54 - The Raven (1963)

Connection To GOD FORGIVES... I DON'T - both released by AIP (American International Pictures).

When Roger Corman passes away, which hopefully is still many years from now. Corman will leave such a legacy behind, giving opportunities to an incredible amount of people in front of and behind the camera - Ron Howard, Francis Ford Coppola, Joe Dante, Martin Scorsese and Peter Bogdanovich where just a few of the directors who he gave a chance to show there stuff and of course he was regularly getting Jack Nicholson (who appears here) cast before Hollywood saw the greatness.

I'd known and seen loads of the Corman stuff for years but it seems weird to me that it only feels the last few years that I began to appreciate Roger Corman - the director, I think it started when I watched The Intruder from 1962 and starring William Shatner, it was such a powerful film and I say this without hyperbole deserves to be remembered in the same breath as To Kill A Mockingbird... and then a day or two later I saw The Raven for the first time.

The thing was I'd seen Corman stuff but it was b-movie stuff, I'd enjoyed Bucket Of Blood a lot but how do I put it I kind of didn't think about the direction. One thing that surprised me about The Raven though was how playful it was.

I don't know what I expected - maybe I expected a completely serious attempt at horror, that would fail to me as a watcher after 50ish years, I mean after all it was on the back-end of the careers of Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre, who where less... let's say choosy about the projects they choose to be in at this point there career and with judging Corman was going through these Edgar Allan Poe adaptations so, so quickly - and maybe, just maybe I thought the full effort wouldn't be put in.

For a start it's just a hoot seeing Vincent Price, Karloff and Lorre share the screen. Lorre I've loved ever since since the old black and white movies from the 30s and 40s and Karloff he's was Frankenstein's Monster for fuck sake - the first two Frankenstein are timeless classics! - and Vincent Price, as time goes on I've become more and more of a fan (I think that all probably started with Theatre Of Blood)

I loved the ending magic-off (source-off - I don't know what to call it) just the way each bit of magic is done by Price and Karloff, I think it's Vincent Price's face throughout, there's just a touch of arrogance in there when he shows his stuff.

Overall a delightful horror-comedy, that really goes for a good time rather then the scares, it's simpl;y magic (man I feel like my puns are getting out of control) seeing acting legends on screen together.

53 - God Forgives... I Don't!

Connection To THE SHERIFF AND THE SATELLITE KID - Bud Spencer

To me a spaghetti western as the ability to be one of the most enjoyable sub-genres of film - the better ones can mix great characters, the right level of violence and beautiful shots. I am happy to report that God Forgives... I Don't is an extremely good movie. This next bit might not really sound like a compliment but it actually is and that's to say it's a typical spaghetti western.

This was the first pairing between Terence Hill and Bud Spencer who ended up doing 19 films together, while most of them where comedies this one isn't and it as a flashback Bill San Antonio (Frank Wolff, who a year later who play the ill fated Frank McBain in Once Upon A Time In The West, not sure one of my favourite spaghetti westerns but favourite film of all time, so for me it was a bit jarring seeing him in a main role here), who accuses his old friend and partner Cat Stevens (Hill - who doesn't perform Father and Son in the film, I think the name is purely coincidental, I've look it up but nothing comes up) of cheating at cards so Bill orders the other out and tells henchman his henchman to set fire to the house, the pair have a stand-up duel and Bill falls when Cat leaves the house the gang has to follow orders and they let Cat leave. In the present (you know what I mean) a train is robbed and passengers are massacred (which the massacred was a great visual) but one survivor before dying identifies Bill and Cat is told this by Hutch (Spencer). That is the jist of early on, I might stop bother trying to do synopsis because I never want to give too much of films and just write about what I thought.

I was looking up information after I watched the film and was surprised there was some critics and that who didn't like it, but yeah I enjoyed it it's give me more thing to watch more spaghetti westerns as well as maybe more Hill and Spencer (I have seen very little of their films together).

One of my favourite scenes is a captured Cat being constantly lowered into the bottom of a well (like dipped in the water) as sort of punishment/torture, I also liked the flashback duel scene including the bit before. There was other bits I liked coupled with some great wide shots it was a good experience for me.

Overall a very enjoyable SW, with three leads that I enjoyed seeing on the screen, it might be a bit overlong even though it comes in at under 2 hours (maybe 90ish minutes would have suited) but I'd say I'd recommend it.

52 - The Sheriff and The Satellite Kid

Connection To POISON IVY - child actor Cary Guffey.

I hadn't heard of this film at all until today...

When I've watched the previous film - in this case Poison Ivy (1985), I for a bit of fun looking at credits of actors (particularly the less known ones) and then type in the name of a film that might stand out to be into somewhere like You Tube and sometimes you get lucky...

I mean I could have gone for the easier connection without looking for other films, something with Adam Baldwin perhaps or why not another summer camp movie, but hey sometimes you got do something a bit different.

The Sheriff and The Satellite Kid is 1979 children's comedy from Italy, I don't think I've ever seen a kids film from Italy - everything's either western, horror or sword and sandals pretty much, maybe the odd war film and them Titanic cartoons from the turn of the millennium which I guess where mean't for kids, but you know...

This film actually charmed me, what a good little film it is - and is set in a town in Georgia when a UFO is reported in a lake which sends everybody into an hysteria except really the local sheriff (Bud Spencer). But strange things start to happen in the town like an ice cream carts entire cart squirting onto the street or a barbers chair turning. That night a blackout hits the city and comes across somebody who appears to be a little boy (played by Carl Guffey) who calls himself H-725 and as device that can make things go a bit haywire, the Sheriff is not convinced until later when he makes a giant fish leap into his arms and then a horse to speak to him (who has a bit of an attitude).

The two have great chemistry, I liked how the sheriffs heart melts towards the little alien child and we get a nice relationship built up between the pair, we get some moments that actually melted my hearts and more surprising some scenes where I genuinely laughed and not in a groan sort of way (the talking horse was a highlight).

The Sheriff has multiple fights throughout the movie including against an Air Force captain (who's the films baddie) but you can't help think especially the first one which is in broad daylight with witnesses would have landed him in so much out water.

Overall, considering like I said I hadn't heard of it until today I feel like I picked well because I ended seeing something that wasn't even on my satellite (sorry had to) and enjoyed up enjoying it. Recommended.