Tarantino The Urban Cowboy

Some movies to check out!

Recap of my week!

In the last few weeks I have seen some amazing horror, action, and spaghetti western styled movies that really impressed the shit out of me. Tis the season! Because the theatrical releases for Halloween were week this year, I got to catch up on some new and older released (And a few unreleased) flicks that really took me back to the days of being excited to see what’s out there.

For starters, I caught a film at this years International Horror and Sci-Fi Festival in Arizona called Sukiyaki Western Django. It is a new film by Takashi Miike – the fella behind such insane films such as Ichi the Killer and the notoriously banned on Showtime episode of Masters of Horror titled Imprint. But Sukiyaki Western Django isn’t your typical Miike styled horror flick – it’s a western and also his first English spoken film. The story is a combination of two of Akira Kurosawa early 60’s classics – The Hidden Fortress and Yojimbo starring one of cinemas greatest actors of all time – the late Toshiro Mifune. His films went on to inspire the Clint Eastwood classics such as a Fistful of Dollars and many more American spaghetti westerns. But if you have seen Yojimbo and The Hidden Fortress (Which if you haven’t you should defiantly check them out) you will recognize the combination theme I am about to go into………

A lone Gunman (Hideaki Ito) rolls into a town plagued by two gangs – The white Genji Clan and the red Heike clan. Both gangs are riffing with each other and running the villages people out in search of this legendary gold that is stashed somewhere in the town. When the Gunman drifts into this village, both clans try to hire him for protection and offer him a huge piece of the gold to help them run each other out. Just like in Yojimbo, The Gunman plays both sides for his own personal gain. My Hidden Fortress reference is because someone does know where the gold is and hires him to help get it through the enemy’s lines.

In all, the film’s general appearance is fantastic and the camera work is phenomenal. Quentin Tarantino’s character Ringo seems like just a cool cameo in the very beginning, but he comes back later into the film. The bloodshed is in the vein of Miike’s style so don’t think your watching just another Japanese spaghetti western – it’s still a Takashi Miike film. And, if you’re a fan of Akira Kurosawa’s old school classics, you will love this movie. It’s cool – really cool!

Another movie I watched that has fallen under the radar in my love for films is a classic from actor and director Jack Starrett called Race with the Devil. If you’re unfamiliar with Starrett, he played the hard ass Sgt. Arthur Galt in First Blood. He was the guy in the helicopter shooting at Rambo that fell out to his demise and crushed his head on the rocks. Starrett acted in a slew of movies and television shows and directed some cool movies such as Cleopatra Jones and The Losers.

Race with the Devil is the sort of action/suspense flick that is just non stop and will keep you on the edge of your seat. The cast is classic – Peter Fonda (Easy Rider), Warren Oates (The Wild Bunch), Loretta Swit (Maj. Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan on M.A.S.H.), and Lara Parker (Dark Shadows). While two couples embark on a camping trip together in a RV they stumble on a Satanic Ritual where a young female is stabbed to death in a sacrifice. They bolt from the area where they are parked for the evening and alert the authorities who brush off the entire story.

From this point on the two couples are on the run being chased by the Satan worshipers and the non stop action begins. The ending really tops the film off and leaves you with your jaw dropped in awe. While reading some gossip on IMDB I noticed that there is a remake of this film slated to come out, but no other information is available. I’m sure they will fuck it up, just like how Death Race turned into a piece of shit. Check out the original – Peter Fonda and Warren Oates are simply amazing in the film.

Next up is a short film from an amazing writer we interviewed a while back (And reviewed some of his books) by the name of Dustin LaValley and Joe Knetter. It’s called You’re Next 3 – Pajama Party Massacre. Now this is a 25 min short, and by no means is anything of high quality. But it’s very amusing. Basically the short is a throwback to your 80’s style slasher flicks where two hot chicks with giant tits are having a sleepover together discussing a few murders that happened around town some time ago. (The murders were scenes from You’re Next Parts 1 and 2) It’s pretty typical – they have an ice cream fight pushing the cones between one another’s boobs and do coke in a bubble bath. It’s the sort of thing all girls do at slumber parties, right?

Anyway, a killer shows up for no reason and the boobs and blood commence. The short is decent, but the extras are even better. You gotta watch the short though before you watch the extras. It includes Cast / Crew commentary tracks, video interviews & convention Q&As, behind the scenes and outtakes, balls boobs and blood mini featurette, photos / artwork / promo galleries, NFTS trailers, and re-mastered versions of You're Next 1 & 2. You can get You’re Next 3 at http://www.nftsproductions.com/index.htm The cover art alone is amazing!

Finally, a film I caught on my local cable network’s “On Demand” channel that carries FearNet is Clive Barker’s Midnight Meat Train. When it was released theatrically it got shafted, only appearing in discount theatres. Sure that is cool for the fans, but if you live in some small town that has one theatre you got fucked. I didn’t catch it when it was initially released but Brandon did and I remember he said he enjoyed it. So when FearNet aired it, I decided to check it out.

The story is about a photographer named Leon Kauffman (played by Bradley Cooper of Nip Tuck and The Wedding Crashers) trying to get his big break by photographing people in live situations of sheer emotion. While following a suspicious character he stumbles onto a possible missing person case that he may have caught photos of the evening before. He becomes obsessed and stalks a large man (Vinny Jones) who is the butcher he believes is involved in the case. Leon begins to take tons of pictures and steps into a shit storm of blood and guts on a subway train that he isn’t the slightest mentally ready for.

Now I have one complaint – the digital blood used in some of the scenes. I feel that is cheating and sometimes it annoys me. There is no need for it; man made effects seem to sit better in my stomach still and I have a hard time getting past digital effects still. While watching the film I was also getting frustrated in the anticipation and/or confusion of what was going on. But I am the guy who reads the last chapter of a book before I reach the end. To be honest though, I really enjoyed the movie.

It reminded me of an extended Twilight Zone episode and when you get to the end and find out the story lines purpose you will be in for a treat. I love a film with a twist and Midnight Meat Train, despite its crappy porno from the late 70’s title, was a really cool movie and as far as I am concerned made me excited to see Clive Barker’s name on a film again!

If you've seen or do see any of the above films mentioned, go to our message board and post about them, I am really interested in hearing what some of you think!

Fans of Sukiaki Western Dijango!