It’s Monday again so that means another roundup of my weekend watches. This weekend I had some time to catch up a few that I’ve been meaning to see, and so I decided to focus my viewing on a particular country. So, I packed my cinematic bags for a trio of pictures from the Spain. Because while the rain there may fall mainly on the plain, the blood seems to flow wherever you go.

First up, I finally sat down with Timecrimes. (Or in Spanish Los cronocrimenes) from 2007. Writer/Director Nacho Vigalondo definitely used a subtle hand in creating this tightly woven tale of time travel, and he delivered an entry into the time travel sub-genre which should stand the test of time. The plot revolves around Hector (Karra Elejalde) who spends his time watching the woods though binoculars. One afternoon he spots a naked girl in the forest, and when he goes to investigate, he is stabbed by a man in an overcoat with a pink bandage wrapped around his head. Hector flees and ends up on a compound where a man (played by director Vigalondo) convinces him to hide in a tank. When Hector emerges from the tank he finds himself a few hours back in time, and he leaves to investigate the events that lead up to his time traveling.

Timecrimes escapes the usual traps of time travel movies by taking the time to make every little detail stand out. Now, I’m sure if you picked apart the film with a fine tooth comb you could come across an inconsistency or two, but I think you’d likely really have to nitpick. Most time travel scenarios don’t make sense because, as we all know, if you change the past, it changes the future. Timecrimes’ premise revolves around that very fact, and in doing so delivers a very smart film. It is unfortunate that the film is often labeled a horror movie as it is more of a thriller at its core.

I would love to talk more in depth on this film, but I fear that if I say anything more I'm venturing into spoiler territory. Suffice it to say that the film will surprise you. Like any other foreign horror flick that does moderately well, Timecrimes has been slated for an American remake with Vigalondo remaking his own film. I worry that some of the subtly of the film will be dumbed down for a US audience, but if the right actor is cast in the lead then it might work. (I would love to see someone like William H. Macy get the part.) Before it’s remade, I highly recommend you check this one out if you have a chance, or should I say, if you have the time.

Next up is Shiver (Spanish: Eskalofrío) from 2008. Director Isidro Ortiz began his career with a retooling of the classic legend of Faust with 2001’s Fausto 5.0 that made some waves with the addition of graphic violence and nudity from an underage girl. Shiver is a bit tamer by comparison, and some have said that it took its inspiration from the J-horror trend.

Shivers stars Junio Valverde as Santi, and many horror fans may recognize him from Guillermo del Toro’s 2001 film The Devil’s Backbone where he also played a character named Santi. This Santi is a misanthropic kid who has a condition that makes him very photosensitive, and he must avoid sunlight or other bright lights whenever possible. In order to help him lead a more normal life his mother (Mar Sodupe) moves him to a little hamlet in Northern Spain where the sunlight is less intense, allowing Santi to go out during the day. As soon as they arrive, the sleepy little town begins to be plagued by murders, and weird new kid Santi always seems to be around when they happen. The police soon begin to suspect Santi of the murders, but he’s more concerned about not being killed next.

Shiver is a good looking film with some nice camera work, and they give the little town a good little creepy vibe. However, the film falls flat by not allowing suspense to build nearly long enough. The reveal of the mystery (or the killer at least) happens at the beginning of the second act, and left the rest of the film feeling a little deflated because of it. If they had drawn it out even just a bit more, then it might have been a much better film for it. I wanted a little more “is he or isn’t he” on the werewolf/vampire angle the film hints at in the early scenes. As it stands, it is a well acted and well shot film that is still miles ahead of recent teen horror fare like the Prom Night remake or The Haunting of Molly Hartley.

There is one other thing I should mention. Once again, Ortiz uses an actress of a very young age in some nude scenes. They are not sexually graphic scenes like those in Fausto 5.0, and I would have a hard time believing anyone would find it titillating. The footage is reserved and shadowed, and I have to admit that this time it was a necessary part of the plot of the film. That being said, I thought it would be worth mentioning as it will likely strike some viewers as either unnerving or unacceptable.

The last film in the trio of Spanish chillers comes from the man whose name is often synonymous with the county’s horror output. I’m talking Paul Naschy here, and I haven’t had a chance to see another of his films since way back when I covered Fury of the Wolfman last November. So when I decided to go on this Spanish horror binge I had to dust off my copy of Werewolf Shadow (Spanish: La noche de Walpurgis) the forth lycanthropic outing from Naschy. This time we’ve not only got Larry Talbot’s relatives involved there are also bloodsuckers and lesbians to boot!

Gaby Fuchs stars as Elvira, and along with her friend Genevieve (Barbara Campbell), she has traveled to Northern France to do research for their final thesis. They are investigating the Countess Wandesa Darvula de Nadasdy, an ancient witch/vampire who kept her beauty by drinking the blood of virgins. That is until her suitor found out and killed her with a silver cross to the heart. As the girls travel, they get lost and end up asking the help of Waldemar Daninsky (Paul Naschy), who is, unbeknownst to them, a werewolf. Daninsky escorts the girls to the site of the Countesses’ burial, and Elvira accidentally removes the silver cross bringing the witchy vamp back to life. Very quickly, things are set in motion that lead to an epic struggle of werewolf versus vampire.

After the Spanish success of Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, entitled La noche de los muertos vivientes, there was a high demand for ‘La noche’ titles with films like de Ossorio’s La noche del terror ciego (Night of Blond Terror), Franco’s La noche de los asesinos (Night of the Skull), and Naschy’s La noche de Walpurgis finding their way to the screen. The title of Naschy’s film refers to Walpurgis, a holiday inherent to central and Western Europe which falls on April 30th. Walpurgis has its roots in pagan traditions, and one of its main customs is to light bonfires to scare away the dead that roam the Earth before the first day of May brings the light of the spring. When the film was brought to America, it was marketed under several titles including The Werewolf vs. The Vampire Women, Blood Moon, and the grammatically incorrect Werewolf Shadow.

When Werewolf Shadow was released in Spain, it became Naschy’s biggest hit to date, and the film would mark the first collaboration between writer/actor Naschy and director Leon Klimovsky. They would pair up another seven times in their career for some of Naschy’s most memorable films. Naschy as usual does a fine job in his oft repeated role as Waldemar Daninsky, and makes the werewolf afflicted man the proper balance of tortured and animalistic. The showdown at the end of the film between the wolf and the resurrected vampire countess is not to be missed. For his part, director Klimovsky does a fine job, but the movie has very little flash or style to it unlike its Italian contemporaries.

In fact, one thing that stuck out like a sore thumb was how utterly horrid the costuming for the ladies in the film was. The countess and her outlandish lesbian vampire gear aside, the fashions on display were entirely unflattering to either of the female leads. While Barbara Campbell’s Genevieve does finally get some decent clothes, Gaby Fuchs’ Elvira wears an array of the most formless, sacklike clothes that I’ve seen in quite some time, and no one with a name like Elvira should ever look that bad.

I’ve only seen maybe four or five of Naschy’s prodigious film catalog, but I found Werewolf Shadow to be one of the better of Paul’s lupine flavored films. His films are almost an acquired taste with a high tolerance for cheese being required before you can just enjoy the film. If you can accept it on face value for what it is, then you will surely have an enjoyable time with it.

So there we are a trio of films to satisfy any kind of craving you have for a Spanish thrill or two. As usual, the trailers are below and I hope uou join me back here tomorrow for another installment of Terrifying Tuesday!

While many horror fans will flock to the opening of Rob Zombie’s Halloween 2, I have to admit that Michael Myers has just never been my cup of tea. For my horror fix this weekend, I headed out to the Cineplex to check out the new 3-D Bonanza The Final Destination. I’ve enjoyed the series ever since the first installment because I accepted what it is, a series of spectacularly imaginative death scenes. The plot is generally the same in all final destination films, and the newest entry is no different. However, just in case you were wondering, a group of teens escapes death at a race track because one of them has a premonition of the catastrophe. Death of course is not happy about being cheated, and it comes for each of the teens and the peripheral characters who also escaped their fate.

Sounds pretty familiar to anyone who’s seen a Final Destination film, I’m sure. So there’s no surprise there, but the deaths rendered in 3-D are a mighty impressive spot of gore. Each demise is cleverly set up by what seems like the Rube Goldberg machine of death, and the best use of 3-D is wisely saved for these moments. One particular death that stood out featured a fence, and I’ll never look at chain link the same way again. The Final Destination has the kind of gore you rarely see on the cinema screen these days, and it’s kind of refreshing.

At their core the Final Destination franchise is rooted in the exploitative desire to be voyeurs to our own human fragility. As so many accidental deaths occur, it only takes a series of seemingly random and unrelated events to turn a man into Manwich. After seeing the flick, the desire to stay in your home and live out your days in a foam rubber suit is strong, and if anyone needs one I know a guy. The Final Destination is exactly what you think it will be, but if that appeals to you like it did to me then you won’t be disappointed.

Just a moment to talk about the performances. Most of the cast is forgettable, but I will remember Shantel VanSanten as being quite the cutie throughout. It seems she might be a new scream queen with the horror flick Something Wicked slated for 2010. There was one performance worth mentioning, and that comes from Mykelti Williamson as the security guard. With a minor role, Williamson managed to round out the character, and he became the only one I gave two craps about. Most people will remember Williamson from Forest Gump, but as I’ve not seen that, I recognized him as Mike ’Baby-O’ O’Dell from Con Air and from the Lou Diamond Phillips thriller The First Power.

On a final note I will say that I saw it in Dolby Digital 3D, and when I saw My Bloody Valentine it was in Real3D. Of the two I have to give it up to Real3D as the more impressive technique. Yes, its kung fu is very good. The Dolby process is fine, but Real3D seemed to allow for a much crisper image. So I will you back here on Monday for a selection from The Grab Bag that you’re sure to enjoy. Until then, be careful. Very, very careful.

Each Friday in the month of September, I’ll be talking about one of my favorite of the Italian film genres, the giallo, but I just couldn’t wait to start into these flicks so I’m bringing you one today. I have an affinity for thrillers in the first place, but what really compels me when it comes to gialli is their abundance of style, beautiful women, and the vast array of directors who attempted them. Tonight’s film comes from a director I am not all that familiar with, Luigi Bazzoni. Bazzoni directed only a handful of movies, but he had already kicked off his career with the thriller La donna del lago (1965) before trying his hand at a western L’uomo, l’orgoglio, la vendetta (1968) starring Franco Nero and Klaus Kinski. The seventies started with Bazzoni teaming with Nero once again, but this time it was to make an entry in the giallo category.

It seems that after Argento hit it big with his film The Bird with the Crystal Plumage everyone had to rush right out and make a stylish thriller with an animal name in the title. Hence we get Fulci’s Lizard in a Woman’s Skin, Martino’s The Case of the Scorpion’s Tail, and even Paul Nachy’s A Dragonfly for Each Corpse. That brings us to tonight’s feature which in English is often billed as The Fifth Cord. The title pasted onto this flick is not only extremely boring, but it lacks the giallo flair we all so love. The Italian title however, Giornata nera per l'ariete or Black Day for the Ram, not only fits the animal mold, it’s far more descriptive of the film.

Bazzoni’s film concerns a reporter, Andrea Bild (Franco Nero) who is assigned to investigate a series of murders that keep happening on Tuesdays. Unfortunately, for the alcoholic, womanizing Bild, the dead are all connected to him. The police have no clues except for a black glove found at the murders each time with another finger cut off. They soon focus their attention on Bild, and he’s taken off the case. Not about to let that stop him, Andrea searches through a sleazy sex club, smacks around the right people, and finally discovers the information he needs in the nick of time.

The highlight to the film has to be the always charismatic Franco Nero. He first found fame with his Sergio Corbucci western Django (1966) and successfully parlayed that into a role on the other side of the Atlantic playing Lancelot in 1967 film Camelot. Somehow with all the great Franco Nero films like High Crime, How to Kill a Judge, or Street Law, I’ve yet to get around to reviewing one of his films. Let me just start off with saying that Nero is one of my favorite Italian actors, and The Fifth Cord can only strengthen that feeling. While the alcoholic writer character has been done to death, Nero manages to bring something to it with his skillful performance. It was also very nice that the voice in the dubbed version I have (the Blue Underground release) was done by Nero himself. I always hate it when the voice doesn’t match the character, but there was no such problem here.

The other performances in the film are solid, but none of them were built up enough to be memorable. Renato Romano is possibly the most interesting character, the doctor with a fetish for underground sex shows featuring underage girls, but the most memorable death scene comes from Rossella Falk playing the doctor's crippled wife. As she lies in bed, the killer stalks her, pulling her wheelchair and the phone into the shadows. She tries to pull herself along the floor to safety, but it is to no avail. While most of the other murders are committed off-screen or without visceral flair, Ms Falk’s demise captures the fear, the immediacy, and the violence inherent in a murder. It’s a wonderful piece of cinema, and one of the reasons this film should stand out.

There are another couple of things that make The Fifth Cord really shine. The first is the haunting score by Ennio Morricone. Used sparingly throughout the film, the score is a far cry from Morricone’s plaintive work on westerns. The music here has much more in common with his experimental work, and its clashing chords and subtle arrangements contribute greatly to the suspenseful feeling. Also making a contribution is the cinematography. Eschewing the flashy pop styles of many giallo, Vittorio Storaro shows the world in fairly realistic light which becomes progressively more encroached by shadows as out hero descends further into the case. It’s easy to see why Storaro would go on to shoot films like Reds, Apocalypse Now, and Ishtar. Sure the last one is a famously bad film, but have you ever heard anyone say it looked bad?

When it comes to looking at The Fifth Cord as compared to other gialli, the film fails to deliver on several fronts. While the latex gloved killer likes to leave black gloves at the scene of his crimes, they are mostly bloodless affairs. There is some nudity, but even the sleazy sex show seems reserved and tasteful, without the perversity that spices up so many of the film’s contemporaries. What the film does offer is a great little tale that not only ends up with a taut ending, it actually made sense to me as I reflected on the film. That’s no easy feat as many gialli have a hard time wrapping up their stories. Between the story, the score, and Nero’s impressive acting, The Fifth Cord scores on enough fronts that it overcomes the minor things that it lacks.

If this is going to be your first giallo, then it’s not a bad place to start. It’s an easily digestible piece of cinema, but it does lack some of the flash and grandeur that the genre typically embodies. The Fifth Cord is sure to please Italian cinema fans as well, and no fan of Franco Nero should let this one slip by. Well, that’s all for now, but join me each Friday this September for another thriller Italian style.

Benjamin Franklin once said “Love your neighbor-- but don’t pull down your hedge.” Tonight’s selection for Hitch on the Hump examines what happens to a man who could have used a hedge or two in his life. James Stewart is L.B. “Jeff” Jefferies, the famous globe trotting, risk taking photographer, who's been sidelined by a broken leg, Left in a two room apartment, he watches his neighbors out his courtyard window, creating his own narrative for their lives and becoming more involved by the day. He only breaks away for visits from the insurance company nurse, Stella (Thelma Ritter), and his girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly). Then one night, as Jeff fades in an out of sleep in front of his window, he sees the traveling salesmen across the courtyard acting strangely, making odd trips out and brandishing a saw. The next morning the salesman’s sick wife is gone, and Jeff becomes convinced there has been a murder perpetrated just beyond his Rear Window.

Hitchcock’s film has its roots on the 1942 a short story by Cornell Woolrich. “It Had to Be Murder”, one of eight stories Woolrich’s agent sold for $5000. Woolrich was never perturbed by the money he lost when Hitchcock made a successful film version, but that’s not to say he didn’t get angry at the director. Woolrich griped about not being invited to the New York premiere saying, “He knew where I lived. He wouldn’t send me a ticket.” Rear Window was the first of four adaptations Hitchcock collaborated on with Jon Michael Hayes. They expanded the narrow focus of Woolrich’s original story without diluting the stylistic tones of Woolrich’s work.

Almost every shot of the film originates in Jeff’s apartment, and a major portion of the film is devoted to the audience watching Jimmy Stewart watching his neighbors, but as Alfred Hitchcock pointed out that is only one part of the film. “The second part shows what he sees and the third part is how he reacts. This is actually the purest expression of a cinematic idea.” Jimmy Stewart shined in all the parts his role demanded, delivering another in a line of career highlight roles. I always like it when Stewart played the abrasive jerk over the more earnest roles, and Jeff is definitely not an all around likeable character.

Most of that can be accounted for because of his behavior toward his girlfriend Lisa played by Grace Kelly. She looks breathtaking in this film, and so when Jeff spurns her affections it makes you just want to smack him upside his head. Part of that can be credited to the incredible costuming by Edith Head, but the idea for each piece came directly from Hitchcock. Edith Head recalled, “There was a reason for every color Grace wore, every style, and he was absolutely certain about everything…. He was really putting a dream together in the studio. Hitch wanted her to appear like a piece of Dresden china, something slightly untouchable.” Lisa does appear untouchable, and a radiant light that comes in to Jeff’s dark life.

Apart from Stewart, the most important piece of the film are the people who inhabit the apartments right outside his window. There are dozens and dozens of theories about what these people represent. Some day they are reflections of Jeff and Grace’s relationship, and yet another place said they represent characters in a film, and Jeff the director in his chair. Whatever you want to take away from these characters, it is fascinating to see how Hitchcock used his roots in silent film to aid these scenes. Each of the characters are given distinct personalities, and just like Jeff, the audience joins in on being a voyeur into their lives. The camera is kept at midrange, and this distance gives their lives an impersonal air. These are people who exist just out of the range of detail.

This is how we are introduced to Thorwald, the traveling salesman, played by Raymond Burr. All you can really tell about him is that he looks imposing and mean. By the time Jeff gets a good look at him, it’s not a look he would want to get. The last supporting role that I must mention is Thelma Ritter. I praised with her role in Pickup on South Street, and once again she turns in a supporting role that enhances the hell out of the film.

The one thing that usually stands out in a Hitchcock film is the music, but the create more of an open air feeling to the courtyard, Hitchcock used pop and classical pieces to give it a more organic feel. The opening and closing theme, as well as song one of Jeff’s neighbors writes during the film, were provided by Franz Waxman. However, the musical touches Waxman gave the film don’t compare to how songs such as Nat King Cole’s Mona Lisa and Dean Martin’s Amore will recall scenes from the film. In his second film with Hitchcock, old time favorite Robert Burks returns to cinematography duties, and as impressive as his work is, I have to give it up for the folks who built that courtyard on a soundstage. It gave the setting a vibrant, living feeling that never felt like a soundstage.

Rear Window still works today because we don’t even have to leave the house to see our neighbors now. We can look through the TV and drink in our share of voyeurism through the magic of reality programming. Although in the end, Jeff’s endless peeping leads to the unraveling of a mystery, I think a good lesson can still be taken from him. Sometimes it’s better to pay more attention to those around you than staring out your window all day.

I haven’t chance to watch much in the last few days. I seem to have watched half of two movies and four episodes of Deadwood. Oops. However, I did manage to venture forth this weekend to the movie theater. With the wife’s purse full of snacks (yeah, I am that kind of cheapskate) and Fran Goria in tow, we ran out to the theater to catch a Sunday matinee of Inglorious Basterds. I was kind of stunned at how many people turned out on a Sunday to check out a movie about Nazi killin’ from Tarantino. It warmed my heart to look around see the wide demographic that Quentin had brought out for his film. Young and old, all races and creeds ready for some Nazi scalping…. or had some of these folks been fooled by the presence of Brad Pitt?

We’ll get back to that because before the movie starts of course the trailers. Well, actually, first we listen to “The Look of Love” and debate the merits of it as a song. I came down on the side that it was good, but that is neither here nor there. The trailers saved us from all that, and they kicked off quite nicely with The Wolfman. I have read and seen basically nothing about this flick, and to me, it looks like it has potential. But, ehhh. Now the movie I want to see was up next, Armored. That’s right. I voluntarily want to see a movie that has Skeet Ulrich in it. I know, I find it hard to believe as well. Anyhow, looks like good mindless fun, and it’s not a remake of anything. Speaking of, Halloween 2 closed out the set, and unlike the first of the Zombie remakes, I’m actually going to go see this one. Maybe, and by God I mean, maybe, he can deliver this time. All the stuff with the masks looks creepy as hell, so I’ve got my fingers crossed.

Then the feature begins, and for two and a half hours, I am somewhere in Nazi occupied France. I’m not going to delve too deeply into the flick, but if you like Tarantino or even if you don’t then you might want to check this one out. Lovers of Italian genre cinema should bring along a spoon because you’re going to be eating this shit up with it. It’s a feast for the eyes, exciting as hell, and and art film. It's what Quentin does best. Tarantino treads some new water in Basterds with much more use of suspense, but he still finds time for flourishes like having HUGO STILITZ appearing in giant gaudy letters to introduce a character.

The film delivers on his long awaited war movie far beyond my expectations. Especially the performances, everyone delivers with the exception of Ryan from The Office whose one scene seems like Ryan from The Office goes to war. Pitt and Waltz both do great jobs, and Eli Roth even manages to be convincing. The weaker storyline tends to be when the camera is not on Pitt and the Basterds or Waltz being a bastard of another sort. Diane Kruger's performance was the standout of the two female leads, and she was also the lucky actress graced with Quentin's foot fetish shot for the film. A shot which Tarantino goes to some lengths to cleverly set up.

That’s not to say I’m not without reservations about IB. I really wanted more time with the team to build them up as characters a little more, but Tarantino had the two and half hours crammed packed with story so there wasn’t really any time for it. Inglorious Basterds still revels in the same homage territory that Quentin dwelled on with Kill Bill, but I think it would be much harder to pin down specific inspirations that went into this flick. It’s definitely one that I’m going to try to check out again in the theater. If for nothing else than the fact that I never spotted Enzo Castellari’s cameo, and I know it’s in there somewhere. I did catch Bo Stevenson, but you got to see him fast or he’s gone.

As far as those people who might have been lured in by Mr. Pitt. I saw quite a few people turn away from the scalpings, my wife included. I didn’t see anyone walk out, and at the end people applauded, and I don’t recall hearing that on a Sunday afternoon in a theater in a long, long time.

I don't think you folks need a trailer for Basterds so check out Armored instead. Seriously. It looks like fun. Come on, it's got Jean Reno in it.