Month: July 2020

El Topo

El Topo is a 1970 Acid Western directed by Alejandro Jodorowski.

Here’s my five-word review of El Topo:

What the fuck was that?

Thanks for reading.

In full disclosure, I chose to watch this bizarre Acid Western without subtitles – making an incredibly complex movie even more difficult to comprehend.

I’m pretty sure I could have closed my eyes and imagined the whole thing and came away with more insight.

Anyway, El Topo tells the story of a mysterious gunfighter who crosses the desert on a journey that is equal parts mystical, religious and sexual. El Topo, or “The Mole”, faces and conquers four desert masters before being left for dead by his lesbian companions. He is reborn in an underground colony of dwarves and cripples and swears off violence. He becomes a beggar before freeing the cripples and exacting vengeance on their killers.

Beyond the language barrier, the challenge of El Topo is unraveling Jodorowski’s heavy layers of disjointed symbolism. Within the movie’s first 20 minutes, El Topo’s naked son buries his teddy bear and mother’s mirror in the sand, then a variety of crazed bandits fetishize women’s shoes and simulate sex with lizards and captured monks.

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American Boy

American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince is a 1978 documentary directed by Martin Scorsese.

American Boy is an extended interview with Steven Prince, who tells a variety of stories that involve his history of drug abuse. Scorsese alternates Prince’s stories with clips of his childhood to illustrate the path his life has taken.

Here’s your one-line synopsis of American Boy: Steven Prince has led a dangerous, fascinating life – much of it while high on heroin.

Prince has worked as a stagehand, gas station attendant and road manager for Neil Diamond. Along the way, he gets into acting – where he’s probably best known for playing Easy Andy, the gun salesman in Scorcese’s Taxi Driver.

The premise of American Boy is simple. Scorsese and a small crew set up at actor George Memmoli’s house and await Prince. Memmoli perfectly sets the expectations by suggesting: “how can you tell a Steven Prince story in two minutes?”

Prince emerges and is wrestled to the ground by the burly Memmoli – then the stories begin. There’s a story about a Silverback Gorilla in an apartment, caricatures of his family and getting a boat captain drunk, before the mood changes as Prince talks about a kid electrocuting himself during a performance.

Scorsese proceeds to ask the first of many questions regarding drugs. Prince recounts the first time he tried crystal meth, as a carpenter injected him. “How much did you take?” “As much as he gave me.” Scorsese and his crew are delighted with Prince’s tales and there’s a sense Prince is feeding off the energy.

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Companeros

Companeros is a 1970 Italian Western directed by Sergio Corbucci and starring Franco Nero.

Companeros tells the story of Yodlaf Peterson, a Swedish arms dealer who forms a shaky alliance with El Vasco, the leader of a Mexican revolutionary group. They aim to protect Professor Xantos, the intellectual head of a student resistance group, from military leader General Mongo and mercenary John, the Wooden Hand.

Companeros is a fun, stylish Italian Western that essentially represents the greatest hits of Sergio Corbucci. It’s a vivid, cleanly shot movie that is equal parts violent and campy.

The characters follow the formula created in earlier Corbucci movies – Franco Nero is the suave foreign mercenary who reveals a soft heart, Tomas Milian is the hardened gunslinger turned revolutionary, Eduardo Fajardo plays a boisterous Mexican general and Jack Palance takes another turn as a warped but quirky villain. There’s also yet another female revolutionary who plays the love interest.

And of course, it just wouldn’t be a Corbucci movie if Nero doesn’t let a machine gun rip….

Nero basically plays his role from The Mercenary, only he swaps Polish roots for Swedish. He’s suave, self-assured and playfully stoic. Again, he arrives in town to sell weapons, then gets mixed up in a revolution. Along the way, his professional lone wolf persona gets assimilated into a buddy comedy. There’s a fun running joke between his character and Milan’s El Vasco regarding a silver coin.

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Dirty Ho

Dirty Ho is a 1979 kung fu movie directed by Chia-Liang Liu and produced by the Shaw Brothers.

Dirty Ho tells the story of Wang, the 11th Prince of Manchuria, who finds himself under attack from his 14 brothers. He disguises himself as an antique dealer and fine wine connoisseur and enlists the help of Ho, a jewel thief. Together, Wang and Ho defeat his would be assassins.

Chia-Hua Lei (aka Gordon Liu) may be one of the most underrated actors of his generation. While I’m sure that’s hyperbole to serious movie fans, anyone would have to allow that Liu is at least one of the most charismatic actors of his time.

In Dirty Ho, Liu plays what is largely a comedic role. He has a gift for blessing scenes with an easy, carefree manner that is uniquely precise. His characters are somehow both non-threatening and lethal and evoke a rare, genuine empathy.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Liu’s performance are the varieties of tempo he displays. Liu commands slower scenes with extended dialogue and can function as either the dominant or supporting actor during brilliant fight scenes.

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