Flashback 1980 - APOCALYPSE NOW, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK...

My selection of movie magazine pages from 1980 is much shorter than 1979's. I was seeing just as many films, at the University film society (three different films a week) and the local BFI cinema, the newly-opened Cinema City.

But I was buying fewer Film Review and Photoplay magazines that make up the bulk of these flashback articles. The photo layouts had become overlapped wonky collages, with the subjects cut out and removed from the backgrounds. Added to that, the photographic reproduction was notably poorer, fainter. I was also far less dependent on them for their tricklefeed of movie news and images.

There were now far more movie magazines available than the ones sold in cinemas, but most of them I daren't reproduce here because they are ongoing organisations - like Omni, Fangoria, Starburst and Starlog. Though, for reasons I don't fully understand, most back issues of Starlog have recently appeared online to view, legally, here.





Photoplay Annual 1980

In an article about actors-turned-directors, here's a shot of Burt Reynolds in charge of Gator, the sequel to White Lightning. His very tall co-star, William Engesser, is just behind him.

Two current genres offered blockbusters to start the year. The ultimate Vietnam movie Apocalypse Now, and sci-fi adventure Star Trek - The Motion Picture. 



Film Review, January

I saw Apocalypse Now at the ABC 2, Shaftesbury Avenue and was startled by the use of multi-channel Dolby Stereo - that sounded like helicopters were actually flying overhead. The end of the film simply faded to black and the end credits were handed to the audience as they left cinema, as a booklet. This is one of several endings that the film has had.

Film Review, January

Just as they did with Superman - The Movie, the press focussed on the budget, in particular Marlon Brando's fee compared to his time on screen. His face on the posters was worth every penny.

Film Review, January

The Star Trek movie franchise started here, with the stars of the 1966 TV series and a crew full of Trekkies (the speech Captain Kirk gives the crew was filmed with using a crowd of fans in futuristic costumes and alien masks). 

Film Review, January

Meteor proved that Irwin Allen wasn't the only one struggling with disaster movies. Despite a great cast (including Sean Connery and Natalie Wood) and a potentially interesting premise (basically the same as Armageddon), the climax is a long slow launch of hundreds of missiles.

Disney's outer space adventure The Black Hole opened in London the same week as Star Trek - The Motion Picture. Both studios had barely enough time to cash in on the success of Star Wars before The Empire Strikes Back arrived!

Much more about The Black Hole here.

Photoplay, February

Perhaps it was the return of Superman that inspired TV to attempt so many superhero series. The feature-length pilot episode for The Incredible Hulk was released in cinemas in Britain. The added attraction of an old Lassie film didn't tempt me. If we were patient, it would appear on TV soon enough.

Photoplay, February

Another franchise that launched in 1979, The Amityville Horror followed the huge success of the book. Perhaps it was the cursed house that soon led to star James Brolin returning to TV and Margot Kidder doing nothing more famous than Superman sequels. Despite taking his performance deadly seriously, Rod Steiger's career continued on downwards and he even made two more horror movies, The Kindred and American Gothic.

More about the story of The Amityville Horror here.

Photoplay, February

The winning combination of director Don Siegel and star Clint Eastwood (Coogan's Bluff, Dirty Harry...) ended with this prison break film, Escape From Alcatraz.

Films and Filming, March

William Friedkin's success with The Exorcist and The French Connection had been cancelled out by the poor reception to Sorcerer. But Cruising was a controversial return to form, with a serial killer stalking the sado-masochistic leather bars of Manhattan's Greenwich Village. Despite a relatively honest and explicit portrayal, and the fact that he'd already made a very different 'gay film' before (The Boys In The Band where all the characters are gay), the gay community urged a boycott and straight audiences weren't in a rush to see Al Pacino struggle with his sexuality.

It remains a dark thriller making the most of New York locations, with a great cast and plenty of surprises. I keep confusing the imagery from the opening scene with that of Zombie Flesh Eaters...

Photoplay, June

Besides Star Wars launching a fleet rip-offs, it also inspired renewed interest in science fiction stories set in outer space. Alien had also skewed a sub-genre towards horror, though dark thriller Saturn 3 opted to be cut down to an 'A' certificate. Several scenes build themselves up to unseen nastiness and Farrah Fawcett's sexy hallucination disappeared completely.

More about Saturn 3 here.

Photoplay, June

Advanced publicity for The Elephant Man, with a shaven-headed John Hurt out of make-up and director David Lynch looking like James Spader. The publicity photos, TV clips and cinema trailer all avoided revealing the face of John Merrick before the film was released. It also downplayed Mel Brooks involvement - the comedy director had produced this and hired David Lynch to make his first studio film.

And then, this happened. The first Star Wars sequel struck for the school holidays.

Photoplay, June

Unlike Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back only opened in one West End cinema - the Odeon.

Film Review, July

Film Review, July

Empire builders (above): director Irvin Kershner, producers Gary Kurtz and George Lucas, writer Lawrence Kasdan.



Film Review, June

Opening the same week as The Empire Strikes Back (!!!) the second Battlestar Galactica movie, The Cylon Attack, was again bumped up from American TV. Just like the first film, it was shown at the Empire, Leicester Square in Sensurround sound. 

Hmm. A Clint Eastwood comedy western, the Village People movie or the Star Wars sequel?


Film Review, August

Interesting photo comparison of Roy Scheider playing Bob Fosse's alter-ego, and the man himself directing All That Jazz. I'm not big on dance movies but this is superbly made. A revealing and honest look behind the scenes of Broadway musicals with many immaculate dance routines, also choreographed by Fosse.

Film Review, August

Director Alan Parker refused to be categorised, following up the successes of Bugsy Malone and Midnight Express with his first American film, Fame - a huge hit that also span off a hit TV series. Hollywood felt briefly threatened (for a few minutes) that they were about to be swamped by British directors (like Ridley Scott and Hugh Hudson...).

Film Review, August

The Final Countdown was sold like a 'Bermuda triangle' sci-fi mystery on the scale of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. What we got was a B-movie adventure with a big cast (Martin Sheen and Kirk Douglas) that looked like a million dollars because of the spectacular use of an actual US Navy aircraft carrier. It's no Close Encounters but still an enjoyable watch because of the cast, the score and the king of Troma, Lloyd Kaufman, both acting and producing!

The Final Countdown reviewed on blu-ray, here.

Film Review, August

While disco had been proclaimed dead (news reports of vinyl being burned in football fields, and an elaborate joke at the end of Airplane!) Can't Stop The Music presented itself as a musical comedy, the comedy notably missing. However, this caption in Film Review is funny...

Film Review, August

Film Review, August

How about this for a double-bill?

More about Exorcist II: The Heretic here.

Film Review, December

My first taste of John Carpenter's The Fog. Spoilt a little by a weak comedy caper as the support film. Note that the censors thought that The Fog uncut was okay for 14-year olds despite the director improving the graphic scares with boathooks.

Film Review, December

After The Deep failed to cause a ripple, The Island was another attempt at adapting a Peter Benchley novel. Michael Caine stars, years before his Jaws sequel.

Film Review, December

I've not got every cinema magazine from these years, but it was strange that I didn't find any mention of John Carpenter's Halloween. Other, lesser-known slashers had full page treatment though. He Knows You're Alone briefly includes Tom Hanks' screen debut!

THE DEVIL COMMANDS (1941) - Boris Karloff and the world beyond...

THE DEVIL COMMANDS

(1941, USA)

In many, many of his horror movies, Boris Karloff plays a scientist who begins the story with the best of intentions. And then things go very wrong. The Devil Commands is unusual because for once he isn't a mad surgeon pioneering monkey brain transplants or reanimating corpses. Though it does deal with life after death, delivering similar chills as Vincent Price's Monsieur Valdemar in Tales of Terror (1962)...

The huge rise in the interest in spiritualism, communicating with the recently departed using seances and mediums, was understandably boosted by the first World War. This was filmed during the second, and mixes in fresh elements from the early days of science fiction pulp novels. Instead of using the mystical forces of crystal balls and Ouija boards, here the method is scientific, involving headgear that screams 'science from the future!

But this early sci-fi is also definitely horror, not just because of Karloff, but because of his character's methods... While I was familiar with publicity photos from the film, I was pleasantly shocked to discover the macabre story behind them - a uniquely weird tale, an early echo of Stuart Gordon's From Beyond (1986).

I first remember seeing this among a season of early Karloff horror films on late night TV. The 'mad doctor' ones have co-mingled in my memory and only this and The Man They Could Not Hang stood out at all clearly. Both containing plot elements I'd admired in much later films.

It's not just the story that helped it stand out, director Edward Dmytryk would soon claw his way out of B-movies onto the A-list, with the cherished film noir Farewell My Lovely, an Oscar  nomination for Crossfire and soon after the powerful navy drama The Caine Mutiny. 

He gets the most out of the cast and the low budget, much in the same way film noir would prosper. His staging of the actors constantly makes for interesting, intensely composed imagery, even with just two characters in frame. His direction also boosts the cast. For example Karloff's mostly mute laboratory sidekick is far more sensitively handled than Universal horror's mad hunchbacks.

Best of all is the lapsed spiritualist played by Anne Revere, the driving force behind Karloff's work. He's trying to contact the dead for personal reasons. Her character recognises the financial potential of such a discovery... As in The Sorcerers, Karloff defers any hint of evil, despite his (ahem) bizarre methods. It's the woman in the team who is greedy and murderous. Revere's performance is restrained but powerfully performed, and a revelation because I've only ever seen her play the most perfect of mothers, as in National Velvet (1944).

Like many B-movies this runs barely longer than an hour, but the story is tightly-packed and may even fascinate you. 

This time around I watched the US NTSC Sony DVD release from 2003. Most of Karloff's work from this era has been collected into boxsets, but I agree that this warranted a standalone release. I compared it to my 1990s UK TV recording and found that the DVD has a far superior transfer. Sharper detail and a wider reveal of the action. It's also the only DVD release there's been in the UK or USA.

More, recommended Boris Karloff films:

THE MASK OF FU MANCHU (1932)

THE MAN THEY COULD NOT HANG (1939)

DIE, MONSTER DIE (1965)

THE SORCERERS (1967)

JIN-ROH: THE WOLF BRIGADE (1999) - a fiercesome armoured police force

JIN-ROH: THE WOLF BRIGADE

(1999, Japan)

Alternately impressive and ponderous anime movie

Just rewatched this. But like many Studio Ghibli films, while I'm impressed by the animation, the detail and artistry of the visuals, I struggle to follow the meanings of the story. First time I watched Jin-Roh, about ten years ago, I was quite new to anime and Japanese cinema in general. Anything I didn't understand I'd let slide because I thought that Japanese culture was very different. Which in many ways it is, but not different enough for me to continually excuse its ambivalent politics or sexual politics.

In an imagined alternate future, a few years after World War II, shortages and harsh government leadership inspire civil unrest and violent demonstrations in the streets. Rather than give the problem to the military or the police force, a new domestic strike force clamps down on demonstrations, trained to be without compassion in dealing with 'revolutionaries'.

After a particularly bloody riot, in which a young woman has supplied the freedom fighters with a deadly homemade bomb, the task force is chasing the leaders down in the sewers. But Fuse, a young member of the heavily-armed task squad, is unable to shoot down the young woman as she tries to deliver a second device...

Fuse is then questioned as to why he didn't kill her. He's kept under observation in case he's a member of a vigilante group within the Jin-Roh, known as The Wolf Brigade. Kept away from active service, he's shocked to meet a young woman who looks exactly like the one he couldn't kill in the sewers...

Directed by Hiroyuki Okiura one of Production I.G's animators, and written by Ghost In The Shell's creator Mamoru Oshii, Jin-Roh is impressive visually, but only really works during the intricate high-calibre action scenes. Most of the story is a low-key investigation into the allegiance of the central characters, rather than any study of their tactics - obliterating demonstrators with heavy weaponry.




The constant references to the German tale of Red Riding Hood, and the characters talking in metaphors make the dialogue hard to follow. Kei's character, who looks to be schoolgirl age, might not be much younger than Fuse, but her physical stature makes her look far younger. Their potential romance looks transgressive though her childlike behaviour is at odds with her extremely dangerous job. This blurring of whether characters are women or girls continues to make Japanese drama look outdated, especially the genres aimed at young men.

Jin-Roh was made after a couple of low-budget live-action films featured the same fictional tactical squad - the barely comprehensible The Red Spectacles (1987) and Stray Dog: Kerberos Panzer Cops (1991), both of which feature the impressive armour (above).


The trilogy, more specifically the look of the Jin-Roh squad, have of course led to impressively-detailed Japanese action figures, not to mention some very similar looking soldiers in video game sci-fi shooters.

(In an attempt to better represent what I've been watching, I want to write more reviews. This was an experiment in writing in 'one sitting'. A short review that doesn't take much longer than a movie running-length to write. Of course, I'll still devote the same silly amount of time to the heavily-researched articles...)

The Making of Slap Shot - a new book on the 1977 sports comedy

I've added a review of the 2011 Jonathon Jackson book to my piece on Slap Shot. Rather than spread items about the same film all around the blog, it's all been included in my 2008 review of the film.

Having just read the book and watched the blu-ray for the first time, I've updated and expanded my review... Slap Shot (1977)

A ton of GODZILLA movies new to blu-ray

Thirteen new Godzilla blu-ray releases on the way...

While we hold our radioactive breath for Gareth Edwards' gigantic Godzilla movie, it's already good news for kaiju fans as half of the Japanese Godzilla films will soon be on blu-ray.

The story so far - not all Godzilla films have yet hit DVD in the USA (Godzilla 1984, below, still hasn't materialised). And besides the American Godzilla (1998), only three have so far been released on blu-ray... 

Godzilla 1984 - still missing from DVD in the USA

Two editions of the very first 1954 Godzilla were released on blu-ray by Criterion (below) and Classic Media. Destroy All Monsters (1968), which confusingly hasn't got 'Godzilla' in the title, was released on blu-ray by Media Blasters in 2011. Godzilla vs Biollante (1989) was released on blu-ray by Miramax in 2012.

Godzilla (1954) - one of three already on blu-ray

But NOW, the imminent second American Godzilla blockbuster has triggered a tidal wave of Godzilla reissues on DVD and thirteen blu-ray debuts. With the rights to Japanese Godzilla films split among different worldwide distributors, there've been four separate announcements of new Godzilla releases made this year. While Sci-Fi Japan have most of the news scoops, what I'm doing here is compiling a checklist of all these new blu releases in one place. I'll also update my master Godzilla DVD list accordingly as they're confirmed. I'll obviously have to rethink the name... disc list? ...digital Godzillas?

Universal Studios will release King Kong vs Godzilla (1963) and King Kong Escapes on blu-ray in April. The American version of King Kong vs Godzilla was very different to the Japanese, but I believe this is the only version that will be released. It was the first Godzilla film to be made in colour. Its sequel King Kong Escapes (1967) also features a mechanical King Kong and the Gorosaurus (that later popped up in Destroy All Monsters), but Godzilla himself doesn't appear in this story.
Details on Blu-ray.com.

Also in April, Media Blasters will be reissuing Destroy All Monsters (1968) on blu-ray and DVD, but also Godzilla vs Megalon (1973) will be appearing on blu-ray (above) for the first time.
Full story from Sci-Fi Japan here.

Three more classic Godzillas will arrive on blu-ray in May from Kraken releasing. Be careful though, as each film has two alternate names (the titles were often re-translated for their US release). 
Godzilla vs the Sea Monster / Ebirah - Horror of the Deep (1966). 
Godzilla vs the Smog Monster / Godzilla vs Hedorah (1971, above). 
Godzilla vs Gigan / Godzilla on Monster Island (1972).
Sci-Fi Japan has the cover art of all three releases.

Also in May, Sony are set to release EIGHT MORE Godzilla movies on four double-bill blu-rays. Deep breath...

Godzilla vs King Ghidorah (1991) and Godzilla vs Mothra (1992),
Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla II (1993) and Godzilla vs Space Godzilla (1994),
Godzilla vs Destoroyah (1995) and Godzilla vs Megaguirus (2000),
Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) and Godzilla: Tokyo SOS (2003)

These are all up for pre-order on Amazon. There should be DVD releases of all of them as well.
More news on these sets from The Good, the Bad and the Godzilla.




Of course, I'm holding my breath to see how good these will look in high-definition. US releases don't always have access to the original Japanese film materials to make the best transfers of films that date up to sixty years old. The blu-ray of Destroy All Monsters was certainly a disappointment. But it's going to be fun finding out.

Kaiju fans have already been treated to the awesome 1995-1999 Gamera Trilogy on blu-ray (from Mill Creek, above) as well as the later 2006 sequel Gamera The Brave (from Tokyo Shock). The good news is that now Mill Creek are also releasing the original six Gamera films in two blu-ray sets (below).
More details from Sci-FI Japan here.

For all the latest news on these and other Japanese science-fantasy, please follow...
Sci-Fi Japan
The Good the Bad and the Godzilla

My full list of where to find all the Japanese Godzilla films on DVD... 
is kept updated here.

THE DEMON (1963) - Daliah Lavi and IL DEMONIO

THE DEMON

(1963, Italy, original title IL DEMONIO)

For years, I only knew Daliah Lavi as the sensual, secret agent 'James Bond' in Casino Royale (1967) - to be fair, everyone in the film is called James Bond. But she has some great scenes, especially when she's up against ineptly villainous Woody Allen, whilst completely naked. If you've not seen it, she's also well known (to horror fans) for Mario Bava's The Whip and the Body (1963) opposite Christopher Lee.

The extensive Video Watchdog interview (in issue 170) with her surprised me when they discussed at length another Italian horror film where she plays a possessed woman who performs a backbending spider walk ten years earlier than Regan in The Exorcist. 

This alone made it a must-see for me, and while I wasn't expecting an unbridled exorcism shocker, The Demon has a consistent, unique quality and plenty of harsh surprises. Shortly after reading about the film, a subtitled version appeared on YouTube. This was lucky, as the film has only been available on DVD in Italy without English subtitles (above). That's a shame because it's quite mesmerising as well as Daliah's favourite of her many screen performances. 

Set in a remote Italian farming village, Puri is very unhappy that the love of her life is marrying another woman. She tries simple, elemental witchcraft to gain his affections. She performs a ceremony high on the cliffs above the church while he gets married to try and curse the couples' good luck. She stalks their home on wedding night, using dead animals to distract the guards. Is she possessed? Is she a witch? Is she mentally unbalanced?

Dressed in black, her defiant appearance and physical presence simply doesn't fit in. The villagers even believe she's a blight on their crops. They use a local faith healer to try and cast out the demon in her. His private ceremony involves trussing her up and then he takes advantage of her. 

Throughout the story, many try to cure her, usually with disproportionate violence. As her behaviour becomes more and more extreme, their methods also escalate.

The superstitious villagers use simple chants and tokens to ward her off, though her behaviour looks just as much like a distraught woman having a breakdown. Though her spider walk in a cathedral and her violent reaction to nuns and rosary beads appears to be a demonic possession.

The film has an episodic, semi-documentary look and sometimes not much explanation to link the abrupt change between locations or to examine the implications of what has just happened. But her extraordinary performance and the spectacular rural locations make this uniquely memorable.

Reading her VW interview again, this was based on a true story and Daliah met the girl she was playing! Director Brunello Rondi, a scriptwriter for Fellini, had her acting amongst (unprepared) real people in real locations, which makes it even more interesting.