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Torture Chamber (2013)
Torture Chamber is an unrelenting , nerve jangling tale of demonic possession that enraptures you from its opening scene and never lets you go
Its been said of director Quentin Tarantino that he devours past genres and films in whole, and regurgitates chunks of them into his own films. that is simply not true, as I tell you...on the QT, that Tarantino is only referencing the films he loved-many of which were none to great to begin with-and payimg tribute to them in his own films. His films are puzzle boxes full of references to titillate film enthusiasts and he has succeeded -in his own brilliance-to give us some of the greatest modern genre films of the past 20 years.
Tomaselli's latest-Torture Chamber-is set apart from his previous 3 films , all of which were of a trilogy in themes and characters -again, very much like Argento with his Mothers trilogy (inclusive of Suspiria, Inferno and a recent one whose title Im at a loss to remember ), but certainly not purposeful as much as he had a story to tell of Catholic demoralization that could not be summed up in one film .
Spoiler Alert!
A clever touch has director Tomaselli killing off actor Danny Lopes-the young, charismatic star of his 3 previous films, be killed off in the beginning almost as a prologue and as matter of factly as Janet Leigh in Psycho. This was Dantes way of letting his many rabid fans know Torture Chamber will be unlike his first films as Lopes literally falls into an abyss and fades out of memory for the viewers so used to seeing him as Tomaselli's Avatar in his other works. After this neat prologue, of which Tomaselli also introduces into his bag of tricks a sensuality that was all but absent from his other films, the film grabs you and never lets you go.
Tomaselli has presented us with a familiar gialo premise, complete with a detective, a murder mystery and a bluish color scheme that belies the term Gialo (meaning yellow) as it should be called Azzures. Yet, thats where the similarities end. The Sopranos' irrepressible Vincent Pastore (Pussy on that ingenious , lamented show)has one of his best roles in a long time in which he sheds his usual Italian American mannerisms. He adds a sardonic humor to a detective who almost doesn't believe what is going on around him. Its a nicely written role that adds a bit of humor to the bleakness engulfing it. Tomaselli uses the detective as both a commentary on and a reflection of the atrocious way the little boy, Jimmy is treated. Its the character of Jimmy that the audience is both repelled and compelled by. He is the most sympathetically hideous creation since the baby in Its Alive, so the audience is torn on what to think at every moment. He is a despicable little boy-deformed in a way you must watch to understand-and the setpieces with Jimmy go beyond extremes to the points that you sometimes have to divert your eyes from the screen. This abused young boy hides behind a mask -a mask unlike Meyers in Halloween that gave that killer a human quality, its a mask that itself can induce nightmares. Its an ancient artifact of what seems like a lost civilization as it masks the deeply disturbed young mans true motives. Jimmy is a complexly written character. We cannot associate with him as the cold blooded killer he is, and yet the director goes to lengths to add a layer of sympathy to him that belies our understanding. The director uses the viewer as a psychological voodoo doll, pinning and poking us at will to provoke our emotions in ways in which HE HIMSELF manipulates us. We are prodded to see only what the director makes us see all the while in the compositions he has made gives us much more information in the parameters of the scenes that on second viewing, when we are not as tricked as in the first, a whole world is created unlike any we have seen in recent films. tomaselli is a suggestive director, and while there is no outright nudity or sexuality on the screen, there is a subversive tingle of eroticism that permeates the scenes. He has dared take us into and S and M world of which we would normally resist, but, instead we succumb. Its director as seducer, and in a horror film such as this , feels so right. We are watching a film called Torture Chamber-knowing full well its not a Disney movie-yet we are Frozen in suspense.He is the old fashioned barker daring us to pay a buck to see whats behind the curtain -sometimes horrific visions such as The Elephant Man, other times hoaxes such as the Bearded Lady- and once we pay, it is up to us that what we have seen was worth the price of admission. In Torture Chambers case-it certainly was.
Special mention must be made of the still bewitchingly beautiful Lynn Lowry. Tomaselli bathes her in the only light in the film - understandably so as this unique actress truly shines. Her character is the catalyst of the Mask that Jimmy wears and she captures the little nuances of the art teacher in details that only a skilled actress with years of experience can muster up. She is a setpiece all her own. She as in Rebecca DeMornays class of beauty and always added something to any film she was in-no matter how small the part. She doesn't disappoint in Torture Chamber in that respect. Nor does this amazing film disappoint its horror films. It has propelled Tomaselli into a different league of extraordinary independent gentlemen.
The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975)
SECOND to none-this boutique comedy is no Lemmon
THE PRISONER OF SECOND AVENUE is perfection. Jack Lemmon's heartbreaking performance is remarkable. He captures brilliantly what every man of a certain age (and I am now in that category) must endure. He is the avatar to all 40-50 something males-through Lemmon and his performance we see ourselves . While its primarily a comedy-it is also a sublime adventure. We are seeing our lives through Mel's eyes-and for 1 and 3 quarter hours we are on a white knuckle ride through middle age-his pain, suffering, denial, his feeling of life kicking him in his sagging butt-are uniquely felt. Its a atharsis as we endure lifes lessons and ultimately-like life itself-come out of its inevitability smiling at the end-knowing that we have no other choice but to live life-not drown in it. This is Neil Simons masterpiece. Beautifully written it blows the artificiality of the later THE GOODBYE GIRL out of the water. The atrocious, shrill ONLY WHEN I LAUGH really put the nail in the coffin of Simons once amazing career. I count THE ODD COUPLE , THE HEARTBREAK KID , MURDER BY DEATH and of course PRISONER as some of my alltime favorites. And yet GOODBYE and LAUGH garnered nominations in categories PRISNER were denied-Actor, Actress, Screenplay and Picture at the Oscars. Our foundling fathers-the British recognized Anne Bancrofts hilarious performance as Best Actress at their BAFTA awards. She is very much Lemmons equa in this. They are Mel and Edna-they are the old married couple they portray. A separate shout out to Marvin Hamlish-his melancholy score is the score to my life. Its elegant , simple notes add up to one of the best scores-ever. Its a shame that it never made it to cd (nor album)-it is exquisite. In every area-acting, writing, scoring, AVENUE succeeds magnificently. As added touches that enhance the viewing-it is a perfect time capsule for Manhattan circa the 70s. You feel and taste it.Amazingly evocative of its times. Highly recommended-this movie takes no PRISONERs-it engulfs everyone.
The Fortune (1975)
There is no misFortune in watching this
I rank this as my alternative list of favorite 1970s movies. On this list are ten films that didn't get the critical reaction nor the box office they deserve but IMHO were alongside the true greats ofthe 70s such as The Godfather 1 and 2, Shampoo,Nashville, Taxi Driver, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Dog Day Afternoon, Jaws, The Exorcist and One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest-all blockbusters and among my favorite of the decade. My second tier list of 70s best include Smile, Citizens Band, The Day of the Locust, Law and Disorder, Our Time, The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea, The Prisoner of Second Avenue, The Heartbreak Kid, Swept Away... And this hilarious farce, The Fortune. These were films that were only blips on the radar upon release but for various reasons strike me as great . The Fortune came out in a year where 30s nostalgia was in vogue. Perhaps because of the megaton bomb that was At Long Last Love (which nearly made my list) earlier in the year and the stillborn release of The Wild Party(vastly undetated) , The Fortune didn't stand a chance despite the amazing star power of Warren Beatty and Jack Nichdon. I absolutely love this movie! Warren Beatty has never been sexier or looser on screen in perhaps his best performance and the manic side of Jack Nicholson was embryoed here and would be his signature style throughout the 70s with One Flew and especially Going South. It's a magnificent performance but the real revelation us the astounding Stockard Channing. Why did this lady not become the equivalent of a 40s star? She is gorgeous here and madcap , she's a more beautiful Kate Hepburn. At least the golden globes recognized her but the Oscars should have that year as well. She could have easily taken the Best Supporting Actrss slot occupied by the abysmally untalented Sylvia Miles (how did this hag get 2 Oscat nominations for only 20 minutes of screen time for 2 movies?). The Fortune deserved to make a fortune but flopped. Definitely track this down-it deserves a Renaissance of quirky 70s comedies that also include Smile (Barbara Feldon was a revelation in that) and Hearts of the West(Sylvia Miles has garnered two Oscar ns and the luminous Blythe Danner- None? Where is the justice?).ZThe Fortune demands to be seen.
Satan's Playground (2006)
An important modern exercise in horror that demands attention
While not ever reaching the feverish pitch of SNAKES ON A PLANE's massive internet push which left people gASPing for its release, Dante Tomaselli's SATANS PLAYGROUND has slowly grown a major cult following a full year before its August 22nd release. While New Line's movies slithers into B movie hissstory as a disappointment, Tomaselli's PLAYGROUND has teeter tottered into the consciousness of horror fans everywhere...and comes out swinging.
Director Tomaselli has had great success with 2 previous dtdvd releases-DESECRATION and HORROR. Those two films were sensational dreams-capes of masterful terror. SATANS PLAYGROUND straddles the anxieties and fears derived from those films while adding a new landscape of monotony, claustrophobia and pulverizing action to create a roller-coaster ride you won't soon forget. If DESECRATION was the ascent of a wooden coaster-rickety, unnerving and surprising-and HORROR the tip of the first hill-no turning back fright, than SATANS PLAYGROUND is the out of control coaster descending uncontrollably into an abyss of the unknown, noisy, out of control and harrowing.
Tomaselli tantalizes viewers like few modern directors have. SATANS PLAYGROUND has a definitive signature scrawled across its celluloid in blood. He is a unique austerest who unlike the cookie cutter directors today creates his films from the inner turmoils of the dark recesses of his mind-not from a concept. Yet PLAYGROUND-on the surface-is a concept. It is "the Jersey Devil movie".But-like the motifs running through all his films-nothing is as it seems. The legend of the Devil is there-but the psychology and complexity of this film is as thick as the fauna and flora of its forest setting. Like the Pine Barrens itself, PLAYGROUND won't let you out so easy once you are taken into it and once inside its eerie trappings-you are overwhelmed by its beauty but deceived by it as well.
SATANS PLAYGROUND is unrelenting and its director unforgiving. It is a popcorn movie and a therapy session rolled into one. Tomaselli creates a series of characters everyone can identify with-a young wife with an autistic teen son-unhappily married to a man 15 years her senior. Her beloved single mom sister-her only friend and her infant baby. Travelling on a vacation in a vintage station wagon, Tomaselli cleverly sets up the situation. The overbearing husband/father to the left-and in front, an old fashioned man who's literally in the drivers seat. The unhappy wife on the right, helpless . The sister right behind her sister in placement and support , the baby in the coveted seat in the center and like all teens-the autistic boy in the rear-unheard and barely seen.
Tomaselli puts the movie into high gear immediately after an incredible opening aerial shot that dwarfs the Bruno family in the massive woods-there is dread at the get go. I wont spoil the thrills ahead but the sadistic side of Tomaselli takes no prisoners. Nothing is predictable-some of it disturbs all of it frightens.
Felissa Rose epitomizes the 30 something mother who is literally and emotionally lost in the woods as her life meanders on. She is an elegant actress-she says more in her facial contortions than someone would in a one woman show. Tomaselli has given her a vast canvas of which she paints a colorful, shaded portrait of despair.. You care greatly what happens to her character-and it isn't pretty. Ellen Sandweiss as the sister looks uncannily like Rose. You believe they are sisters. Her single mom-like many we know-has resorted to the loneliness consuming her life. Her baby is all that matters and Sandweiss' inert fierceness and maternal instinct propels her to a point of no return-she's fearless-any mother would be. Ellen Sandweiss is a stunner, she exudes sensuousness without bearly trying. In these thickets she is a true earth mother. Together Sandweiss and Rose are 2/3rds of Bergman's CRIES AND WHISPERS sisters who care for their sickly teen son/nephew who is dying inside rather than a third sister dying outside. Tomaselli shoots them lovingly-their beauty transcends the gorgeousness of this films delicate palette. As the teen, Tomaselli has resorted-very successfully-to using Danny Lopes as his alter ego as Truffaut had done in his films. Lopes gives a powerful, heartbreaking performance as the mishandled Sean. Tomaselli has used him as the catalyst in all his movies-he is literally The Eyes of Dante Tomaselli. Through him we glance at the true horror of these movies-Dante Tomaselli's visionaries of his past.Irma St. Paule is one of the most maniacal creations on film. A magnificently shattering performance-she is Medusa in Martha Stewarts clothing. She'll bring shivers to your dreams. The antithesis of Sandweiss' Paula-she too will stop at nothing to save her children-only two of 13 being left. Tomaselli's parallels of good mother/evil mother are 2 sides of the same coin and it fascinates as well as repels. As the repulsive progeny, Christie Sanford exudes pathologicalness-and manages unbelievably to create sympathy for her deranged kidnapper. But-its not long before you lose sympathy for this devil-woman. Ed Neal is Quasimodo and the Elephant Man-a misunderstood monster that is allowed to run rampant and has no choice of benevolence-as much as he tries-because he's not shackled in a bell tower or whisked away in a freak show. Neal leaves an indelible impression nearly equaling the 74 CHAINSAW he costarred in.
SATANS PLAYGROUND demands attention. It is an important step in modern horror. Its references to other films-part of the fun is finding them in this demented Where's Waldo? scheme-are only a launching pad to a unique visionary. With DESECRATION.HORROR and SATANS PLAYGROUND, Tomaselli has resurrected the thematic films prevalent in foreign films by Rohmer and Truffaut in the 70s. This is a hot movie-a Dante's inferno if you will-and with PLAYGROUND it is also Dante's Peak...for now.
At Long Last Love (1975)
It's a De-Lightful, De-Licious and De-lovely underrated treat!
AT LONG LAST LOVE was an unmitigated critical disaster when it premiered at Easter 1975. 20th Century Fox was so displeased with it the studio pulled it from distribution and it signaled the end of director Peter Bogdonacvich's up until then promising career which included the classic THE LAST PICTURE SHOW, the very funny Barbra Streisand screwball comedy WHAT'S UP DOC?(which foreshadowed this Cole Porter inspired film with Streisands dynamic and playful rendering of Porter's "You're the Top" over the beginning credits) and the much beloved PAPER MOON. Three years in a row, 3 blockbuster hits and 12 Oscar nominations later, Peter BOGgeddownabit with 1974s DAISY MILLER before crashing and burning with AT LONG LAST LOVE. If nothing else, AT LONG LAST LOVE is a beautifully costumed and art directed film thats a heck of a lot of fun. Very often , as a 40 something guy, I try to recapture memories of old movies I remember consuming endlessly on HBO and finding that with very few exceptions looking at films through a 12 year old eyes doesn't translate well 30 years hence. AT LONG is one of those exceptions. There is much to admire as an adult(AT LONG LAST LOVE had its biggest strike against it for a randy 12 year old-it was rated G! We loved HBO precisely for the opposite reason-to see naked girls in R rated movies.). The Cole Porter songs-however out of key they may be sung by Burt Reynolds and Cybil Sheperd-are a pleasure to "hear". Its like watching your favorite cool Aunt and Uncle at a wedding drunkenly singing some standards-yes they sound none too good but because of their dynamics you infectiously smile, grin and have a great time. Burt and Cybill get over as those favorite Aunt and Uncle did-they were young, carefree and beautiful to look at-who cares how they sounded? You are compelled to watch them. The story is as thin as the chiffon on the dresses but as a whole-it worked. Madeline Kahn , Eileen Brennan and Eileen Heckart add heft as a triumphant trio of comedic /singing talent. AT LONG LAST LOVE is like a dazzling Broadway show that has a great score, a credible book and likable stars-but the featured players steal the show. As a Broadway show it probably would have drawn raves, as an expensive studio musical in 1975-a year chock full of musicals with FUNNY LADY, TOMMY and LISZTSOMANIA among others-it flopped, and shouldn't have. Fox seems to be digging in their vaults lately, releasing movies to DVD that never even made it to video. I can only hope that they are planning a Burt Reynolds box set from 1975-including WW AND THE DIXIE DANCEKINGS , LUCKY LADY and AT LONG LAST LOVE- now that would be De-Lightful!And hopefully they'll allow Bogdonavich-with his new clout as an actor on The Soprano's-to revisit this musical classic and do it justice. While director Bogdonavich is no SAINT, he just need to remove his actors MASK and try to direct again. After all-when he did it in the 70s the audiences were grateful-THEY ALL LAUGHED.
Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York (1975)
Where is this movie? its an unsung New York classic.
HBO in the 1970s kindled my still vibrant love for movies in a powerful way. Being able to view movies you never heard of or wouldn't have ventured out to see even if you had gave this young guy a thorough education of film.
SHEILA LEVINE IS DEAD AND LIVING IN NEW YORK left an indelible impression on me. I still - 27 years later-remember certain scenes, especially Sheila dancing with a broom to a song I think was called "Love Me or Love People" and her talk with Roy Scheider. Every review I've read of this film lambasted it and called it the death of Academy Award nominee Jeanne Berlin's(for THE HEARTBREAK KID) career. To this impressionable 12 year old Italian boy who was a sickly child. Ms. Berlins shattering, stammering performance is burned ion my head. She was as alien a creature to me as E.T. was and like that little rubber puppet made me feel sorry and commiserate with her plight of being an outcast so strongly that it inadvertently helped ms cope with my own problems. Its a great, full fledged performance. Its as if Jeanne Berlin's character of the pathetic wife in HEARTBREAK left to be on her own in the big city. This and HEARTBREAK KID should be watched in tandem to get the full effect of an incredible one two acting punch.
Of course my review here is based on feelings and I would love to watch it again through 39 year old eyes and review it again as a film rather than as a memory. I may than agree with the critics about its screenplay(which I remember as being thin) and its murky look(very dark cinematography) but will positively not budge on my perception on Ms. Berlins landmark performance. I would love to see it as a film and experience its charms all over again. Me and my broomstick are waiting. Hopefully Paramount will reunite me with a dear old friend.
Amazon Instant Video (a great resource for 70s film buffs)had this up for sale about 2 years ago. I purchased it immediately (sadly it-like vLOOKING FOR MR GOODBAR and LITTLE DARLINGS are no longer available)-and have it permanently in my pc. The Paramount transfer is good-and while I still do not think of this movie as the diisaster critics of the day thought-I do see its shortcomings. Roy Scheiders zombielike performance makes you wonder what Levine saw in him. Or was it the old "marry a doctor (or fill in blank)" scenario? His lackluster performance nearly kills the film more than Berlins (the critics interpretation-not mine). The song still stays with you-and upon hearing it for the first time in over 30 years-its everything about the song I remember. I was pleasantly surprised how nice the score in general was. The cinematography, the ratchety editing and the thin screenplay add to this films myth of being one of the worst of its year. I still am not of the critics thinking, and now that this film is part of my collection-I haven't seen THE LAST OF SHEILA-but thats for another review.
Horror (2003)
An exhiratingly frightening new horror film
Very few films these days create new worlds without the use of computers. Dante Tomaselli has done this twice, first with DESECRATION and now with his exhiratingly frightening new film HORROR. He uses mundane, Norman Rockwell like settings as a celluloid Colorforms board on which he places surreal images of maniacal parents, drug addled teenagers, deranged clergyman, a young girl unwittingly stripped of her innocence, therapists that are anything but therapeutic and a disturbingly satanical black goat-nothing is what it ever seems and what seems real is never nothing. Danny Lopes plays Luck , a sadistic teenager graced with a vorocious drug addiction and Lizzie Mahon plays Grace, a young girl who, as luck would have it-is endlessly tormented by her parents into a vortex of unwanted drug addiction. Their parallel lives are complex mirrors of societies woes-we are all addicted to something voluntarily or not. Christie Sanford and Vince Lamberti are Grace's grotesquely disturbed parents who are desperately trying to turn their daughter from sweet innocent to replicas of themselves-every parent wants their child to join the family business. Raine Brown is a delicate waif and girlfriend of Lopes Luck, who is caught in an abyss of addiction of which there is no return. Felissa Rose is a therapist-more of which I will not reveal and the 70s mentalist, The Amazing Kreskin is Grace's paternal grandfather, a man who is the lynchpin of lasciviouness of his whole bretheren. Lopes is quietly mesmeric and very charismatic in a role that could easily be Bobby(from DESECRATION)after his untold fate through the gates of Hell. As his girlfriend-Raine Brown is sensational and sexy as a quivering queen of addiction that wants no more out of life than to serve her king. Its a breakthrough role-and the one truly sympathetic character in the film.Christie Sanford , with only a glance and a crooked smile-makes the viewer squirm with uneasiness and Lamberti belies his matinee idol looks with a treaherous abandon as the father no one wants-but unfortunately too many have. Felissa Rose is bewitching in her small but showstopping role. She eradicates any memories of Angela from SLEEPAWAY CAMP as if that were another person . Its a hushed bravada of a role-its as if your favorite aunt has finally arrived at a party-she commands the attention of everyone . Kreskin is surprisingly effective as the grandfather. Itsa beautifully crafted role of ambiguousness. He never once lets the viewer feel he is all evil-his grandfather instincts creep through the crevices-the brilliance of it is that every child loved but was also scared of their grandfather-you feel like a small child again. Tomaselli weaves these characters into a quilt of remoteness and wintry landscapes. The shimmering cinematography puts you into this little town-even if you're watching this in August-you'll find your teeth chattering. The editing is breakneck and the sound is crisp and precison like in its mood inducing wonderment. The vaguely psychadelic score, also by Tomaselli, seduces you into this world from the first note in the credits. The score will hum through your brain long after the film is over. Dante Tomaselli has created, not filmed, an exhilirating new type of horror genre- conscious horror-its horror that delves in-and forever stays with you. With DESCRATION and, now HORROR, Tomaselli has become that rare breed-a director whose films we cannot wait for-each is a new volume of psychological nuances of our culture. They are more than films-they are anthropological studies that entertain , frighten and dazzle us as we look at distorted visions of ourselves. Both films are a set-rhythms and themes run through adjoining veins of both. They are rolled up socks in the top drawer if filmdoms dresser-each folded and rolled into each other-never to seperate. It has set pieces of torture chambers, churches and jump out of your seat sequences that sneak up on you. Its fun itsa popcorn movie dipped in cognac-fluffy, light and classy.