Roger Corman, sadly nevermore

I just saw that Roger Corman, famed producer of low-budget movies, died this week. He’s being eulogized by people whose careers he helped, people like Ron Howard, Martin Scorsese, and William Shatner. Jack Nicholson and Francis Ford Coppola are also among his discoveries. I noticed that he supposedly turned down the chance to make Waterworld,…

‘Quatermass II’: ‘Pulp’ fiction for weekend viewing

“They’re being mashed into a bloody human pulp!” For some reason, I’ve long remembered that as Brian Donlevy’s line that described an act of offscreen violence in Quatermass II. I just watched it again, and it turns out that the line actually goes: “That pipe has been blocked with human pulp!” Either way, I believe…

‘Princess Warrior’: Mongolian action with a feminist touch

“What is the point of me being born a human?” Princess Khutulun (Tsedoo Munkhbat), whose lineage goes back to Genghis Khan, isn’t feeling very good about an arranged marriage to the Prince of Pamir. Khutulun’s also not happy about the theft of the Golden Sutra in a tent invasion robbery, and she’ll pursue the culprits…

‘578 Magnum’: Trucker takes on mob

“Boss, he’s a former task-force member.” “He was trained to crush you guys.” That conversation between a crime boss and one of his men might be all you need to know about 578 Magnum, a Vietnamese action movie premiering today on VOD, digital, and Film Movement Plus. Still, I’m going to start at the beginning,…

‘Flower Moon’: Murderous betrayal hits close to home

“We have so many deaths we’ve lost count.” Ernest (Leonardo DiCaprio) has come back from World War I, but he’s starting a new life somewhere that isn’t exactly peaceful. He’s taking a job with his uncle, William Hale (Robert DeNiro), who is authority for an Osage reservation that has discovered oil. Several murders of Osage…

‘Jigen Daisuke’: Showa-era movie violence in a blender

Recent installments of Lupin the Third could feel like a time capsule of ’60s cool. Jigen Daisuke — an Amazon Studios live-action original movie made with TMS, the makers of the Lupin anime — takes that time-capsule thing a little bit further. It feels like a blend of every violent Showa-era movie that did well…

Pam Grier keeps crews in mind in wake of Hollywood strikes

“You know what we forget: the crew members, the Teamsters.” Actress Pam Grier mentioned that she helped feed crew members during the recent writers’ and actors’ strikes in Hollywood. “We had some moonshine if you needed it,” she said. (No, I’m not sure if she was kidding about that one.) “They’re not getting paid for…

‘Godzilla Minus One’: Best sequel goes big on small budget

Godzilla Minus One has to be the best Godzilla (Gojira) sequel so far.  It could also be the best big-budget action movie of 2023, although I don’t really expect anyone to agree with me on that. Naturally, it starts out with a Godzilla attack on Odo Island, the place where the natives talk about the…

What’s Ridley Scott’s plan for ‘Napoleon II’?

I was surprised to see that Napoleon is the top new movie this weekend. I haven’t seen it yet. I’m planning to get Apple TV+ for a month or two sometime over the winter so I can catch Killers of the Flower Moon and Napoleon and catch up on Ted Lasso too. I guess Ridley…

Dream casting: Nicolas Cage as Lupin III

Every once in a while when I watch Lupin the Third, I think about who could play master thief Arsene Lupin III. As far as I know, there’s no live-action Lupin the Third production in the works, but I’ve seen that live-action versions of 2 other Showa crime anime — Cat’s Eye and City Hunter…