Terror
in Space
aka Planet of the Vampires. With Barry Sullivan.
Directed by Mario Bava.
Mario
Bava's TERROR IN SPACE (1965) is an often-cited
"influence" on the flick ALIEN. It is an undeniable connection,
especially in some more obvious visual aspects, such as the
circular exit tubes that line the crashed spaceships, the
incessant fog, and the basic premise, which we'll not rehash
here for hopes you've not seen ALIEN in, say, five years or
more.
But it is without a doubt a Mario Bava picture, and not some
pre-production sketch for a later American 'hommage.' If anything,
it resembles a big budget remake of PLANET
OF BLOOD, but since that was made
a year later, the reverse influence is more likely. This is
campy "sci fi," right down to the leather, skin-tight astronaut
suits (they make the crew look like escapees from an intergalatic
bondage gang-bang), the mannered acting,
the melodramatic lighting, and ridiculous passages that rival
the 'good stuff' any decent Bava picture possesses.
While TERROR
IN SPACE is not Bava's finest
hour, it may be his most influential, for the reasons cited
above. It is not without flaws, as any of the Italian export
flicks of the era are saddled with; as such, be prepared for
the strengths and weaknesses of the Cinecitta film studio
system. The flaws? The folks in the opticals department and
miniature effects photography must've been mutineers intent
on sabotaging the tense 'space gothic' realism Bava and crew
strove to achieve and rather successfully overall. The plusses?
Wild, pre-DIABOLIK looking sets, and  the
weird atmosphere.
Overall,
it's a successful "transitionary" genre effort. It straddles
the eras between FORBIDDEN PLANET and ALIEN pretty well in
terms of "litmus marking" ability -- it's set bound
and shot non-realistically, more like FORBIDDEN; and yet,
it has the tough, cynical horror of the later ALIEN flick,
as
well as the shadowy ship interiors, the crew facing an alien
enemy who has laid a clever
trap, etc.
For
these reasons and the funky lighting (not since Romero's
CREEPSHOW has lighting been this  archly
over the top and yet still effectively so), TERROR
IN SPACE is a solid 'B' effort
from a solid 'B' director. -- Notes
by Dr. Heywood Floyd.
 What
Critics Say:
"A
tour de force... a profound feast for the eyes. " --
ROCKETSHIP VIDEO REVIEWS
"Scenes with the bodies rising from their graves and ripping
plastic sheeting from their torsos is extremely unnerving,
reminding me of similar scenes in PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES."
-- GRIM REAPER'S MOVIE GUIDE
"If you combine PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES with IT! THE TERROR
FROM BEYOND SPACE, you’ve got most of the
plot elements and the beginnings of the visual style of
ALIEN." -- CINESCAPE
"Classic blend of science-fiction and horror belies its
extremely low budget with buckets of atmosphere and some
genuinely creepy setpieces." -- AMAZING WORLD OF
CULT MOVIES
Like this flick? See also:
ATOM
AGE VAMPIRE;
PLANET OF BLOOD;
VOYAGE
TO THE END OF THE UNIVERSE |
Things
to Come
 aka The Shape of Things
to Come. Starring Raymond Massey, Ralph Richardson
& Cedric Hardwicke. Directed by William Cameron Menzies.
H.
G. Wells did not always care for the movie adpatations of
his novels. He allegedly walked out of ISLAND OF LOST SOULS
(1932) in disgust; he gave his blessing to a film version
of WAR OF THE WORLDS in 1925 when he heard that Cecil B. DeMille
was going to direct it but the project was never done (interestingly
enough, when Paramount filnally did get around to making the
movie version of this novel in 1953 some studio lawyer found
out they only had the rights to shoot a silent film! They
had to get permission from Wells' son to shoot the movie as
a talking
picture!); THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933) met with his approval.
This film, THINGS TO COME (1936), remained
a fave of his because he was called in as scriptwriter.
Alexander Korda produced the film and the director was special
effects master William Cameron Menzies.
The
story begins in Everytown (London, actually, unless there
are Big Ben clock towers all over Europe) in 1940. It is
Christmas Eve and many people are worried about the threat
of war (the movie foreshadows real life with an accuracy
that is downright scary). John Cabal (Raymond Massey) says
people must be prepared for war but his pal Passworthy (Edward
Chapman) thinks everyone, even the enemy, will take time
out to enjoy the Christmas holiday. 
How
wrong he is. Bombs fall that very night, turning Everytown
into a shambles. Poison gas is the weapon of choice on both
sides and soon the land is a blasted ruin and the population
almost  wiped
out.
H.G.
Wells pictured WW2 as lasting for some 30 years and the
movie leaps forward to 1970 where people have broken up
into primitive tribal life and the war is still going on
between what is left of the people (inflation has run wild;
notice that a newspaper costs four pounds, about $20 at
the time!).
Everytown
is now 'governed' by Rudolph The Chief (Ralph Richardson),
a rule-by-force brute who declares that all foreigners must
be shot on sight if peace is ever to come. Who should come
back to his former home but John Cabal, a much older and
wiser man who is now a member of Wings Over The World, a
society of men dedicated to restoring peace through scientific
advancement.
This
does not sit too well with Rudolph who sees peace as the
loss of his power. There is a struggle of wills between
the two men and only one can triumph. Which one? Hey, see
the movie and find out for yourself!
Now
the movie jumps ahead to 2036 and Wells is truly in his
element. Everytown has been rebuilt as a fantastic underground
city (dare I say a... metropolis?). People dress in Roman
style togas and  sickness
has just about been eliminated.
The
city is now governed by Oswald Cabal (Massey again) who
when we meet up with him is planning the greatest adventure
of all, a trip to the Moon! All is not well though, though
there are no more war chieftans there is a small faction
of people who are against any further advancements in science.
Led by the Neo-Luddite sculptor Theotocopulous (Cedric Hardwicke)
they vow to stop the launching of the rocket.
THINGS
TO COME succeeds on many levels. It is both a thrilling
adventure story and a strong science fiction drama but,
as usual with a story penned by H.G. Wells, 
there is a lot of social commentary on hand as well. Early
in the film Passworthy preaches isolationism as a way to
prevent war but he is proved drastically wrong. These sentiments
were also being heard in America at the time as people said
"Let Europe solve its own problems and don't let the
US get involved in another war." It did not take long
for the isolationists to be shouted down.
Rudolph
has a mindset that is just so totally 16th century. He keeps
the people of Everytown as virtual  prisoners
("What do we need travel for? Isn't our land good enough?")
and when a stranger just wanders into town he guns them
down and declares "That's the way to deal with 'em!
Shoot 'em!"
Then
there are the people of the future who think the world is
just fine  as
it is and no more advancement is needed. Theotocopulous
says, "Your science is constantly changing things.
Making what we think great seem small, what we think strong
seem feeble. We will hate you more if you succeed than if
you fail! An end to Progress!"
I
suppose Wells was totally trying to tell us that fear and
intolerance will be with us forever and we must use learning
and understanding to overcome the negativity. Raymond Massey
makes an impassioned speech at the end to emphasize this
point and he asks the climactic question "All the Universe
or Nothingness! Which shall it be?"
 The
cast is great. Cedric Hardwike was a last minute substitution
for the role of the sculptor. Ernest Thesiger was supposed
to play the part and test footage was shot of him. He had
to drop out of the role and catch a ship to America though
because he  had
been offered to meatier part of Dr. Praetorius in BRIDE
OF FRANKENSTEIN. Ah, we can only wonder how that speech
would have sounded in that memorable voice of his.
The
same year this film was made Alex Korda prduced a film version
of another of Wells' stories, THE MAN WHO COULD WORK MIRACLES,
reuniting Ralph Richardson and Edward Chapman and starring
Roland Young as the title character. This transfer of THINGS
TO COME is from a rare fine-grain 35mm print with
beautiful contrast and detail. -- Notes by Countess
Zarina Suspiriorum
 What
Critics Say:
 "A
classic of science fiction cinema, a visionary work of compelling
power, awesome imagination and uplifting optimism."
-- BRITMOVIE.co.uk
"THINGS
TO COME is a film every serious sci-fi buff should
see at least once." -- 23skidoo-4, IMDB.com
"Wells
hated METROPOLIS and his express instructions to the production
team were that they create exactly the opposite of METROPOLIS.
Both are films that offer delirious visions of cities of
the future and human scientific progress; both are ideologically
concerned about the social failings of the present and envision
the creation of a new Utopian society that would set these
wrongs aright." -- SF, FANTASY & HORROR
FILM REVIEWS
 "Imaginative,
only occasionally naive forecast of the age of nuclear warfare."
-- CHICAGO READER
"Great
looking and with a great Arthur Bliss score." -- Ken
Hanke, MOUNTAIN XPRESS
"THINGS
TO COME stands as the INDEPENDENCE DAY of its time
period. It contains vast, gigantic sets and showcases top-notch
and impressive special effects." -- digitallyOBSESSED!
Like this flick? See also:
AMPHIBIAN
MAN;
CREATION
OF THE HUMANOIDS; VOYAGE
TO THE END OF THE UNIVERSE |
This
is Anna Biller
Starring Anna Biller & Jared
Sanford. Directed by Anna Biller.
If
you've ever wondered when the next John Waters or Pedro Aldomovar
will appear to claim the crown as new cult queen, you may
have already missed the underground coronation of Ms. Anna
Biller in the role. While everyone was expecting the next
cult fave to be male-created as usual (and face it, midnight
movies are sadly as sexist as Hollywood lamestream in this
regard; from Rocky Horror to Eraserhead to The
Wall to Evil Dead and beyond, it's not exactly
a great track record), flickmaker Anna Biller quietly stepped
into the throne room and was graciously awarded the title
(at least if her appreciative fans and critical reputation
are any indication). If you're new to her  work,
don't fret it; that's what makes a cult a cult... the chance
to participate before it becomes just another McMovie™.
Ms. Biller's flicks are very difficult to describe. Sometimes
that can indicate an incoherent "mess" on the viewing
end. Hardly the case in THIS IS ANNA BILLER,
however. Rather, her control over the medium is so utterly
complete and without indecision that the viewer is forced
to accept each new, more outlandish moment simply for the
beautiful craft of her work if for no other reason (and there
are plenty of others, such as: high camp acting that is so
arch is actually works; exquisite cinematography (16mm has
never looked more like 70mm Technicolor); black humor; and
an attention to detail that would make Douglas Sirk envious.
Think we jest? Consider: she not only  writes,
stars, produces, directs, and edits, but also creates costumes,
sets, casts, sings, et. al.
THIS IS ANNA BILLER
is a collection of her short film works. First up is "Three
Examples of Myself as Queen," a trilogy of thematic segments
each dealing with a different aspect of the filmmaker's personality.
What is amazing is the way in which Ms. Biller so effortlessly
inhabits not only the lead roles in each segment, but how
charmingly she also adapts each segment into its own unique
look and feel. It is not "merely" post-modernism
or even deconstruction; rather, it has its own peculiar "new
blend" of thrills and thoughts, which is why all the
fuss at festivals where her works have played.
 "The
Hypnotist" is a mini-feature concerning a scheming hypnotist
and his dastardly attempts to come between a fueding family
and their inheritance. So truthful to the studio era are the
production details that upon first viewing it feels as if
you have stumbled upon some melodrama marathon on AMC rather
than a contemporary short flick. The set design, lighting
and costuming are impeccable, and again, very Sirkian in intensity.
A bit about Sirk, since it is relevant: Sirk believed in the
idea of "distanciation," a hybrid term he created
mangling of his native tongue with English. The concept was to use the
proscenium arch of the frame to "distance" the viewer
 from
the screen's emotions, thus always providing a self-aware
irony and detachment to the proceedings. Sirk passionately
believed that only with proper "distanciation" could
the audience endure the melodramatic form, as it gave them
a "priviledged" position as spectator but conversely
forced them to invest their feelings, much like suspense cinema
depends on allowing the audience "in" on the danger
to work. Ms. Biller shows that while she has absorbed these
lessons, she is nevertheless her own unique voice, using formal
techniques but to her own, witty and sometimes unexpectedly
touching filmic moments.
And in "A Visit from the Incubus," you will swear
someone has blended out-takes from JOHNNY GUITAR, RANCHO NOTORIOUS
and BILLY THE KID MEETS DRACULA with an undiscovered Mae West
short. The story concerns one Miss Lucy, a young lady of good
repute in the Old West who finds her reputation suddenly soiled
when she falls prey unwillingly to an evil Incubus (frequent
collaborator Jared Sanford in a horrendously wonderful turn),
who turns out to also be a ham vaude-villain actor.
The weird, dreamlike quality of the narrative works perfectly
with the intensely lurid colors and richly saturated set designs to
create a hypnotic effect that makes the short feel like it
ends all too soon.
So you can relax, as it is clear Ms. Biller has no intent
of relinquishing her unique perspective for a Happy Meal®
tie-in movie just yet. Whether you're a convert or just a
willing newcomer, spend some time inside the mind of the creative
genius behind what are truly some of the most formidably subversive
comedic short flix to be made since Jane Campion's earliest
work. Her site isn't called "LifeofaStar.com" in jest.
-- Notes
by J. T. Chance.
 What
Critics Say:
"Anna Biller creates worlds dripping with style that
pull their viewers into a Technicolor dreamland that not only
serve as a feast for the eyes but as Anna has said about her
film 'The Hypnotist,' can be 'mild and pleasant.'
Focusing on personal and feminist issues set against old Hollywood,
theatrical-burlesque, and mythical-allegorical backdrops,
this isn't your typical feminist fare." -- FILM
THREAT.com
"[A Visit from the Incubus] looks, sounds,
and feels great, and it's the sort of thing that reminds me
in just 26 minutes, and even after seeing some 16,000 movies
(of which about 15,000 were crap), of all the things that
made me love cinema in the first place. Highly recommended."
-- Robert Firsching, AMAZING WORLD OF CULT MOVIES
"Anna Biller's must-see film 'A Visit from the Incubus'
... mixes the Western genre with ingredients from horror films,
musicals and comedies... should make you happy, thanks to
a delightful sense of humor and an off-the-wall, no-rules-apply
approach." -- PASATIEMPO
"Anna Biller's Hammer-horror/'50's Western parody 'A
Visit from the Incubus' plays like an overlong SNL
sketch yet haunts the memory
like some creepy David Lynch set piece." -- L.A. WEEKLY
"Murder, madness and manipulation, and
if nothing else, this gorgeous film ['The Hypnotist']
proves that underground productions don't have to look like
crap. It has striking costumes (designed by Biller) and lavish
production design, along with rich color cinematography, while
its overwrought emotions and unreal style evoke the spirit
of Douglas Sirk." -- Steve Puchalski, SHOCK CINEMA
|
Time
Travelers, The
aka Depths of the Unknown;
Return of the Time Traveler(s); This
Time Tomorrow;
& Time Trap. Starring John Hoyt. Written
& directed by Ib Melchior.
Ib Melchior's THE TIME TRAVELERS (1964) oddly
posits a future destiny not unlike the one portrayed in CREATION
OF THE HUMANOIDS. But
whereas CREATION plays for the cerebral approach,
TIME TRAVELERS is deliberately staged more
traditionally in terms of the "sf" filmic content,
Hollywood conventions, action scenes, etc.
Not that Melchoir isn't a good writer or director, mind you.
Rather, the intended market for each picture is so different
and so specialized, each makes the best of its  intended
exploitation "givens" and as a result each works
both independently and (better yet) flip side-by-side because
of their serious handling of the android theme.
TRAVELERS' plot concerns itself with some
time zone trippers who accidentally portal-step into the post-apocalyptic
future. As in CREATION, atomic warfare has
laid waste to the planet, and the survivors are forced to
live a technologically advanced but humanitarianly cold dependency
on realistic androids, beings engineered to look and act human
but ultimately only serve  humans.
The cause of both apocalypses is the bomb, and both surviving
civilizations come to depend upon the 'droids to remain the
only barrier left between humanity as a social construct and
the mutants. Said radiation-damaged beings are only hinted
at in CREATION but herein they are active,
scary denizens of the wastelands who relentlessly seek human
prey.
Most interestingly in both pictures, however, the mutants
are remnants of what was before the atomic devastation. In
short, we, the viewers, as we are now,
watching the flick. Whereas the survivors in both flix are
superior human beings and are meant to represent our future
possible selves. Possible because survival itself for the
human species is hinted at as being a fruitless goal in both
flix, with the best we can hope for at this point transcendance
into another, more highly-evolved form (read: android body,
human "soul").
Granted, they sound a bit downspirited on humanity, so what?
At least both pictures are honest about their intentions in
the best science fiction tradition, depositing dystopias wherein
we have no one but ourselves to scapegoat for our collective
fates. After all, who else are we going to blame: an android
or something?
-- Notes by J.R. & Barkeep.
 What
Critics Say:
"There’s
something about [THE TIME TRAVELERS] that
is pure sf, it’s a tiny gem of what the genre is all
about when it is at its best, and something quite delightful
to find in a B-movie like this." -- Richard Scheib, SF,
HORROR & FANTASY FILM REVIEW
"TRAVELERS definitely takes the high
route... This gives us a chance to see the android construction
facility, the spas of the future (ah, a little skin, 1964
style!), and what future chicks do when they're on the make
for Comic Relief from the past - they play music for them
on something called a Lumichord™." -- STOMP
TOKYO
"Melchior
displays plenty of imagination and does a nice job getting
it on the screen. Cameramen Vilmos Zsigmond and Laszlo Kovacs
enliven the many cave sets with bright colors, and the violent
finale features a surprising amount of brutality and bloodshed."
-- MOBIUS HOME VIDEO FORUM |
Train Killer
Aka Viadukt.
Starring Michael Sarrazin & Armin Mueller-Stahl. Directed
by Sándor Simó.
This
underrated gem is never less than entertaining, if for no
other reason than the terrific production values shooting
in Hungary provided. While nothing looks “real”
in the sense of what you might equate  with
the word, TRAIN KILLER has that “neo-Hollywood”
veneer of costumes that look too perfect, key lighting and
soft focus that render it dreamy, and the always present star
presence of Sarrazin, who truly carries the flick.
At
the same time, the dubbing and acting mannerisms recall the
earlier spaghetti western and other Euro horror flix, as does
the heightened, aforementioned theatricality of production.
This is not a total coincidence, as two of the three credited
writers had extensive backgrounds in crafting these unique,
co-production deals that always produced mondo results.
Screenwriter Ego Eis, better known as Trygve Larsen, penned
many of the early 60’s West German psycho-thriller adaptations
such as THE WHITE SPIDER  and
DARK EYES OF LONDON. Likewise, co-writer Peer J. Oppenheimer
penned such exploitation flix as NASHVILLE GIRL and SEX PLAY,
and he continues to produce to this day (his latest is BLUE
CAR starring David Strathairn). Adding the  dynamic
Sarrazin to the heady mixture of “knows what it takes”
screenwriters such as these cats is what makes TRAIN
KILLER such
a subversively fun movie to watch; it is history mixed with
lurid melodrama bordering on Fassbinder-ian in intensity,
and who can deny the final, twisted true-life irony of the
rebel anti-hero’s fate? Though flawed, TRAIN
KILLER maintains
an interest for the glimpse into a Hungarian legend that is
virtually unknown in the West.
As for a better accounting of that legend than we can succinctly
provide, we draw the brilliant distillation of the subject
of VIADUKT from CRIMES AND PUNISHMENT: THE ILLUSTRATED CRIME
ENCYCLOPEDIA, VOL. 19: “Sylvestre Matushka was a Hungarian
‘company director’ who needed to see a train crash
in order to achieve full sexual satisfaction, and he dynamited
a number of trains in the early 1930s. On Saturday, September
12, 1931, as the Budapest-Vienna express was crossing a viaduct
near Torbagy station, there was a tremendous explosion, and
part of the train plunged into the abyss.
Twenty-two
people were killed. It had been detonated by an electrical
device. One of the ‘passengers’ who sued the
railway company for injuries was Matushka; but when the
police began to investigate his background they could find
no one on the express who had actually seen him -  although
he had undoubtedly been at the scene of the explosion. Further
investigation revealed that Matushka had bought dynamite.
He was arrested and finally confessed that the Bia-Torbagy
explosion was his third attempt on a train. He was sentenced
to hang, but appeals led to the commutation of the sentence
to life imprisonment. The crime writer Paul Tabori reported
that he was subsequently freed by the Russians during World
War II and went to work for them as an explosives expert. -- Notes
by Major Bat Guano.
What
Critics Say:
"A
dramatization of the events that lead to the demolition
of the world's most famous train, the Orient Express. Sarrazin
plays the role of Sylvester Matushka, a mad Hungarian bent
on destruction.” -- VIDEOLOG
“The movie flows along wonderfully and logically.
Historical dates, statements, and results are even given…
Yet being  nearly
2 decades old, this movie is not well known. It is quality
in a drama/thriller/mystery role and is recommended (if
you can find it). ”-- Ryan J. Gilmer, IMDB.com
“What an odd little film… I was somehow drawn
to the very end of the picture, which is more than I can
say for many recent thrillers I've regretted seeing (MEMENTO
leaps to mind)….  whether
I recommend it or not (I do, kind of), you may be hard pressed
to find a copy of it, and I don't foresee a DVD release
anytime soon.” -- Roskalnikov, IMDB.com
“Az orült férfi robbantását
kihasználva az egyre jobbra tolódó
magyarországi politika kérlelhetetlenül
lecsap ellenfeleire, és statáriumot hirdet.
De a precíz Matuska elkövetett egy apró
hibát.” -- TV-FILM GUIDE,
Hungary
|
Turk Trek
aka
Turkish Star Trek aka Turist Ömer
Uzay Yolunda. Starring Sadri Alisik & Erol Amaç.
Directed by Hulki Saner.
The
slavish devotion to the STAR TREK series evident in this
production convinces immediately: this is an hommage as
much as a rip-off, in that no one simply stealing ideas
would bother to recreate them in such slavish and loving
detail save true Turkish trekkers who must've been behind
this (by Turkish standards) lavish production.
 The
plot has a Cheech Marin type stoner/party animal being saved
from a Turkish shotgun wedding when the Enterprise accidentally
beams him aboard. Omar the tourist as he calls himself is
basically a bum on the beat, living from one happy-go-lucky
event to the next, the embodiment of the eternal but comic
wanderer myth.
Unfortunately
for Omar, Turk Kirk has plans for getting laid on a strange,
alien world
and quickly has the entire landing party in typical Trek
peril. What is remarkable about TURK TREK
is the lifting of several classic STAR TREK sequences. From
the salt vampire to the gorn, they try a little of every
key sequence in  TREK
save perhaps tribbles.
Kirk
and "Spak" as he is known in TURK TREK
are the most interesting interpretations on the TREK phenom.
Kirk herein is actually portrayed by a flamingly gay actor,
which may say more about the way Turks viewed Shatner and
the super macho role he played in the series than any open
sexual mindedness.
Spak,
played by Erol Amaç, is a riot. From his mock raised
eyebrow to stoic stances, he captures his doppleganger with
the most elan and knowing "essence"  of
what made the role so great for Nimoy: being above the emotions
of the scene meant the audience was always waiting for you
to explode and become an emotional mess. It's the kind of
role Charles Laughton lived to portray, and Amaç
comes off (despite the tacky ears and costuming) as the
"most like" character.
All
of the supporting cast bear enough of a resemblance to their
intended American counterparts that you can easily follow
the storyline despite the lack of subtitles. Indeed, trying
to understand the endless twists and turns would be fruitless
even with words, so relax and hit hard on your hookah pipes
ala Omar to best enjoy this interplanetary oddity. ;) --
Notes by Rod N. Berry.
 What
Critics Say:
"Turkish
Enterprise’s dress code has got to cause problems.
The female personnel are forced to wear miniskirts that
end four inches above the bottom of their asses, and when
they turn around to work on the spray-painted cardboard
computers, they have no secrets... proves that Turkish cinema
is to comedy what Turkish cinema is to everything else it
tries." -- Seanbaby, THE WAVE
"A
classic cult... the biggest cult of Turkish movie history...
classic cult dialogues between  Mr.Spak
and Turist omer. Try to catch this one!" -- levto,
IMDB.com
"Pure
shit, but Trekkies, as well as Trek detractors, will find
plenty to laugh about." -- Eric Campos, FILM
THREAT.com
"Unlike
those conservative fuddy-duddies at Paramount, the Turkish
ripoff guys have consented to provide the first openly gay
Starship captain in Starfleet!" -- SpeedRcrX, SUBURBAN
SENSHI
"The
movie goes back down to the surface of the planet where
Nancy is licking the dead body of the green-shirted crew
member. It’s nice to know that the future’s
idea of ceremonial burial is to leave your teammate’s
corpse with a woman who licks everything, an eccentric mad
scientist, and a pervert robot wearing tiny briefs and a
pinecone." -- Josh Ronsen, RUMOR
Like this flick? See also:
TURKISH
STAR WARS |
Turkish
Star Wars
aka Man Who Saves the
World aka Dünyayi Kurtaran Adam.
Starring Cüneyt Arkin and Aytekin Akkaya. Directed by
Çetin Inanç.
This legendary “underground”
classic of Turkish cinema seems somehow all too timely given
the regional instability and current geopolitical realities
in a land that most Americans know only from MIDNIGHT EXPRESS.
And given the unpredictable nature of the coming Gulf War
2 (or is that ‘W’WIII?), perhaps this flick more
than any other illustrates the ludicrous gulf between the
Haves (Hollywood) and the Have-Nots (everyone else in world
cinema), and how creativity (however base) emerges from even
the ‘lowliest’ cracks in the wall to compensate
for near-total Yank control of distribution (and, hence and
therefore, production).
First, let’s start with the flick’s so-called
narrative. Basically, a couple of stalwart space heroes crash-land
on a planet and kick Evil Ruler arse until the ‘saving
of  the
world’ is complete. Pretty standard stuff, right? And
yet, mixed in with the maniacal cutting and non-stop action
of TURKISH STAR WARS there is a genuinely
albeit culturally ‘difficult’ gem to watch, full
of surprises and possessing a kitchen sink approach that will
remind you of your own youthful days making Super 8mm epics
that equally ‘cloned’ Lucas. It is this ‘amateur’
love of the American cinema that provides its ‘hidden’
flavor and makes this Turkish stew so enticingly pungent.
Talk about fusion cuisine – maybe this should be called
cold fusion cuisine, as it definitely creates a chain reaction
in the viewer of laughter, slack-jawed amazement, and outright
disbelief that the flick was not only made, but a huge local
favorite (and now it appears to have transcended the world!).
 If
you haven’t heard already, TURKISH
STAR WARS doesn’t spoof or homage STAR
WARS, it 'filmicly samples' slim slices intercut between ultra-cheesy
rear screen cinematography (and that’s being kind) of
our Turk heroes filling in for Luke and  company.
For example, the flick opens with the assault on the Death
Star, complete with X-Wing and Tie fighters dueling in the
trenches. But as noted, only the effects shots are ‘lifted.’
The actual shots of the human and alien creatures are shot
locally and edited into the mélange. To make matters
worse, it is very apparent the shots from Lucas’ flick
are rephotographed (again, being charitable) off an old 35mm
Moviola editor; often the framing is so poor one can see the
black edges of the edit machine’s view hood, dimly-lit
in the soft glow of the images but nonetheless present.
 As
a result, it is impossible not to comment on the technical
quality or rather lack thereof of this flick. I mean, it is
bad beyond a standard even Ed Wood would find acceptable,
and yet, that is perversely what
gives it its charm. That said, you are
in for quite a cultural shock if you have never experienced
a Turkish movie, and an aesthetic  warning
is in order. Shot on mismatching stocks, edited together from
what appears
to be the work print rather than an answer print, and featuring
effects that can only be
properly dubbed ‘not so special’ in nature, it
is a guaranteed ‘F’ from any snobby film professor
and/or prude about such matters as continuity,
color saturation and exposure. And yet again, that is precisely
why you’ll find it so entertaining (bonging some good
Turkish hash first will probably help, though).
 Everyone
who encounters this movie has his or her favorite moments.
Mine are simple but revealing. For example, the sequences
wherein our heroes are flying their fighter craft in space
features the aforementioned rear screen shots. In what appears
to be a cockpit made of a cardboard background with a see-through
port for the projected images,
you can see the images of an Imperial Destroyer
flashing by; but what is amazing is that the images literally
loop in the background
while the action never cuts. In other words, the film behind
the actors often cuts within the shot to another
angle as if they are in some SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE skit parodying
bad rear screen. But even SNL would be hard-pressed to find
laughs in a flick that already has so many built into the
formula. Again, just one of many amazingly ‘in your
face’ technical deficits that are shamelessly paraded
as if they were assets!
TURKISH
STAR WARS
is not for everyone. Indeed, most will find it incomprehensibly
weird and foreign in tone and nature. Too, this edition
is only in Turkish without subtitles. And many might object
to the use of the 'found' footage, however obviously not
the original. But for those who enjoy eating out at restaurants
not owned by multi-nationals, and who cherish discovering
a great 'fusion quisine’ eatery with cheap rates,
this is a flick that will definitely leave you taste for
bad cinema heartily fulfilled and then some. See TURKISH
STAR WARS
before the Men Who Would Destroy the World launch the real
Star Wars; it could be your last chance to see Turkey the
way it was before it inherited that amber radioactive glow.
-- Notes
by Anarchist Skyewalkin'.
 What
Critics Say:
“Raiders
of the Lost Cause.... I like this movie. No, really -- this
is one of the most unrestrained, joyously goofy, lovingly
bone-headed endeavors put on film since Jerry Lewis took
to the camera. But it's not a comedy! I THINK it isn't,
anyway.” -- George Litman, IMDB.com
“Although setting world records for lack of production
values, TURKISH STAR WARS is a lot more
entertaining than [STAR WARS] Episode One and Two, and not
nearly as unexplainably stupid as Jar Jar Binks.”
--  THE
WAVE
“The
swan-song of low-budget Turkish cinema. The relentless rise
of television and the imminent flood of foreign movies meant
that audiences would no longer be satisfied with poverty
row productions of their own cash-starved industry…
[Director] Akin commented that, in its heyday, Turkish cinema
was like a family. Its successes were celebrated and its
weaknesses were overlooked, the way a family forgives the
faults of its own members.” -- Pete Tombs, MONDO
MACABRO
|
Turkish Wizard of Oz
aka Aysecik ve sihirli
cüceler rüyalar ülkesinde. Starring
Zeynep Degirmencioglu, Süleyman Turan, Metin Serezli
& Ali Sen. Directed by Tunç Basaran.
Fans won't be disappointed by the outlandish TURKISH
WIZARD OF OZ (1971). Featuring the usual Turk cinema
non-budgets, technical "challenges" (no Turkish
producer shot sync sound in this era on ANY production!),
and kinetic musical numbers more at home in Bollywood, TURK
WIZ OF OZ
is a true head-caving delight. Forget
luxurious studio sets and a cast of thousands. More  like
on location in the Turkish national camping park and a cast
of twelve. Even the Munchkins are 'short'-changed to less
than the Apostles in number (but at least remain still even
with the Seven Dwarves if you're keeping score).
They're
all here: Dorothy and Toto, the Scarecrow (although he's
 a
literal limp-wristed gay stereotype!), the Tin Man, the
Cowardly Lion and the Wicked Witch. But like all adaptations
ala Turk, the resulting flick is more bizarre than any mere
description can fully capture; suffice to say, it's as if
you're deeply dreaming about the Judy Garland version as
if directed by Ed Wood and you can't nor wish to wake up.
 Speaking
of Garland in MGM's version, this Dorothy is equally a bit
"mature" for the role, and vivaciously so. At
times, you feel more like you're watching TURKISH KUBRICK'S
LOLITA because of the uncomfortably titillating manner in
which Dorothy keeps straining her tight blouse. But then
again, Dad is supposed to enjoy during the family flick
night too, right? ;)
The
Wicked Witch is a truly scary character (again!) not because
the make-up is as effective as Margaret Hamilton's all these
decades later. The lifeless rubber mask triggers uncomfortable
memories of the frozen expressions of Leatherface in THE
TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE or Michael Myers in HALLOWEEN, giving
her an unexpected dimension of perhaps unintended eeriness.
The
deviations from the MGM OZ are hilarious, even if they stay
within the narrative  confines
of  Baum's
book more faithfully than the American version. One example:
the initial meeting of Dorothy's trio of Scarecrow, Tin
Man and Lion is condensed in TURK WIZ OF OZ
to a three-minute montage; the same sequence took almost
half an hour in the 30's flick!
It's
actually quite liberating, again provided you're willing
to tolerate the ridiculously poor technical standards inherent
in the form of Turkish cinema circa this era itself. The
effect is like seeing an old stage play transformed by a
cast of talented but unknown locals at your neighborhood
dinner theater -- you smile at the awkward but earnest production
values, yet ironically enjoy experiencing the old story
as it comes back to you through all the visual snafus and
untranslated dialogue still with perverse impact.
-- Notes
by Witch E. Pooh.
 What
Critics Say:
"Deserves
its place in the high echelon of cult classics and is thoroughly
enjoyable on almost every level." -- CULTURE
DOSE.net
"Offers plenty of cheesy entertainment for the cult
movie follower... worth seeing because it's so foreign and
the characters and situations so unpredictable to the western
mind." -- GRIM REAPER'S MOVIE GUIDE
"Cinematic
insanity which boggles the mind... a buried treasure which
comes to light with unparalleled dizziness and deserves
to be hailed as a new cult classic awaiting popular coronation."
-- FILM THREAT.com
"Play a fun trick on your grandparents. Invite them
over for dinner, spike their drinks with acid... tell them
you're all going to watch [the original], then put this
on and pretend no | |
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