Grand Piano

Wow...wow...wow....GRAND PIANO was so intense!

Now, this is not straight horror. This is a Hitchcock-like...neo-giallo with flavors of Argento, Fulci, and Bava. It's going to be polarizing for sure. It has elements that some people will just not be willing to stand for - like it all taking place in pretty much one spot and having dialogue moving much of the plot forward. However, I loved every minute of it.

Elijah Wood plays Tom Selznick, a pianist returning to the stage after a disastrous performance five years earlier. Nervous to the point of distraction, he travels from the airport directly to the theater, changing into his tux in the limo and cutting it very close for his arrival time. His wife Emma (Kerry Bishé), a star in her own right, tries to guide him through the best she can while dealing with her own celebrity status and crowds within the theater. As he calms down enough to venture forward - trying to ignore the mean jokes and remarks behind the scenes at the theater, he's shocked to find that someone has left notes in his music pages...and that same someone has vicious plans for him.

I'll say no more. 

I was hooked on this film at the AMAZING credits (I was happy to see that they just weren't pretty visuals, too!) and as Wood rushes sadly through to the theater and we start to find out more and more about his backstory, I became more nervous and more anxious. I looked at this as a great thing because it showed that I actually cared about my lead character, not like one of these toss aways one tends to see in horror cinema. As the story went on, I became more and more concerned for Wood's safety.

The film itself is a total throwback to Argento in many ways from the camerawork to the color schemes, but it also had it's unique style and differences that made new and interesting, not just an homage. The Damien Chazelle's story was super solid, though it did have some very "giallo trope" aspects that were easily forgiven. Eugenio Mira's direction was kinetic and slick. I hope to see more from them - Grand Piano was made way back in 2013. His soundtrack for Nacho Vigalondo's Timecrimes (2007) was released by Mondo on a special limited edition vinyl.

As I said, I loved this film. It was a fun and interesting ride!   Thanks to Agent Tish for getting it on my radar! Currently on SHUDDER (U.S) at the time of this posting.

Suspiria 4K Restored Version at The New Parkway Theater

I got to check out the 4K restored version of Suspiria showing at The New Parkway Theater in Oakland CA  last night with my wife and it was...fantastic. Crisp, bright, and lush - like watching a completely new film.  For those of you who have not been to the New Parkway, it's quite an experience. It's the "local theater" that I remember going to as a child growing up in Novato California - small, sweet, and friendly. Not big box branded. Not filled with glitz and Coke ads. Just two theaters showing current and past films. And, there's more. Much more. 

One theater has cool theater style seats with a selection of other seats and bean bag chairs on two levels. The other theater has an even more eclectic collection of seats, booths, sofas, and chairs in a large theater space. It's super comfortable. Like watching in your living room. But...that's NOT all! 

They also have beer, wine, various other beverages, fresh popcorn, and full meals. In short, the ideal date place. A one stop shop for the film lover who wants things to be more plush than polished...generic. And the staff is super friendly.  Ya need to go if you're in the area. But, enough about them! hehehe

Suspiria on the big screen was a first for me. My wife and I went and I wasn't sure how she was going to take it. She's not a horror fan, but she does like films, so I was curious to see what her take away was going to be. Turns out she enjoyed the film and thought many aspects were interesting. She also knew that I loved it, so I think she was even more forgiving. Seeing as the film started at 10:30pm (when we're usually in bed), I was extra pleased that she made it through. 

I saw things in this restored version that I had never noticed before. Up until now, many aspects of the film were either too dark or too grainy to make out. The level of detail and the crispness of the images were fantastic. The audio quality was fantastic as well and I was able to really sink into the experience on all fronts. Literally like watching a new film. 

The one thing that I wasn't 100% on was the red level at the theater. I wasn't sure if it was the theater's projection or if I just happened to be seeing the film the way it was SUPPOSED to be rather than how I've been seeing it up until now. I remembered the red being far more punchy, but maybe the restored version is a bit more tame. That didn't stop me from enjoying the HELL out of the viewing, however. 

If you get a chance to see the restored version in the theater - GO!

Now, I pre-ordered the SYNAPSE FILMS version of the 4K steelbook, so I'm not feeling bad about using their images below! :)   I can not wait to get this baby. I'm not sure what it is about this film, but I just love it to death. I can't wait to see a non-projected version of the film in my home...in the deep dark. Of course, I may need to get a better TV.....hmmmm...   :)

SUSPIRIA playing at the New Parkway Theater October 6th 10:30pm!

Dario Argento's masterwork SUSPIRIA is going to be playing at the New Parkway Theater in Oakland, CA on October 6th - 10:30pm.

From what I've been told, this is the newly restored, 4K print, so it should be glorious.

What better way to kick off GIALLOctober Fest?! I'm going. Are you?

TICKETS
https://ticketing.us.veezi.com/purchase/4096?siteToken=P5WXdOEJ3Eq2eHbZHTAtbg%3D%3D

The New Parkway Theater is located in the Uptown/KoNo section of Oakland, near the corner of Telegraph Avenue and 24th Street:

474 24th Street

Oakland, CA 94612

Movie and Information Hotline: 510-658-7900

Theater Administration (not for rentals or job inquiries–see below!): 510-338-3228

Fax: 510-338-3537

GIALLOctober Fest 2017

We're doing our GIALLOctober Fest again this year, covering a range of giallo films we have not covered before. Who Saw Her Die? , Don't Torture a Duckling, Death Walks at Midnight and many more!

The films we've covered so far can be found here:
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2017/07/giallo-recent-reviews-so-far.html

Have a favorite giallo film that we have not covered before? Let us know and we'll seek it out!

GIALLO - Recent reviews so far

I've been watching a TON of gialli lately. I figured I'd lump all the links to what I've reviewed so far into one page to keep track of them.

ENJOY!

STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER

One of my favorite that encompasses TONS of gialli tropes...STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER! A rather nasty sounding title, but a fantastic film...PACKED with J&B references! :)
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2016/10/strip-nude-for-your-killer.html


A great, slow burn.
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2017/06/the-house-of-laughing-windows.html

PERFUME

Strange mind games.
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2017/06/the-perfume-of-lady-in-black.html






"So bad, it's good." :)
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2017/06/a-blade-in-dark.html

BLACK BELLY of the TARANTULA

Creepy and fun.
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2017/06/black-belly-of-tarantula.html


More mind games with Mimsy Farmer. Totally insane.
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2017/06/autopsy.html


Classy and cool.
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2017/06/the-fifth-cord.html


Engaging, strange little tale.
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2017/06/the-bloodstained-butterfly.html

DO YOU LIKE HITCHCOCK?

This was made in the "Remember when Argento made great films?" era, but I have to say that I really enjoy it. It's solid and interesting and well made. Well worth a viddy!
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2016/11/do-you-like-hitchcock.html



"There were also many lovely WTF?! moments that I found endearing"
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2016/10/seven-deaths-in-cats-eye.html

 

DEEP RED

Another WAY up on my TOP OF GIALLI list. A fantastic film by the masterful Dario Argento!
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2016/10/deep-red.html


I'm sliding this nutty film onto the giallo list, but it's more slasher. And, it's full of crazy.
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2016/10/pieces.html


T and A and Blood. Another classic giallo.
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2016/10/torso.html

CAT 'O NINE TAILS

A fantastic mystery. And, yes, also from Argento!
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-cat-o-nine-tails.html


Another "SO BAD IT'S GOOD"    Yikes. :)
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2016/09/nightmares-stage-fright-1980.html


Loose plot and acting, but a highly entertaining mystery with some stunning visuals.
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-killer-reserved-nine-seats.html


This film nails the giallo world. A fun and hilarious giallo spoof of sorts. Well worth the watch if you are a gialli fan and are familiar with the giallo world.
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-editor.html

STENDHAL SYNDROME

More Argento goodness with the lovely Asia Argento. A tight, Hitchcock style mystery.
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-stendhal-syndrome.html



Another favorite of mine. While not strictly giallo in nature, there are gialli elements in here for sure. The visuals are a delight.
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2015/01/amer.html

This one gets beat up a lot with the "style over substance" argument, but I found it to be utterly engaging, unique, and strange in a wondrous way.
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-strange-color-of-your-bodys-tears.html

 The Bava classic - a must see!
 http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2013/10/a-bay-of-blood.html

Another brilliant gialli classic from Argento. Grand!
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2013/10/tenebre.html

SUSPIRIA

Tops in giallo loves, SUSPIRIA hits the paranormal side of giallo. And it does it marvelously. It's a beautiful nightmare.
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2012/11/suspiria.html

A comedic moment from STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER

The Card Player

Well, I'll keep this short - one to avoid spoilers as usual and two....to avoid movie bashing because I don't like to do that here. :) However, in the interest of GIALLOCTOBER FEST, I'll put up a review for THE CARD PLAYER even if I didn't enjoy the film.

Short overview is simple - police are forced to play online poker to save the lives of kidnapped women.

Shortest synopsis I've ever written on here.

Why?

Because this film would have made an OK 20 minute short, but it makes a painfully slow feature film. I had a brief moment of excitement when the lead female detective introduced herself. I thought she said that her name was Det. Anna Manni - the lead from The Stendhal Syndrome. I thought, "Oh cool - this is like her life before the other film. That's neat." But, no....it was Marri, not Manni. And I continued to watch even more deflated than I was before. hehehehe

The police playing cards against the killer was interesting for a moment. They set up the basis rather well and the technology behind it seems reasonable and doable, which made the scenario believable. However, after the first time or two, it gets stale quickly. There is a sense of tension that I appreciated - the police forced to watch the victim die if they don't win the three hands of cards. The tiny window on the computer screen focused on the victim's face as they play to the right of it. I could almost see Dario planning it all out in his head and it sounding like an awesome idea. It's almost a pre-visualization of the SAW movies, really. But, it's not interesting for a full film.

Interesting too - this film came out in Italy in January of 2004 and SAW came out here in the States in October of the same year. The only thing that's really the same here, however, is playing a game for a life. There are no complex traps or things of that nature in here. 

The other sad part of the whole of it is that the story itself isn't fleshed out well, so we're forced to watch as police mill about waiting for the killer to strike again as as they do autopsies and find strange, giallo-style clues that...honestly...we don't really care about.



On a positive note...uh...oh! The dead bodies in here are really gross and amazing looking. Some top notch special effects work. They are like large, nasty looking PRACTICAL dummies. I appreciated that.

It was interesting to see GAME OF THRONES star Liam Cunningham here. He did a fine job. Stefania Rocca in the lead role was...there. heh :) Brooding and beautiful, but not much more. 

I'll end this here. :::sigh:::

I was glad I saw this film to complete my DARIO ARGENTO catalog, but I won't revisit it again.

The Stendhal Syndrome

The Stendhal Syndrome is not one of Argento's stronger movies, but it's a movie that is packed with interesting parts. I believe that may be the best way to approach this film - viewing it as a film of parts and halves.

According to the WIKI:
Stendhal syndrome, Stendhal's syndrome, hyperkulturemia, or Florence syndrome is a psychosomatic disorder that causes rapid heartbeat, dizziness, fainting, confusion and even hallucinations when an individual is exposed to an experience of great personal significance, particularly viewing art.

The spoiler free review is simple.

Dario's daughter, Asia Argento, plays Det. Anna Manni. When we meet her, she's rather frantically exploring a museum and we're not sure what she's doing there. She strolls through, viewing the paintings and artworks with a sort of crazy desperation. She collapses after seeing artwork come to overwhelming life before her. As she starts to come to her senses, we find out that she's a detective on the trail of a serial rapist/murderer. Unfortunately, it seems she's the object of his obsessions - a pet project. She catches up with him, but he gets the upper hand and has his way with her violently. And so begins their odd, destructive, violent, and horrifying relationship.

I won't say much more to avoid spoilers.

Hitchcock had to be the influence for this film - there is a Hitchcock vibe throughout the film in the introduction of characters, pace, lighting and framing, and plot development. It's very interesting to compare this to something like Vertigo which is another film of halves. There are Brian De Palma aspects to the film as well, especially in the lighting and the use of shadows. Of course, Dario Argento is no stranger to fantastic lighting - I would never say that he was just copying other directors. Not at all.



The Stendhal effects in the film are rather wild. Artwork slowly slips into life with sounds and vibrancy, then eventually Det. Manni actually interacts with the artwork and is able to move inside the art itself. There are some stunning scenes in this film.

Asia is adorable as always and manages to stretch a bit as an actress here. She really gives her all and runs a full range of emotion from whimpering, helpless damsel to aggressive wildcat.  I thought she did a grand job working with the acting tools at her disposal.

Thomas Kretschmann plays a wondrous horror as the rapist. He went on to play Dracula in Argento's Dracula 3D...which I actually kinda liked, though everyone HATED it! hehehe  My expectations were subterranean. He's a monster in Stendhal as well - an evil creature. Marco Leonardi is also in this, though his acting and the role is a major step down from CINEMA PARADISO, I have to say.

Now, I watched this as part of my GIALLO OCTOBER fest - now to be referred to as...wait for it....

GIALLOCTOBER FEST 2016!   :)

However, this really doesn't fit into my definition of classic giallo or even horror to be honest. More like "giallo light"or classic thriller. However there are still giallo-like elements at play here. And, the film is very heavy on some major dramatic elements as well.

The subject matter is rough, for sure. Very hard to watch. Brutal acts of violent rape are portrayed, albeit as tastefully as they could possibly be. I'm not even sure there is any nudity in the film. There are several non-sexual acts of violence as well, but unlike other Argento films like DEEP RED, they are not overplayed and could possibly be counted on one hand, really. Another interesting aspect of the film.

The film is long. Too long. It could have easily told the same story with a tight 90 to 100 minute running time. At roughly 2 hours in length, it's easily split into two stories. However, the time isn't completely wasted. Argento looked like he was trying to create something beyond what he had before artistically and it shows. It's visually interesting throughout and packed with visual and audio style choices that add to the overall "edge of sanity"feel of the film.

It was obvious to me that Dario Argento was trying to make a statement with the film. The last few scenes of the film really hit home for me and helped to erase any lingering feelings of the film's running time being too long or the story being thin in parts out of my mind - it's a powerful wrap up for a story that was surprisingly deep and effective.

Other Argento films should be watched before this, but The Stendhal Syndrome should definitely be part of any Argento fan's viewing list. Check it!

A great soundtrack as well! (below)

The Cat o' Nine Tails

Another Argento classic, The Cat o' Nine Tails leans more towards giallo mystery thriller rather than horror, but there are some horrific moments in the film for sure. Seeing as this came one year after Bird With the Crystal Plumage, a more straight up mystery film with a few kills makes a lot of sense. That's what he was producing at around this time period. Four Flies on Grey Velvet came out in the same year as The Cat o' Nine Tails. This is what people refer to as the ANIMAL TRILOGY - far more successful a trilogy than the THREE MOTHERS trilogy, sadly, thanks to the Mother of Tears fiasco.





Reporter Carlo Giordani (James Franciscus)  investigates the goings on at a lab facility after a failed robbery attempt leaves a guard rattled. He enlists the help of Franco Arno (Karl Malden) - a blind ex-reporter who happened to spot a car near the facility on the same night. As they get closer to the one they are hunting, they become the hunted themselves.

It's a fun little mystery. As with most giallo films, when you find out who did it and why, you might find yourself blinking at the screen blankly and mumbling, "Uh...ok....sure." But, it's still well worth a watch seeing as this is Prime Argento at the height of his film career.He really keeps things moving forward well and manages to get some humorous elements in that really work well, too

Gigi   :)

Franciscus and Malden are fantastic in this. They really sell their characters and work well as the crime sleuths. Other standouts are Rada Rassimov and the odd faced Ugo Fangareggi as the awesome criminal helper Gigi the Loser - really dug that character as well. 




The robot award for the movie goes to Catherine Spaak who's as stiff as the doll from DEEP RED. :)

While I'm still not sure why this was called The Cat o' Nine Tails (...were there nine suspects? Hmmm...maybe?)  this is definitely a new fave of mine now that I've finally seen it. I need to revisit Four Flies now that I'm older. I originally saw it "back in the day" after ordering a VHS bootleg. We're talking the, "You send me $15 and...who knows....you may actually get a VHS of the movie you want from me a few weeks later," time period in the 80s when that was the only way to see these films here in the States. :)

Where does this film sit in the Animal Trilogy for you? I put it second to BIRD, but above FOUR FLIES, I believe. Check it! 

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