DVD of the Week: They Call Me Trinity

by Kimberly Lindbergs | September 5, 2007

Categories | Comedies, Westerns, DVD of the Week

This week’s Recommended DVD Release of the Week is the Trinity Twin Pack from Hen’s Tooth Video which contains the films They Call Me Trinity (1970) and Trinity Is Still My Name (1971). The Trinity movies have been available on DVD for awhile, but this new DVD set features all-new digital transfers remastered from the original Technicolor prints and both films are presented in their correct widescreen ratios for the first time.

As I mentioned back in May, I really enjoy all the Spaghetti Western comedies starring the handsome blue-eyed Italian/German actor Terence Hill (a.k.a. Mario Girotti). Both movies in the Trinity Twin Pack feature Terence Hill along with his longtime co-star Bud Spencer (a.k.a. Carlo Pedersoli) as two unlikely half-brothers who find themselves in all sorts of unusual and very funny situations in the wild and wacky west. The Trinity films parody previous Spaghetti Westerns and seem to really enjoy poking fun at the genre as well as celebrating its eccentricities.

The talented Italian director and cinematographer Enzo Barboni directed and wrote both of the Trinity movies featured in the Trinity Twin Pack and he really knows how to make entertaining slapstick comedies that appeal to all-ages. I first saw the Trinity films when I was just a kid and I still find them funny today. Both of these Trinity movies contain plenty of creative gunplay and exciting action, but the violence and bloodshed found in many Spaghetti Westerns has been replaced by lots of laughs.

To learn more about the films I recommend visiting the official Cinedelic Records site for They Call Me Trinity and for more information about the handsome and funny star of the Trinity films check out Terence Hill’s Official International Website.

The Trinity Twin Pack DVD set is currently available at Amazon and you should be able to find both movies at better online DVD rental sources like Netflix and Greencine.

Comments (6)

All the News That’s Fit to Print

by Kimberly Lindbergs | August 11, 2007

Categories | News, Comedies, Cinedelica

A semi-nude and tattooed Sean Connery in A Fine Madness (1966)

August Movie Review Roundup . . .

Last month my computer suffered a major meltdown and had to be replaced which really slowed down my writing. I was only able to complete one review for Cinedelica last month and that was for Irvin Kershner’s dark comedy A Fine Madness (1966) which stars a rather young and super cute Sean Connery. I had mixed reactions to the film, but if you’re curious about Kershner’s early work or just want to see Connery in his prime, A Fine Madness is well worth a look.

- My review of A Fine Madness

Read All About It . . .

Adam Ross who runs the terrific DVD Panche blog was nice enough to ask me to be interviewed for his ongoing “Friday Screen Test” and I happily agreed. If you’d like to find out a little more about me you can find my answers to Adam’s questions at his blog.

- My Friday Screen Test

Every Picture Tells a Story . . .

Before my computer suffered a meltdown I was able to send the guys who run the great If Charlie Parker was a Gunslinger, there’d be a whole lot of dead copycats blog a bunch of images that had been languishing on my computer for their “Contributer Week” which I believe is still going strong. If you’re interested in checking out my contributions as well as all other great submissions stop by the blog and give them a look.

-If Charlie Parker was a Gunslinger, there’d be a whole lot of dead copycats

Comments (4)

Super Sisters On Cycles!

by Kimberly Lindbergs | June 29, 2007

Categories | Movie Reviews, Comedies, Blaxploitation, Musicals, Bikers

I recently got the chance to watch the terrific William Witney film Darktown Strutters (a.k.a. Get Down and Boogie, 1975) and really enjoyed it. Witney started directing action films and westerns in the ’30s and he’s now mostly remembered for the popular television serials he directed. One of the last films he made was the unusual biker and blaxploitation parody Darktown Strutters, which is undoubtedly one of the most surreal musical comedies made during the seventies. I’ve been interested in seeing this movie for years and I’m glad that I finally got around to watching it.

The film centers around a group of lovely ass-kicking women who ride around the Watts area of Los Angeles on their stylish customized motorbikes. When the mother of the gang’s leader Syreena (Trina Parks) goes missing, the girls find themselves running from hapless law enforcement officers, fighting off the KKK and finally taking down a fast food selling Col. Sanders clone called Louisville Cross in order to find her.

Before Syreena’s mom disappeared she was organizing the construction of an abortion clinic with financial help from Louisville Cross. Unbeknownst to anyone, Cross poses as a benefactor to the black community, but he’s really just a closeted racist who has created a bizarre machine that can clone human beings. He’s kidnapping black leaders with the help of the KKK in order to clone them, and he plans on using these clones to do his evil bidding and in turn wreck havoc on the black community.

Director William Witney uses slapstick humor and lots of cartoonish props to tell his strange tale. The film parodies many clichés found in earlier blaxploitation films, but it’s also a smart and super stylish low-budget comedy that takes a serious jab at white capitalists who often carelessly use the black community for their own good. Darktown Strutters deals with many important issues including racism, sexism, police brutality and abortion, while keeping it’s tongue firmly planted in its cheek at all times. The comedy is often surprisingly dark as well as ridiculously silly, and it’s bound to offend and surprise more than a few viewers.

Trina Parks delivers a unforgettable performance as the biker babe gang leader Syreena. The statuesque Parks stands almost 6 feet tall and it’s easy to believe that this Amazonian queen could knock the hot air out of any creep that gets in her way. The rest of the motorcycle riding ladies are also really good, but they don’t get as much screen time as Ms. Parks.

Other stand out performances include Roger E. Mosley (best known as ‘TC’ from the Magnum, P.I. television series) as the leader of a scooter riding gang who falls hard for Syreena and the great character actor Dick Miller shows up as one of the pitiful keystone cops. The film also features the musical act The Dramatics who get to perform their funky hit single “What You See Is What You Get,” while being held as prisoners in Louisville Cross’ dungeon.

One of the best things about Darktown Strutters is the amazing costume designs by Michael Nicola. I’ve seen a lot of great ‘70s style fashion in many terrific blaxploitation films such as the jaw-dropping designs in Cleopatra Jones (1973), but Nicola’s designs for Darktown Struttersare truly stunning and like most things in this unusual movie, they must be seen to be believed.

The movie is officially out-of-print, but you can still find used copies of the video version of Darktown Strutters on Amazon or selling on eBay.

You can see more images from the movie if you visit my Darktown Strutters still gallery at Flickr.

Comments (10)

Shirley MacLaine on Shooting The Apartment (1960)

by Kimberly Lindbergs | March 2, 2007

Categories | Directors, Comedies, Actresses, Blogathons

Billy Wilder & Shirley MacLaine on the set of The Apartment (1960)

“We started filming The Apartment with twenty-nine pages of script and Jack Lemmon and I had no idea how the film would end and neither did Billy Wilder, the director. So he just watched our relationship to see how the chemistry would evolve. Everything was evolving. At the time I was hanging with Frank and Dean, learning how to play Gin Rummy (That’s why the Gin game is in The Apartment). Billy Wilder was such a fabulous writer/director that the studio just financed the film without knowing what he would do, but they did know his reputation of creating great films and the studios knew their investment was secure. Billy could do a film on the phone book and studios and actors would stand in line to be part of the project.

The Apartment was great… a wonderful shoot and it was one of the first pictures where we mixed comedy and drama together. And many of the people at the screening seemed confused as to whether it was comedy or drama. I remember Marilyn Monroe was at the screening. She had no makeup on and was wrapped up in a mink coat. In her low whispery voice she said… “The picture is a wonderful examination of the corporate world.” My mouth flew open! She got it!

Jack Lemmon was terrific and such a nice guy. And Jack was a pro in every theatrical sense of the word. Billy was in love with Jack’s talent. The chemistry between the two was a joy to watch. In fact it was such a wonderful experience that I would come to the set on my days off just to observe two masters at work. Billy would have Jack do ten, twelve, seventeen takes of a scene to just watch him improve each scene. But in the process of this character development Billy couldn’t decide whether to let Jack just be brilliant or whether to control him.

We shot the film at United Artists which is where I made a string of hits including Irma la Douce (1963) and The Children’s Hour (1961). One day we were at lunch in the commissary and I was depressed about something. Billy and Jack were at my table, when I blurted out, “Why do people have to be in love with people anyway?” “That’s it! That’s it!” Billy yelled. He got up from the table and went back to the set and rebuilt it with that commissary scene.

Billy Wilder would never shoot a master shot. We never had a rehearsal with a master shot. So we never knew what we were actually doing. For a close up he would say, “Be upset.” If you asked, “Why am I upset Billy?” he would say “Because that’s what I want”.

In the scene from The Apartment, where Jack socks the guy… the brother, to get the shock on my face he cracked a 2 x 4 piece of wood, which startled me and gave Billy the shot he wanted.

Working with Billy was like one long ten-week lesson… and apparently it paid off for me, because I received my second Academy Award nomination, for Best Actress of 1960. I lost to Elizabeth Taylor for Butterfield 8, but The Apartment won best picture.

Working with Jack was “magic time”. His staring power was more and more evident as his career grew. He has left us a legacy of supreme humor, drama and talent, which we will be forever grateful. His genius was so riveting that even today I can close my eyes and be reminded yet again that he is the master of magic himself and a real friend throughout all time.”

- Shirley MacLaine in her own words on shooting The Apartment. To read more about Shirley and her films visit her website @ ShirleyMacLaine.com.

This is my very small non-contribution to the Billy Wilder Blog-A-Thon being hosted at Filmscreed. I love Billy Wilder and I would have put something more substantial together if I had more time, but I just learned about it today and wanted to spread the word. The Apartment (1960) is one of my favorite comedies from the 1960s and arguably one of the best dark comedies ever made.

Billy Wilder wrote some amazing scripts and made a lot of great films. Besides The Apartment, my personal favorite Wilder films are Double Indemnity (1944), Sunset Blvd. (1950), Stalag 17 (1953), The Seven Year Itch (1955), Some Like It Hot (1959), Irma la Douce (1963) and The Fortune Cookie (1966). I personally think Wilder did comedy better then drama, but I really wish he would have made more noir films.

I look forward to reading all the contributions to the Billy Wilder Blog-A-Thon!

Comments (5)

Favorite DVD Releases of 2006 - Part I.

by Kimberly Lindbergs | February 2, 2007

Categories | Movie Reviews, Favorite 2006 DVDs, Japanese Cinema, Giallo, British Cinema, Italian Cinema, American Cinema, Comedies, Elizabeth Taylor, Thrillers

Selecting my Favorite DVD Releases of 2006 was no easy task. As a matter of fact, I found it pretty impossible since there were so many great films released last year that I could easily compile a list of 50 impressive film titles. Instead of limiting myself to a mere 20 Favorite DVD Releases I’ve decided to share 30 Favorite DVD Releases of 2006 with you instead, but I’ll post my list in 3 parts over the next week.

The one thing all these films have in common is that they’re all official NTSC Region 1 DVDs and they were all originally released between 1960 and 1979. This list just contains DVD releases from last year and the numerical order means absolutely nothing except that I got the reviews written in the order that they appear.

30 FAVORITE DVD RELEASES OF 2006!

Ganja & Hess
1. Ganja & Hess: The Complete Edition (Image)
When I stuck Ganja & Hess (1973) into my DVD player last year I didn’t know what to expect. I had never seen the film before and only read brief reviews where the movie was simply called “an odd blaxploitation horror flick.” Well, imagine my surprise when I discovered that it didn’t resemble any horror film I had ever seen with the exception of George Romero’s Martin (1977) which was made some 4 years after Ganja & Hess. Ganja & Hess manages to mix African mythology and modern vampirism into a fascinating and original story. The performances by Duane Jones and Marlene Clark are both really terrific and Bill Gunn’s impressive directing is especially noteworthy. Also worth a mention is the wonderful soundtrack by Sam Waymon, which adds lots of depth to the film. Ganja & Hess is simply one of the most thoughtful and interesting horror movies I’ve seen in years and this beautifully presented DVD from Image Entertainment was a real treat. The DVD also comes with some terrific extras including The Blood of the Thing featurette as well as a copy of the original screenplay by Bill Gunn and a great article by Tim Lucas & David Walker which sheds a lot of light on this excellent film.

The Red Queen Kills 7 Times
2. Emilio Miraglia Killer Queen Box Set (NoShame)
This great double DVD set contains The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave (La Notte che Evelyn uscì dalla tomba, 1971) and The Red Queen Kills 7 Times (La Dama rossa uccide sette volte, 1972) which are both directed by Emilio Miraglia. These stylish gothic flavored giallo films are a terrific treat for the eyes and ears! I had never seen The Red Queen Kills 7 Times before, but The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave is probably familiar to a lot of Eurohorror fans like myself since it was easily available in various edited forms on VHS as well as DVD, but the quality was always lackluster. In contrast, both DVDs in this set are presented in widescreen for the first time and contain loads of wonderful extras including interviews with the cast and crew of both films, a nice 20-page booklet and postcards featuring lobby card art. The Box Set even comes with a fun Red Queen Figure that you can display. The casts of both films are great, but Barbara Bouchet is especially memorable as Kitty in The Red Queen Kills 7 Times and the talented Italian composer Bruno Nicolai created the terrific soundtracks for both films. Overall this is a really nice homage to an under-appreciated filmmaker who passed away much to early. NoShame’s great DVD Box Set left me wishing Miraglia had lived longer and made more films as impressive as these two.

Reflections In A Golden Eye
3. The Marlon Brando Collection (Warner Home Video)
This terrific DVD Box Set from Warner contains five of Brando’s films which have never been available on DVD before. I think The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956) is the weakest film in the lot and it’s a bit embarrassing to watch Brando pretend to be Japanese so I can’t really recommend it and The Formula (1980) is a somewhat forgettable film with an interesting plot costarring George C. Scott, who gets much more screen time than Brando. Thankfully the other three films in this set more then make up for the previous two mentioned. In the Joseph L. Mankiewicz film Julius Caesar (1953) Brando gives an impressive and Oscar nominated performance as Marc Antony, but my two favorite films in this set happen to have both been made in the 1960s so that’s why this collection made my list. In Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) Brando gives a noteworthy and underrated performance as the troubled Fletcher Christian. The two disc DVD presentation of Mutiny on the Bounty is really impressive! It comes with no less then 5 special featurettes, as well as a Brando trailer gallery and alternative footage that was not seen during the film’s theatrical release. Last but not least is John Huston’s remarkable and under-appreciated film Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967) which has long been one of my favorite Brando films (as well as one of my favorite John Huston films) and it’s presented in its original “golden color treatment” for the first time since the theatrical release. Huston’s addition of a golden hue to the film gives it a surreal quality, which adds another dimension to the entire movie. Brando is terrific as the sexually confused Major Weldon Penderton and Elizabeth Taylor is totally over-the-top as his frustrated wife. Together they’re lots of fun to watch, but their relationship in the movie is also abusive and disturbing. Julie Harris is also really memorable in the film and gives one of the best performances of her career here as the deeply troubled wife of Brain Keith. Reflections in a Golden Eye also comes with some fascinating behind-the-scenes footage that John Huston fans shouldn’t miss. Even though only three of the five movies presented in this collection are truly noteworthy, this is still a great treat for Brando fans as well as John Huston fans like myself since the Warner release of Reflection in a Golden Eye is only available in this collection.

Female Prisoner #701 Scorpion: Beast Stable
4. Female Prisoner #701 Scorpion: Beast Stable (Tokyo Shock / Media Blasters)
Having loved the previous two Female Prisoner Scorpion movies, I was really looking forward to the release of this film on DVD which is the third of the series and I was not disappointed. Female Prisoner #701 Scorpion: Beast Stable (Joshuu Sasori: Kemono-beya, 1973) quickly became my favorite movie in the Female Prisoner Scorpion series because of all the complex issues it dares to deal with including incest, abortion and prostitution. The movie is also beautifully shot by talented director Shunya Ito and features one of the greatest openings of any movie I’ve ever seen. Star Meiko Kaji gives another sensational and intense performance as tough girl Sasori, but this time she’s out of jail and battling cops as well as pimps. Yayoi Watanabe is also very memorable in her role as the tormented young Yuki. The DVD only comes with few extras, but the movie looks fantastic and it’s great to see Media Blasters releasing so many previously hard-to-find Japanese films.

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
5. Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (20th Century Fox)
I wrote about the DVD release of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) last year so I won’t bother going over it again, but this DVD was a real treat for Russ Meyer fans like myself and it came with lots of terrific bonus material.

I Love You, Alice B. Toklas
6. I Love You, Alice B. Toklas! (Warner Home Video)
Peter Sellers made a lot of great comedies in the 60s and I happen to think that I Love You, Alice B. Toklas! (1968) is one of his best. Thankfully for Sellers fans like myself, Warner decided to release this movie on DVD last year for the first time and the widescreen print looks fabulous. Modern critics love to slap criticism on comedies like this using words like “dated”, “politically incorrect”, “sappy”, etc. which really just show how limited their ability to see anything made before 1980 is. I Love You, Alice B. Toklas! naturally shows some age and may look a bit worn around the edges, but if you watch the film while keeping in mind it was a satirical comedy made in 1968 and written by the same guys (Paul Mazursky & Larry Tucker) who created and wrote for The Monkees TV show, you might lighten up a bit and actually enjoy a few laughs while watching this funny film. Sellers puts on a passable American accent and plays an uptight lawyer who’s pressured into marriage by his conventional girlfriend of many years. When he suddenly falls for another free spirited girl called Nancy (Leigh Taylor-Young) he decides to leave his previous life behind and plunge head first into the “counter culture” of 1968. In turn he finds himself in all sorts of ridiculous situations, but there’s also a dark edge to some of the comedy at times that I appreciate. The DVD doesn’t come with any extras except the original theatrical trailer, but it’s great to see these kinds of comedies which are so often ignored by critics, finding their way onto DVD. Warner should be commended for digging deep into their vaults last year and releasing so many great old films. A lot of terrific Warner DVDs found their way onto my list of favorite 2006 releases.

Don’t Deliver Us From Evil
7. Don’t Deliver Us From Evil (Mondo Macabro)
Long before Peter Jackson dazzled audiences with his impressive film Heavenly Creatures (1994) that dealt directly with the infamous Parker-Hulme murder, French director Joel Seria was exploring the same topic in his debut feature Don’t Deliver Us From Evil (Mais ne nous délivrez pas du mal, 1971), which is one of the most fascinating films I saw last year. Don’t Deliver Us From Evil was banned in France on it’s initial release and it’s easy to see why the film disturbed so many viewers in 1971. Don’t Deliver Us From Evil is not easy viewing and I really commend Mondo Macabro for continuing to release under-appreciated as well as controversial movies like this one. In some ways Don’t Deliver Us From Evil reminded me a little bit of Lopez Moctezuma’s Alucarda (1975) since both films deal with two sexually naive young girls dabbling in satanism who come to similar ends, but Don’t Deliver Us From Evil takes a much more transgressive approach to the subject matter. Director Joel Seria conjures up some impressive imagery in this film and the young French actress Jeanne Goupil is absolutely captivating in her role as the complicated Anne. The DVD looks terrific and also comes with some great bonus material including insightful interviews with the director and the films star.

Jigoku
8. Jigoku (Criterion)
Jigoku (1960) is a unusual Japanese horror film that explores the definition of hell as it’s envisioned in the Buddhist scriptures and this is the first time this classic film has been released on DVD in the US. Influential director Nobuo Nakagawa does a fantastic job of evoking the tortures of his imagined hell with creative set designs and great use of color. The entire cast is memorable, but Yoichi Numata really stands out as the “evil” Tamura and Shigeru Amachi is terrific as the tortured Shiro. The talented Japanese composer Michiaki Watanabe created a memorable score for the film that is really unforgettable. This Criterion release features some great bonus material including a new documentary called Building the Inferno and the picture quality of the DVD is fantastic. Jigoku starts off rather slowly, but the film builds to a spectacular conclusion filled with amazing imagery that will stick with many viewers long after the movie has ended.

The Magus
9. The Magus (20th Century Fox)
Lots of negative criticism has been heaped on The Magus (1968), but when I watched this film for the first time last month I found it really entertaining and engaging. In the film Michael Caine stars as a roguish English teacher who avoids a developing romance with the lovely Anna Karina by taking a teaching post in Greece. He is soon drawn into a strange game involving magic and Greek mythology with a mysterious island inhabitant played by Anthony Quinn who uses Candice Bergen as bait. Michael Caine looked terrific in 1968 and I enjoyed watching him roam around Greece. The film is filled with some really striking imagery and I thought the love scenes between Caine and Karina had plenty of sparks. In contrast, Candice seemed a bit uncomfortable in her role, but you can forgive her since she looks great and seems to be having fun as does Quinn. The Magus also contains a noteworthy soundtrack by the great British composer John Dankworth. The film is based on John Fowles’ book of the same name and he also wrote the screenplay. The DVD comes with an interesting featurette about John Fowles as well as a theatrical trailer and I thought the widescreen print looked fantastic

Death Walks on High Heels
10. The Luciano Ercoli’s Death Box Set (NoShame)
This is another great giallo DVD Box Set released by NoShame last year that really impressed me and contains Death Walks on High Heels (La Morte cammina con i tacchi alti, 1971) and Death Walks at Midnight (La Morte accarezza a mezzanotte, 1972). NoShame has released some terrific and hard-to-find films in recent years and last year they really went the extra mile for giallo fans like myself by releasing this great DVD set as well as the Emilio Miraglia Killer Queen Box Set. Both films in the The Luciano Ercoli’s Death Box Set offer unusual takes on the giallo formula and star the talented and beautiful Nieves Navarro who was married to director Luciano Ercoli and made three films with him. Ercoli had a great eye for detail and his entertaining movies show a lot of imagination and creativity. The Box Set comes with plenty of terrific bonus materials including a nice collectible booklet and a terrific CD featuring the music of the talented composer Stelvio Cipriani who has scored many Italian thrillers. I really hope that NoShame will offer more great Box Sets like this in the future.

20 More DVD reviews to come soon!

Comments (8)