Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion (1972)

Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion (1972) belongs undeniably to a sleazy exploitation category, the “women in prison” sub-genre. Yet if you can stomach that grubbiness, this entry proves to be an artistic triumph because of two strong elements: (1) the theatrical and surreal style that director Shunya Ito (his debut film!) brings to it, and (2) […]

Written On The Wind (1956)

Quite a contrast to grow up with Robert Stack as an older guy in a trenchcoat walking out of the night to host Unsolved Mysteries on TV and to see him young as the alcoholic, suicidal son of a Texas oil baron in Written On The Wind (1956) with the most intense eyes ever. Directed […]

Lone Wolf And Cub: Baby Cart At The River Styx (1972)

I had a VHS copy of Lone Wolf And Cub: Baby Cart At The River Styx (1972), the second film in the wandering samurai and son series from Japan, taped on a VCR during a SBS Cult Movie night. I’ve always remembered it vividly because the bad guys are a group of highly skilled assassins, […]

Sabotage (2014)

In the space of a week, I watched both Triple 9 and Sabotage (2014), which would make a good double feature under the sub-genre of “corrupt cops commit heist”. Along with Den Of Thieves, there’s a similar post-Heat aesthetic but jacked-up with scumbag Monster drink energy. While Triple 9 has some great sequences, looks amazing, […]

Between The Lines (1977)

There’s something charmingly mellow about Between The Lines (1977). It’s not a broad comedy nor is it a hard hitting drama, but it is amiable and funny, with an air of inevitable sadness about work and compromise. Its subject determines the form in a sense. Set in the city of Boston, Between The Lines is […]