Movie Night

Red Sun

Stars: Charles Bronson, Toshiro Mifune, Alain Delon, Ursula Andress, Capucine

Wild West meets Samurai Bushido. Bronson's gang stops and robs a train, which just happens to be carrying the Japanese ambassador to Washington to present a fabulous sword to the U.S. president (U.S. Grant). During the robbery, the gang's second-in-command betrays Bronson, leaving him for dead and taking the sword. The ambassador gives Mifune the sacred mission of retrieving the sword in one week and sends him off with Bronson. A fair amount of hilarity ensues as Bronson attempts to overpower or thwart the "man in a skirt" but, of course, Mifune outwits him easily.

During a fight, after Bronson challenges Mifune to put down his "hardware," TM throws CB all over the landscape. Eventually, the exhausted CB rolls over, looks at TM, and says, "You look like you're getting tired. Why don't we call it a draw?"

Anyhow, CB eventually forces TM to give his word he won't kill Delon ("Gauche") asap because CB needs to know the location of the stolen gold from the train. They kidnap Andress (Delon's girlfriend) and force her to take them to Delon's hideout but wind up in an ruined church instead, where they are surprised by Delon's gang. Unfortunately, some Comanches are also pissed at all these foreigners wandering around in their territory. So there's a battle in the church, and then the remaining four (CB, TM, AD, UA) get out into the canebrake and pick off the Indians from cover.

When it's over, CB, TM, and AD face off. AD shoots TM and CB decides that the samurai's honor is worth not knowing where the gold is. Beside, AD is just too bad to live. In the last scene, the ambassador's train returns to the depot and the sword is hanging from the telegraph wires, waiting to finish its journey.

One of my favorite westerns. Mifune as a samurai? Of course. Bronson at his stalwart best, and funny to boot? Yes. Alain Delon (in his U.S. debut) for pretty? What's not to like. And of course, the horses. Filming was in different parts of Spain and the horses all have that Spanish action; UA's horses was very obviously Andalucian. Gorgeous.

Neither Bruce nor Amy had seen this one, so it was a big hit.

Next week: Circle of Iron, a martial artist's journey, original story by Bruce Lee.

RIP Etta James

I'd Rather Be Blind, with Dr. John

Movie Night

So, continuing Bruce's education in the classics of cinema, we watched "The Raven," directed by Roger Corman, screenplay by Richard Matheson, starring Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, a very young Jack Nicholson, two unknown women, and three very small parts by unknowns.

True to Corman's efficient methods, the entire cast is nine people and there are no costume changes at all. The whole thing was probably done in a month. And like many others of his films, it's a classic (B genre).

And it's quite funny, too. Amy thought the plume on Jack's hat was distracting and we were both amazed that it stayed on through all the derring-do.

Next week: a double bill with a dance documentary and a HK kung-fu movie with Bruce Lee.

Reading while Coughing

Am sort of under the weather with sore throat and cough and mild headache. Not sure if it's trying to work up to being something more concrete, like a cold, or if it's some kind of allergy, or if it's just being a "thing." Meanwhile, I've been on a small Star Trek (original series) binge. I have about 10 of the books and re-read them occasionally. So far, I've read

Uhura's Song
The Vulcan Academy Murders
The IDIC Epidemic (sequel to VAM)
and just started
Doctor's Orders

Not sure whether I'll go on and read the others or maybe switch over to Dick Francis favorites. I do have some new stuff to read but I'm in the mood for "comfort food for the mind."

Grammar Nazi

is me. Aaarrrgh. I read a lot of "academic" type blogs by professional linguists, physicists, biologists, etc etc yada yada. And I am astonished and appalled at the quality of their grammar (and spelling, too). Most of them don't seem to know the difference between/among;

its / it's
your / you're
there / they're / their
important / importantly (a particular peeve of mine)

and on and on. Not only that, someone will make a snide remark about an OP's grammar/spelling and make his/her/its own mistake in their snideness. Of course, it's getting really bad in books, too -- proofreading seems to be a totally omitted stage of production.

Gnash.