Eat, Drink, Man, Woman 1994 Taiwan, Ang Lee

My favorite Ang Lee movies ar his early ones. I have watched Eat, Drink quite a view times in the past. Today I revisited it. It has some magical moments and seems to come from the heart.

I've owned different versions. First one that was recorded from tv. Replaced this with a VHS original. Which at the exact moment where ten minutes into the movie one of the sisters cassette tapes malfunctions imitated this. The ghost in the cassette. 

Finally ordered the DVD which plays perfectly. 

Very sweet scene where the master chef brings his lover's daughter an impressive meal. The mother doesn't know this and keeps cooking terrible meals which the chef eats himself while supplying the girl and her friends with his masterpieces.

The viewer and the scary auntie finally realize where the father's affections lie.

9

Mascara 1983 USA, Henri Pachard

 Lisa DeLeeuw in almost every scene of this movie about lost women looking for love and lust. 

Some strange and kinky scenes. It's kind of a female porn buddy-movie. Lee Carol is scary and seems drunk through it all. Lisa DeLeeuw looks tired but lovely anyway.

One of those movies from another era. There obviously was money spent on the production. I remember seeing a Betamax tape of it in a store in 1984. It cost hundreds of guilders. Too much  for me. Years later I bought a VHS at a fleamarket for a couple of guilders. Turned out to be missing some scenes. I managed to find a complete version online still years later. 

An emotional scene that even works. There are some nice character bits hidden in this movie.

Multitasking! Undressing and giving head at the same time.

Adorable....

7

Simon Werner A Disparu 2010 France, Fabrice Gobert

I have to admit that I bought the DVD simply because of the soundtrack by Sonic Youth. I didn't have any idea what to expect of the film itself. I was pleasantly surprised. 

It seems a whodunnit. Not much more than an old-fashioned tv-series episode. But it turns out to be about misinterpretations and gossip. It's a story that makes you reflect on what you've see long afterward.

The music fits very well. It's quite different from Sonic Youth's 'pop' albums.

 Visually everything is completely mundane. It's hard to find interesting snapshots. No faces that stand out, no imaginative imagery.  

7.5

La Comtesse IXE 1976 France, Jean Rollin

One of the X-rated movies Rollin shot under the pseudonym 'Michel Gentil'. There is 15 minutes of wonderful Rollin-stuff in here. He uses an Irma Vep type cat burglar as a framing device. What it frames is some god-awful sex. As far as I know Rollin couldn't stand filming hardcore and left this to someone else.

The choice of music is interesting. Busy jazz which normally wouldn't be used in sex scenes.

A distracted cat burglar. I liked the actress.

Even bad sex can deliver some cool snapshots. 

The girl does look good. Why is an attractive young woman walking around naked sexier than an orgy? 

 One of the last frames. Why didn't Rollin make more of this movie. The possibilities were there. Ah well, probably a lack of money.

My Jean Rollin collection

4

The Hot Spot 1990 USA, Dennis Hopper

This is probably the third time I've watched The Hot Spot. It get's better every time. After it's release it had some pretty bad reviews. Don Johnson wasn't well liked and people seemed to expect something else from director Dennis Hopper. 

Watching it in 2012 there's a lot about it that's very good. Sensual Virginia Madsen and Jennifer Connelly at her most beautiful. Don Johnson in good form. The movie also has a timeless quality. Most of the time I had the idea it took place around 1950 but some of the cars are more modern and there is a Unisys computer in Jennifer Connelly's office. 

On top of this it's beautifully shot.

Don Johnson as the cold, selfish drifter and the stunning Jennifer Connelly. What a face!

Sizzling sex.

As if we didn't know she was a Femme Fatale yet.

Gotcha!

Trailer

9

The Ice Storm 1997 USA, Ang Lee

Ang Lee movie that paints a very depressing picture of the early seventies. Booze, bad communication, dysfunctional families. Brrrr.

The boy who would be Spider-man some years on, Tobey McGuire, reading an issue of FF.

Any movie that use a Fantastic Four comic as a framing device has to be alright.

That's disturbing. Christina Ricci behind the mask.

Sigourney Weaver as the woman from hell.

And the fatal Ice Storm.

8

Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman 2003 USA

One of those DVDs that refuses to open in VLC-player so the snapshots are from other sites. 

The video is entertaining. Some nice moments. Nothing really special. It is an excuse to write about Batwoman. There are different incarnations of the character. The one in the video is not from the comics. The most recent comic version is the coolest. A beautiful, tough, red-haired lesbian. Introduced as Renee Montoya's ex. Which doesn't mean anything when you're not a comic-fan. So here is a spread of Batwoman as drawn by the great J.H. Williams III. Some of the best art in comics as well as gripping stories by original writer Greg Rucka.

Greg Rucka. He writes especially well when lesbian themes are involved. It is a powerful male fantasy I have to admit. For me anyway. So. Interesting writer, interesting characters.

See:
Death and the Maidens

Gotham Central

52

Batwoman

Stumptown

7