I love Lenzi's gialli offerings, or at least the one's I have experiences! I still need to see KNIFE OF ICE and A QUIET PLACE TO KILL. SPASMO and EYEBALL are some of my more favorite gialli viewings. Two very stylish yet, odd in nature but still very effective in the payoff!
It's been a long time since I first seen his SO SWEET... SO PERVERSE (1969), was that not just recently issued on DVD again??
I absolutely loved Freda's brilliant I VAMPRI! Now, what was the deal with Bava being uncredited for with this again? I know he had something to do with the overall direction, but what's the full story on that again?
Any opinions about this more recent giallo? I've heard some bad things but when I found it dirt cheap on eBay, I couldn't resist the temptation of picking it up. Figured I need to give some of the more recent horrer/thriller stuff a chance too. Still waiting for it to arrive and I'm not quite sure what to expect of it but at least it has a pretty good cast that includes famous transsexual Eva Robins from TENEBRAE (1982) and the good-looking Elisabetta Rocchietti, who has been cropping up in a lot of horror stuff like THE THREE FACES OF TERROR (2004), DO YOU LIKE HITCHCOCK? (2005) and THE LAST HOUSE IN THE WOODS (2006). Not to mention supporting roles by Florinda Bolkan and Franco Nero! Anyone here seen it?
Interesting looking film out of Italy with Irish/Spanish co-financiers. Directed by Italian SFX man Stefano Bessoni.
In the 1600s, long before the invention of photography, a scientist named Girolamo Fumagalli was obsessed with the idea of reproducing images. He discovered that by killing a victim and removing the victim's eyeballs, it was possible to reproduce on paper the last image imprinted on that person's retinas. He named this technique 'thanatography'. Today, the same kind of gruesome ritual and abominable crime recurs within the walls of an international school of cinema. -imdb.com
Also stars the daughter of Charlie Chapman, Geraldine Chaplin as well as her daughter Oona.
Well, it seems this is yet another Argento flick that is taking a beating in the review department. Even die hard fans are not too pleased with this outing. Anyhow, the PAL R2 DVD is now out via a Polish company that found it important to force the Polish subs!
Looks like this will be getting a UK release first via Arrow Films! I still haven't seen this, it was on my radar during last year's Midnight Madness during the Toronto Film Fest. The disc will be released March 15th..
I'd love to grab this, but for now I'm holding off on the Blu-Ray player for now, too unstable industry right now. Plus, the multi-region player are way too expensive!
CAST - KARRA ELEJALDE, CANDELA FERNANDEZ, BARBARA GOENAGA and JUAN INCIANTE.
DVD SOURCE - MONGREL MEDIA DVD (NTSC REGION 1 / 88MINS)
Interesting tale of a man who discovers there is something very odd playing out in the forest behind his home. Upon investigating further he finds a nude girl laying at the base of a huge pile of rocks. Not sure if she is dead or not, he looks closer, which results in a strange man whose head is draped in bloodied gauze viciously stabbing him in the arm. Upon fleeing the madman, he makes his way to an unusual building where a scientist is experimenting with a time machine. The story unfolds into a labyrinth of situations which correlates into the man's last few minutes, ultimately leading to the identity of the scissor weilding madman.
There is one thing I absolutely love; that being a great storyline told in a non-linear fashion. It is certainly a sign of a good director to pull off such a task and make it work - something director Nacho Vigalondo manages to do with his first feature length film. Manipulating the story's timeline, building the necessary plot strengths, while managing to keep not only the killer's identity, but story's payoff, until the perfect point. The film succeeds in building a stressful, very tightly kept environment for the viewer, resulting in something that draws your attention to the point of finding your eyes glued to the screen in anticipation. This is weaved not only in the visual display that Vigalondo reveals to us, but it is stitched together with a very solid storyline, though basic on a whole, nevertheless, it is effective in every sense.
Not only was it that TIME CRIMES was told via a non-linear storyline that would surely intrigue me, it was also the catchy score that came with it. From the opening credits piece that lured you in with a hypnotic vibrational pull, throughout the rest of the film, the remainder of the score continued almost as if it was never really a major element, though just being there. That of course is meant in a good way. It was always just the perfect touch in aiding forward the film as a whole in it's non-linear fashion.
Along with the storyline, the characters are believable. Our curious main character sits on the fence of being completely voyeuristic; something that leads him onto a deadly path of similarity with the film's mysterious killer. That unfolds quickly in the way of a seemingly dead naked girl. You certainly start to really identify with pretty much all of the main cast, though it's not without its very unusual players as well. None more so than the El Joven (played by Nacho Vigalondo himself), who is the scientist behind the experimental time machine. Equally as good in his role as he is as the film's director. Though for the most part this film is played out as a dramatic thriller, Vigalondo manages to bring subtle yet very dark humour throughout the film. This is mostly on display through the interaction of the characters.
Still, there is one element I refuse to divulge for the shear purpose in urging you to track this film somewhere and watch it down the road; the movie's blood-soaked, bandaged killer. Who is this puzzling individual and why is he killing? I'll say, it's interesting to see him kill the same individuals several times over and over. There is a method to Vigalondo's madness, and the key is in what's underneath those bandages.
I have been really very much enjoying Spanish thrillers for quite some time now; that of the last ten years especially. Though Spain has always produced some great cinema since the 70's, TIME CRIMES is certainly right up there with some of the Spanish gems I have viewed. It was nice to see it get a North American release through Mongrel. The DVD is just as good as the feature usually when viewing a different region disc, in this case a Spanish film. Usually the extras don't offer any English options to fully enjoy them. Mongrel does an excellent job with providing them here, as there are plenty to go over. Everything from an extensive 'making of', to the usual behind-the-scenes, as well as smaller offerings of a photo gallery and trailers. I for one really enjoy seeing this material, being in the industry myself. The disc's audio and picture are per usual at par with standard DVD quality. You can view the feature in either its original Spanish audio with English subtitles or in English dubbed.
TIME CRIMES AKA. LOS CRONOSCRIMENES
Interesting tale of a man who discovers there is something very odd playing out in the forest behind his home. Upon investigating further he finds a nude girl laying at the base of a huge pile of rocks. Not sure if she is dead or not, he looks closer, which results in a strange man whose head is draped in bloodied gauze viciously stabbing him in the arm. Upon fleeing the madman, he makes his way to an unusual building where a scientist is experimenting with a time machine. The story unfolds into a labyrinth of situations which correlates into the man's last few minutes, ultimately leading to the identity of the scissor weilding madman. 
throughout the film. This is mostly on display through the interaction of the characters.
