything the look of a high-end 70s or 80s exploitation flick.



Adding to the effect is the drive-in quality print used for this DVD release, with its jagged edits and often gritty look that almost make it seem like a rough cut at times.  Despite these factors (and if you liked GRINDHOUSE, they should be a plus), the film looks good for a low-budget 35mm feature and is made with care.  Bowen states in the commentary track that he was aiming for a theatrical release--hindered in part by the controversy of the subject--and this is borne out by the obvious effort put into making it more than just the average exploitation flick.

The DVD from Intervision is in full-screen with Dolby 2.0 sound.  No subtitles.  Extras include a commentary track with director Bowen and writer/star Crew, plus trailers for this and other Intervision releases.

Outstanding performances by most of the actors playing Dahmer's victims help sell the film's realism.  Other castmembers, particularly a couple of Jeffrey's neighbor ladies who complain vehemently about the stench eminating from his apartment, are also fine, as is the beautiful Lisa Marks as Dahmer's probation officer.  But it's Crew who carries the film, both as writer and star, and he makes THE SECRET LIFE: JEFFREY DAHMER a portrait of a serial killer that's worth looking at even though you probably won't like what you see.  And it's all the more disturbing because, in this case, the monster is real.

THE SECRET LIFE: JEFFREY DAHMER -- DVD Review by Porfle

KILL THE IRISHMAN -- DVD review by porfle

 Originally posted on 5/27/11

 

It's not every day you get a mob movie as raw and violent as one of Martin Scorcese's gangster epics, but the fact-based KILL THE IRISHMAN (2010) will do until the next one of those comes along.  It's like GOODFELLAS Lite, but with its own vigorous, roughhouse charm. 

The first half of the story recounts burly Irish dock worker Danny Greene's "come-up", beginning with his brash, decisive handling of a sadistic Union boss (SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION'S Bob Gunton), whose position he usurps until corruption lands him in hot water with the Feds.  Danny goes free after agreeing to become an informant, then he and his gang of hardy Irish chums go into business as enforcers for a Jewish loan shark named Shondor Birns (Christopher Walken as his usual creepy-cool self) who has Mafia connections.

A meeting with current mob boss Jack Licavoli (gang-movie legend Tony Lo Bianco) lands him an even more lucrative deal that begins his ill-fated association with the Italians.  Eventually, he rebels against the greedy, controlling mobsters while also clashing with Birns over money, leading to a feud with none other than "Fat Tony" Salerno (an inevitable Paul Sorvino) of New York's Gambino family.  They put out a $25,000 contract on him and for the rest of the film Danny is forced to evade bullets and car bombs at every turn.



Unlike the typical cutthroat Mafia hood embodied by the likes of Joe Pesci or Robert DeNiro, Danny Greene comes off as a guy you could hang out with and not worry about getting whacked for looking at him wrong.  He's admirable (relatively speaking, anyway) because he goes after what he wants and doesn't back down to anybody while remaining loyal to his friends and gaining their undying loyalty in return.

I have to hand it to someone who can tell self-important Mafia kingpins to stuff it to their astonished faces.  In fact, it's pretty exhilarating to watch this two-fisted Irish galoot bustle his way through life and fearlessly take on anyone who wants to "dance", including a Union big shot's hulking bodyguard and a scary Hell's Angel whose rowdy gang is disrupting Danny's backyard barbecue (he thrashes them both within an inch of their lives). 

Director and co-scripter Jonathan Hensleigh has a lean, straightforward storytelling style unhampered by a lot of visual fluff.  He has assembled a hell of a cast here, with Ray Stevenson taking on the role of Danny as though born to it.  In addition to Walken, Lo Bianco, and Sorvino, Val Kilmer plays a Cleveland detective who has a love-hate relationship with Danny and Vinnie Jones appears as one of Danny's tough Irish cohorts.  Familiar faces such as Mike Starr (ED WOOD) and THE SOPRANOS' Steve Schirripa are on hand as well.

The female side of the cast is strong, with Linda Cardellini as Danny's long-suffering wife Joan, Laura Ramsey as his hot young girlfriend Ellie, and the venerable Fionnula Flanagan as a tough old Irishwoman who embodies Danny's Celtic roots and helps bring out his more human side.  Robert Davi (LICENSE TO KILL) plays the cold-blooded hitman hired to kill the Irishman once and for all.  FULL METAL JACKET's Vincent D'Onofrio is great as John Nardi, an Italian mob boss who partners with Danny after being screwed over by the Mafia.
 


While KILL THE IRISHMAN doesn't revel in violence, things get rough at times and some of the killings are pretty graphic.  The serial bombings that plagued Cleveland in the 70s are excitingly portrayed here--guys on both sides took their lives in their hands every time they started their cars as, in the words of a real-life news report, "the heirarchy of organized crime in Cleveland continues to violently realign."  The attempts on Danny's life keep things hopping in the second half, especially when a bundle of lit dynamite crashes through the window of his house while he's on the phone, building suspense until the film's inevitable conclusion. 

The DVD from Anchor Bay is in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound.  Subtitles are in English and Spanish.  In addition to a trailer, the disc features an hour-long documentary, "Danny Greene: The Rise and Fall of the Irishman", which I found fascinating after viewing the fictionalized account.  Some of the images are quite graphic--car bombings tend to make for messy autopsy photographs.

More than just a succession of violent and depraved setpieces, KILL THE IRISHMAN is involving because its lead character is such a dynamic and complicated figure with enough humanity to make him sympathetic.  Danny Greene must've been a real force of nature, something that this solid film version of his life makes the most of.

KILL THE IRISHMAN -- DVD review by porfle

VAN GOGH: BRUSH WITH GENIUS -- DVD review by porfle

After watching hour upon hour of horror, sci-fi, and action flicks, sometimes you just want to switch on PBS or The Learning Channel, kick back, and soak up a little culture.  Or, you could stick VAN GOGH: BRUSH WITH GENIUS (2009) into your DVD player.  It's not the most exciting or informative documentary ever made, but it isn't meant to be.  What it is, mainly, is a nice way to appreciate some of Vincent Van Gogh's paintings for about 40 minutes.

Originally filmed for IMAX, this leisurely-paced visual biography gets us up inside Van Gogh's paintings with some extreme closeups that reveal all the caked-up layers of paint that the troubled artist so furiously dabbed onto each canvas.  We even hear the brush strokes as he toils away at a few of the more than 900 works dashed off by Van Gogh before committing suicide at age 37. 

Here, cinematographer Vincent Mathias was granted the rare opportunity to photograph the paintings directly, without the protective glass, in the vault of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.  This affords us an even more intimate viewing experience.  It's also interesting to see them as they hang in the museum, remaining static and eternal within the frame as thousands of anonymous viewers flit past in speeded-up motion. 

Van Gogh himself narrates the film as voiced by Jacques Gamblin, talking to us from beyond the grave as he mentions the irony of one of his works recently selling for eight million dollars while he himself only made a single sale during his life.  Occasionally the writers supply the artist with some interesting self-analysis such as the following admission:  "Women find me more interesting now that I've died.  I think I scared them off when I was alive."


Details of his personal life are sketchy--his relationship with fellow artist Paul Gauguin, as well as that unfortunate ear incident, are touched upon only briefly as the artist would rather discuss his work and the influence that his surroundings, along with his mental and emotional state, had on it. 

The ghostly Van Gogh expresses particular interest in the activities of two people--a film director (Peter Knapp) passionate about his paintings whom we see documenting the locations in which they were created (clearly a surrogate of this film's director, François Bertrand), and a woman named Ellen (Hélène Seuzaret) who works in the basement at the Van Gogh Museum and tirelessly pores over his drawings and extensive correspondence with brother Theo.  It's through these characters that we see, from a modern perspective, the lasting relevance of Van Gogh's work.

VAN GOGH: BRUSH WITH GENIUS is at its best when showing us the actual locations, the landscapes and the buildings (some of which are virtually unchanged), and how they were transformed by the eyes, the hands, and the mind of Van Gogh.  Through often cleverly-done transitions we see just how he interpreted these relatively mundane subjects as increasingly impressionistic explosions of color and movement.  A haunting score by composer Armand Amar compliments these visuals.


The DVD from Image Entertainment is in 16x9 widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, and can be listened to in English, French, Spanish, or Japanese.  There are no subtitles available, making much of the heavily-accented narration difficult to understand (for me, anyway). 

Extras include a slideshow of Van Gogh's paintings, several trailers for similar educational DVDs, and a 20-minute "making of" documentary.  This features the filmmakers discussing their feelings about Van Gogh and how they translated them onto the screen.  Co-writer Marie Sellier talks of reading Vincent's many letters to brother Theo and how these simple missives made her feel closer to him as an actual person.

As a film, VAN GOGH: BRUSH WITH GENIUS is a finely-wrought portrait of the enigmatic artist.  Not quite a biography, it's more concerned with telling the visual story of Van Gogh's stunning artistic genius and how it developed over the years until his final burst of furious creativity shortly before his death.  An air of melancholy hangs over the film as it did the artist himself, in contrast with the uplifting and life-affirming brilliance of his work.


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VAN GOGH: BRUSH WITH GENIUS -- DVD review by porfle

"Death Defying Acts: Houdini's Secret" Comes to DVD 10/28

Weaving a heart-felt and fascinating tale of love and intrigue, DEATH DEFYING ACTS: HOUDINI'S SECRET materializes onto DVD for the first time ever October 28th from Genius Products and The Weinstein Company. Featuring an amazing all-star cast including Academy Award winner Catherine Zeta-Jones (No Reservations, Chicago), Guy Pearce (Factory Girl, Memento) and Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan (Atonement), this magical romantic epic follows master escapologist Harry Houdini, the most famous performer of his time.

Magical and mesmerizing, DEATH DEFYING ACTS: HOUDINI'S SECRET is set in 1926, when Houdini was at the top of his game and audiences flocked to watch him perform his amazing stunts. But the man behind the legend was a tortured soul, having been unable to hear his mother's dying words. Offering a $10,000 reward to anyone who can contact his mother from beyond the grave, Houdini's life is forever altered when a beautiful but deceptive psychic and her sidekick daughter take on the challenge. Initially skeptical, Harry is soon captivated by the psychic's charms. Directed by Gillian Armstrong (Charlotte Gray, Oscar and Lucinda), DEATH DEFYING ACTS: HOUDINI'S SECRET will be available on DVD for the suggested retail price of $19.97.

"Death Defying Acts: Houdini's Secret" Comes to DVD 10/28

Who is Martin Sandison?

Biography
My name is Martin Sandison. I’m very happy to be part of the HK and cult film news staff, and will do my utmost to spread the word about good (and bad) HK and cult movies. I’m from a small town called Linlithgow in Scotland, which is near the capital, Edinburgh. I‘m 25 years old, and my first cinema-going experience was The Care Bears movie. I’d like to think my tastes have matured somewhat since then. I grew up loving Hong Kong movies from an early age, the first martial arts movie I saw being Enter the Dragon and first HK film Project A. A good start I think you will all attest!

I attended my local secondary school and then moved on to Stirling University and a film and media course. I graduated in 2005 with an honours degree at the second highest level, thanks in the most part to my thesis on Hong Kong cinema. It’s the single piece of work that I’m most proud of, and I loved writing it. The standpoint I took was aesthetic value and cultural context, with films analysed including A Better Tomorrow, Infernal Affairs and Once Upon a Time In China. Since graduating I have worked sporadically on short films and music videos, some self-directed and others as cameraman.

Most of my output is up on Youtube, with camerawork on my friend Scotskid’s music video Sunrise and the short Parkour film Jump, Monk, Jump! Check out my cameo at the start, the bearded guy with green stripey jumper. Scotskid is one of the most viewed directors on Youtube, mainly due to his first Parkour film Extreme game of Tag. My self-directed stuff consists of a trailer for a short Scottish Kung Fu movie called Play and a short romantic tale called Modern Romance. The former stars my Kung Fu teacher and was shot in Edinburgh. I’ve been studying Hung Ga( r ) Kung Fu under him since September ’06, and I love it! Even the intense stance-induced pain. The other guy in the trailer is a teacher I had a few years ago. He unfortunately moved to Australia before we could shoot the film, so we can’t make it unless we go there! However, we are working on another Kung Fu short which I have just finished the script for, so watch this space. To check out the stuff type in Scotskid and Shandalfze, my nickname.

In recent times I’ve been working in an art bookshop, socialising and watching perhaps too many old skool Kung Fu movies, the reviews for some of which you will see on this site. Peace out!

Who is Martin Sandison?

Scott Joins the Blog!

Despite being a wrestling nerd, with a freakishly long memory, Scott managed to get his BA cum laude from a prestigious institution of higher learning in his hometown of Baltimore. His other hobbies, apart from wrestling, include NASCAR, action films, video games, and following current events. And, so no one feels the need to ask, his favorite wrestler of all-time is “Nature Boy” Ric Flair.

Scott Joins the Blog!