Back from the dead with a case of bad teeth

Roger Corman was the first to realize the power of the fallen eastern block in order to wrap up El Cheapo!-El Sleazo! b movies.

In the wake of Coppola's Dracula success (still don't know why -but, hey, let's move on), he decided to produce his own version of some Dracula-like vampire. Next stop : Bulgaria. 

Everlasting plot of a wandering vampire (Christopher Atkins), son of Vlad the Impaler, finding his long lost love in the figure of an american art conservator. If you know/saw Gerard Cicoritti's Central Park Driver, you know what I mean, being basically the same story.

Anyhoo... pretty scenery, good storyline but very poor production (the Hell sequence is Hell-arious!), a good nude underwater sequence... and a director who doesn't seem to handle properly the situation. Too bad.  But an interesting effort overall.

The good part is the music. Ed Tomney, a musician from the Corman stable who worked previously on the disastrous Ultraviolet and Tamra Davis' Guncrazy, delivers more than expected. A truly haunting main theme (Dracula Rising Pt I and Pt II), the mysterious Motet #2 that gives a strange feeling of both fear and seduction. The whole soundtrack is, really, mesmerizing. A true hidden gem of the 90's, worth discovering  and listening over and over.

Bring me that black candle. Now.

Ghosts and Monsters and Zombies and Demons

I can't say the end of the 80's is my favorite period for horror movies. They were tamer, less interesting to watch, painfully directed... the style was gone, the screenplays abysmal... Name one classic horror movie of 1988.

So?

No? Nothing? Nada?Nichts? Zilch? Zapped? Zapped again?

That's my point. Nothing special, just a bunch of straight-to-video products that may have today that 80's patina that is so fun to watch today. But no classic.

One of the last of the true classics is maybe Lamberto Bava's DEMONS, the last gasp of italian horror. Buckets of gore, non-stop action, a helicotper thru the cinema roof, hundreds of flesh-hungry demons, decapitations... you name it, it has it.  It has also, among others, composer Claudio Simonetti. Escaped from the Goblin, he created a fun electronic score. Sadly, he went on doing more or less the same stuff afterwards. There's indeed the fact that the material he had to work with was reaaaaaaaally poor. 

Harry Kirkpatrick's Nightmare Beach, Vittorio Rambaldi's Rage and Ruggero Deodato's Love Threat (a.k.a Dial help) were incredibly poor efforts in the horror/thriller genre. And the soundtrack to each movie sounds like the same. Same electronic variations, same material, same atmosphere. The "worms on the sand" track on Love Threat is exactly identical to one used in Lamberto Bava's Midnight Horror three years earlier. Talk about work.

But for whoever likes (like me) that unmistakable Simonetti's 80's patina, these are gems from another dimension.

Leapin' Leprechaun

After the unexpected success of Leprechaun, Trimark voted for a sequel in 1994. More bucks were thrown into it and Rodney Gibbons (straight from the Corman stable, now an Ugly Betty director) hired to write and direct.

If the results on the screen were an improvment on the first episode, the box office was a disappointment for Trimark. But that didn't stop'em from adding more DTV sequels, where the evil thingy keep on coming back. Even though Lions Gate bought Trimark, they felt there was definitely something. I think the 6th sequel got released in 2007. 

As for the music, the always likeable Jonathan Elias  stepped on. I mean, come on : Children of the Corn, Vamp, Tuff Turf,  Shakedown, Parents, Rude Awakening... these are ALL 80's cheeze classics! The Children of the corn soundtrack always haunted my teenage world. But back to Leprechaun 2. No leaping, please.

The Green Devil got himself a fine music to get along with his evil curses. "Your luck just ran out" said the poster... well not that much. With a electronic soundtrack, an engaging main title mixed with some orchestral flair, Leprechaun 2 is a grrrrrrreat 90's soundtrack . Look out for track n°4 : the leprechaun's bride. I has a strange Madonna flavour à la Erotica. An Erotic Leprechaun? Yipeee. That's a great idea !

Picture this. Ireland. 2008. Warwick Davis engaged in a tender moment with his brand new hip hop victim, escaped from Leprechaun In The Hood.

No. 

Wrong idea.

Music In Reverse

Robot me, Please.

Robot

W@rs

Giant mechanical Scorpio

Dave Allen

Full Moon.

( and a bit of racism towards asians. That what trendy 15 years ago, I guess, but that's just plain ridiculous now. Even in 1993. I mean, Albert, what where you thinking?)

For once, it wasn't Richard Band on the move. But David Arkenstone. I mean, WTF? That obscure master of ambient-rock-new-age-transcendental music a shoe-in for some giant robots combats? Anyhoozle, It did a fine job, after all. Even though it didn't transform (ha-ha) that recycl-O-tron into a cult movie.

Ghost of the Alien Vampire

Back in 1991, there was a neat little sci-fi/horror movie made by a highly underestimated director. 

Movie : The Arrival. 

Director : David Schmoeller

I saw it on video 17 years ago, only attracted by the fact that Richard Band composed the soundtrack. Even though the limited budget allowed very few effects, this highly atmospheric movie is completely original and succeeds at being different. Mixing various themes such as alien invasion, vampire, rejuvenation and even oestrogen-addiction... I mean, damn. What else can you expect from a movie? Just go and rent it. Buy it. Do it. Birds do it. Bees do it.

and, oh, Richard Band composed one of his best scores to date. You can hear some notes of Day Time ended here and there, some of his famous Full Moon effects and many sound effects creating a strange feeling. Somewhere between romance and horror (an i will excuse him for the dreadful 90's flava of "The bar" track. Absolutely horrible. Reminds me of Alan Silvestri having a bad hair day doing No Mercy. Yeech.)

Medicine Man 2

Another Ghost from the Past!

Back in 1997, I entered the Montreal Imax Theater. There was a movie called AMAZON. I didn't know what to expect, as I was kinda bored that snowy day. I just wanted something grand, something different. I figured that such a title could provide what I needed.

Nominated for the Oscars. Narrated by Linda Hunt. But I don't remember a thing 15 years after. Except being bored to death by the movie itself (a kinda moronic Medicine Man 2) but blown away by the images.

And the music composed by Alan Williams. 

At the time, I know that it fitted perfectly the movie. That's what I thought watching it. And I bought the CD asap. 

After all this time, I forgot I had it. I was just searching for something else, and wham-bam-thank you spaceman I found Amazon. Listening to it is an experience indeed, as you can imagine images of the Amazon thru it. I guess that what's the magic is all about. And It kept that power of suggestion after all this time.  Which is not so long ago, I you think about it. But why does it seems like an eternity to me?

I desperatly need a shot of Richard Band. Now.

Apocalypse Teddy Bear

Still digging into the depths of the 90's depravity.

I shamelessly went to the movies on the evening of july 10th, back in 1996. I remember being slightly lost in the theater. And enjoying Christian Duguay's Screamers as well. I often read that many people hated the ending, I still don't understand why. It sums up the utter silliness of the movie. Otherwise, would I bother going to see B movies all the time? Abel Ferrara's Body Snatchers was a pretty much similar experience. And (besides the fact that the CGI special effects are not aging well) it still has the same effect on me some years later.

I also remember walking out of the theater, thinking of the music. The main title really hit me, and it was perfect with the images of a meteorite bursting into flames.(I should have kept these images in my mind instead of watching the DVD not sol ong ago. The SFX are awful). Still... Normand Corbeil's work was worth discovering. I had to wait for a long period of time before getting the music.  I really don't remember were I got it. But I sure like to own and listen to it once in a while. 

I must admit that liking someone's work keeps you making stuid things. 3 years ago, I bought the DVD of the awful piece of garbage that is Extreme Ops, another movie by Christian Duguay. I enjoyed skiing a lot, I enjoy most of Christian Duguay movies and it was another OST by Normand Corbeil. I still own the DVD just because of the opening sequence. Great music. Dunno where to get it. The rest is crap. But the music is good. What can I do?

Stupid thing, really. 

Ghost, Food, Lodging

So many things to do since I started disappearing. First of all, trying to remember the good times. Then I thought of Brooke Adams, one of the many actresses that didn't have the carreer she should have. I saw a great movie in the early 90's : Allison Anders' Gas Food Lodging. Terrific piece of work, the spirit of indie filmaking. 

Free-spirited, with some uneasy characters (like we all are anyway) with a will to represent life not as it should be, but what is like to hope for the best and not getting any. But always optimistic. Damn I love this movie. I remember listening to the soundtrack over and over again. I was kinda drifting away these days. Made me think of the desert and millions places I've never been to - but always felt related to. 

Brooke Adams did probably her best job ever and it's a shame so few filmakers chose her. Not that Ione Skye ans Fairuza Balk weren't any that good, but I think Ms Adams overshadowed them, probably because she didn't have an easy job and that she wasn't the lead actress. Maybe Not?

Anyhoozle. Time fo you to let the velvet monkeys caress your ears and beyond.

Eat this!

Back in the 80's, movies were FUN. Lots of SFX made on set, lots of creatures quickly made out of nothing - almost. Gremlins was such a worlwide success that many companies decided to get their own creatures. Roger Corman, always on the prowl,  had his Munchies. Charles Band has his Ghoulies... but before that came the Critters. 

Same recipe as Gremlins : a mix of family comedy and horrible creatures attacking some perfect place in the USA. New Line sold Critters everywhere and it worked pretty well at the same time... the sequel was on its way. Mick Garris (the producer of Masters of Horror) made his first theatrical entry with Critters 2 : The Main Course, and it was... fun as hell! Less original than the first but still, worth a look. The SFX were way much better and, strangely, so was the violence. The budget was twice bigger, but it unfortunately bombed at the B.O. Nevertheless, two direct-to-videos sequels were made (the third launching the carreer of some guy named Leonardo DiCaprio. Dah.). Nicholas Pike made an entertaining score and he won the award of best soundtrack at the Sitges Fantasy Film Festival in 1989 with it. Love the "Critters Roll" track, a real gem, halfway thru adventure, suspense, rythmn & cartoon. Perfect match for the movie.

Ready to order? Go to the comments section for the menu.

Caper at the Coffee House

When I usually hear the Perry Mason theme, it's like getting a Hammer Blow on my head. Call me Mr.Lucky if you like, but I hate walking around the French Quarter, meeting some Floozie Late at Bailey's pad. Just like a bad Mirage. In this case, I just shoot to kill, like an Arabesque in the middle of a Danube Incident. A Taunting Scene, isn't it? 

But that's a real Experiment in Terror : being in the middle of the Asphalt Jungle, Where I Live. Like when my polish landlady toss me a scalpel and, bang, I'm cleaning up for Jenny. 

She waited so long for my Prison Break ... but it ended as a Caper at the Coffee House. 

Gee, I'm real lucky.

This is for Alex, Lalo, Henry, Joseph, Leith, Stan, Quincy, Miklos, Warren, the Universal-International Orchestra, the Warner Bros Star instrumentalists... and all those who made this Crime Jazz music the classics we love to hear.

(Tracklist and link in the comments)

Christopher Power!

As I previously said, Christopher Lambert made some really interesting movies in France or Europe. Gabriele Salvatores' Nirvana back in 1997 was one of them. Not a great success box office speaking I'm afraid but a very clever variation on virtual reality, a bit ahead of The Matrix on the subject (but without all the wham-bam-thank-you-spaceman SFX and daring visuals). Surreal and sometimes creepy, this sci-fi flick had some amibtion mais maybe not the budget to do so. Where a virus gets in a videogame and gives life to the characters.

The soundtrack was very curious, too, an eerie mix of 90's electronic music, indian references and cyberpunk culture. Kinda Simon Boswell if you absolutely wants to label it. Mauro Pagani & Federico de Robertis' work is ambitious too, atmospheric, relying on somes strange sound effects to give some kind of despair. Something worth discovering.

http://www.mediafire.com/?b4jeekkxn9u

One Bleak Moment

French cinema detractors usually say that there are 4 rules in a french movie:

1 A train scene

2 A love scene

3 Gratuitous nudity

4 A sad ending.

You got it all here with L'Enfant de l'Hiver (The Winter Child), a depressing story of a young father-to-be who can't live anymore with his wife, and runs into a dead end love story with a young comedian. You can't help the feeling of wanting to cut your wrists after seeing this. The director, Olivier "Demonlover" Assayas, is a former film critic. And it shows here. Better stick with what you know, buddy.

The very sad & short score was composed by Jorge Arriagada,  whose work I actually like a lot, though it remains very hard to find. The OOP OST was an 8 tracks one, with some dialogues chosen for the mood, and especially put before and after some music. A 4-strings piece of work, very delicate, atmospheric, that will help you commit suicide.

Jorge, here you go.

http://www.mediafire.com/?a4dezjnx2xm

Tracklist :

1 Même si je veux partir 0:35

2 L'Enfant de l'Hiver (introduction) 2:00

3 Sabine et Bruno 4:53

4 Je ne sais plus rien de toi 0:17

5 Mouvement 0:34

6 Le Rêve 3:27

7 L'Enfant de l'Hiver (fin) 2:30

8 Ca fait dix jours que je suis à Paris 0:55

BTW, if someone has the OST he made for Blancs Cassés (also made in 1989), I'd love to hear from you.

Christopher Calling

There are a lot of horrible things I heard about Christopher Lambert. His career choices are... how can I put it... weird. Doing Greystoke, moving to Highlander to land on... Fortress 2, the awful Druids and the appaling recent Metamorphosis, one keeps wandering... why? But when you listen to the guy, he just enjoys shooting whatever he likes. That's... rare, even though the quality is not always there.

He made a few movies in France that are, on the contrary, extremely interesting. His best work to date is the 1992 bleak thriller MAX & JEREMIE which, strangely enough, gave the opportunity to Philippe Sarde to compose a master score. Pulsating (track 1 & 4), atmospheric with a few strings (track 6) and sometimes eerie, it really sets the mood. The movie is a kinda black and white thriller shot in color, both riveting and disenchanted. And btw, the solists are Jack Nimitz & Didier Lockwood. Told you : the best.

Let's hear it for Max & Jeremie :

http://www.mediafire.com/?ajl9etbbbjk

Ghostly Bright Lights

What's that light over there in the sky? Could it be... a spaceship? 

Yeah, and a good one, too. It's from Hyperspace, that incredible flick made by Todd Durham in 1985. Unbelievable. Really. And a superb score by Don Davis, in a full orchestral speed. 

How could that happen? How come this sci-fi spoof, waaaay much better than Spaceballs or Morons from outer space (ain't that an esay one?), never came to DVD. Can't even think of Blu-Ray, HD DVD or any brand new thing we'll have to buy to watch movies in the future. There's a crappy DVD version in the UK, released under the name of Gremloids. Gremloids? WTF?

Hyperspace has everything you could wish in a movie-even more. A flying shopping cart battle in a middle of a ravaged supermarket. Laserbeams from walking black gnomes-like aliens. Blossoming romance between an insect exterminator and a garage employee (a very young and sporty Paula Poundtsone). Explosive finale earthings vs aliens - with a death ray malfunction. References to -obviously- Star Wars, War of The Worlds, E.T... it's a riot. And when you thought it was safe to go back to your seat, the movie has been shot in Stereovision. Which means... 3D? I mean, 3D?! i've always been a huge 3D lover and i never knew this one was.

But oh, hell, no widescreen edition on sight, no 3D version ahead et, yawn, no OST available. Anyone?

I could chop my fingers off for not founding anything at all. Except that horrible, pan and scan, man-eating, flesh-crawling, Flashdance-what a feeling UK DVD. (sigh)

Turbulence Ahead

After a few years of resistance, i decided to blog myself til i drop.

Just a few lines to share some of my passions around here, from OST to movies, until the beyond gets me. After all, aren't we all ghosts in reverse?

Anyhoo... being sick as hell for these first days of 2008, i decided to throw myself a bunch of airplane movies. To shake up the ghost tree. 

Starting with Turbulence, my favorite Lauren Holly-impersonating-Karen-Black-in-full-Shirley-Walker-rocking-mood. the way ray liotta gets punched all the 96-mn of this Robert Butler is beyond me. I loved every minute of it.

Then came Red Eye. Great Marco Beltrami score. Rachel McAdams is full scream ahead (am I too Stephen Sommers here?), Cillian Murphy intoxicatingly beautiful and deadly. Wes Craven did a fantastic B-movie gem, retooling the Neve Campbell/Skeet Ulrich duo in Scream for the mainstream audience. Full of airplanes errors. but I love the tension. And the score helps a lot.

To stay in fog mood, i threw some images of Airport. Also a great score. And a-throw-everything-in-your-face-70's-dilemna : abortion, adultery, and more! Jean Seberg's hairdo is great : looks like she's been attacked by the Poodle Avenger. Romantic interest is Burt Lancaster, going on 56. The movie should have been called From here to Maternity, it couldn't have been better. Great suspense though. Great SFX for that matter, though i would have loved to see that 707 crashing during landing. Can't have it all.

Then came Flightplan. Poor Jodie. This Bunny lake is missing rip off is full of void. Nothingness as an art. The Vertigo of what's-my-daughter-doing-in-the-machine-room movies.

The day came to a glorious end. It was dark and way past bedtime. I left my body and went away. Lauren Holly was in a mini-skirt, chased by a vengeful George Kennedy and trying to escape a second Airport 79. I just love those ghost days.