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Clint Eastwood’s squint in Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy established him as superstar. But Lee Van Cleef, a prolific character actor who spent most of the ‘50s and ‘60s appearing on one TV show after another (seriously, his IMDB resume looks like a substitute teacher’s schedule), enjoyed a career resurgence just by association. After playing opposite the Man With No Name in For a Few Dollars More and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly , Van Cleef became a hot commodity among European producers who wanted a bit of that Leone mojo…but on a budget they could afford. The Grand Duel (1972) doesn’t offer the actor much of a stretch performance-wise – his character’s clothes, dialogue and demeanor are much the same as Angel Eyes from Good, Bad & Ugly – but a nifty role reversal casts him as sage gunslinger helping an outlaw framed for murder to clear his family name. The script (by mystery specialist Ernesto Gastaldi) lifts more than a few elements from Once Upon a Time in the West ...

Wine pairings are all the rage these days. Almost every upscale restaurant has a special night where you can discover how a Pinot Noir complements a roast duck or a Sauvignon Blanc brings out the flavor in some red snapper. But the most nagging question remains: what type of wine goes best with zombies ? The Grapes of Death (1978) doesn’t answer the question directly, but it does place the blame for the zombie apocalypse squarely on the shoulders of an isolated French vineyard whose chemical pesticides have seeped into the local supply of vino. The mass consumption causes local villagers to begin to rot inside and out, turning them into sickly, seeping maniacs. Our heroine, Elisabeth, is attacked on a train by a field hand and escapes into the countryside, only to find one infected town after another. Directed by Jean Rollin – better known for his dreamy, erotic, Euro-vampire movies, The Grapes of Death is without a doubt his most accessible film. Probably because he’s work...

Pardon the redundancy, but it seems almost impossible that The Impossible didn’t garner more attention when it was released last December. Of course there was Naomi Watts’ Oscar nomination for Best Actress, which she likely would have won if not for Jennifer Lawrence. But with an award-friendly true story to lean on and some of the most incredibly realistic water-borne stunts and effects ever created on film, one is still left a little mystified as to why audiences didn’t respond. Perhaps the memory of the actual tragedy in Thailand is still too fresh in people’s minds to suffer through such an intense retelling. And director Juan Antonio Bayona’s film certainly puts you through the emotional wringer. Recreating the events that took place during the 2004 tsunami, The Impossible follows one British family as the catastrophe strikes their seaside vacation resort. Watts portrays the strong-willed mother of three boys –one rebellious pre-teen and his two younger siblings. Ewan Mc...

Never underestimate the power of nostalgia. From movies and TV shows to Facebook reunions with high-school hook-ups, the associative power of time and place in our emotionally immature brain is an awfully attractive force 15 or 20 years down the line. And although it’s hard to imagine the next generation watching Jersey Shore with fond memories, trust me, it’s gonna happen. Besides, it’s no more ridiculous than one’s affection for Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot (1969), a Japanese TV series that combines Godzilla- inspired monsters with kid-friendly espionage escapades. Built off the success of Ultraman (1967) -produced by the effects man responsible for Godzilla and his menagerie of monster pals - Johnny Sokko was based on the work of manga artist Mitsuteru Yokoyama. Not exactly a household name in America. But American International Pictures was smart enough to see that the gimmick of a young boy who can control a 50-story robot to fight off alien invaders would likely hav...

Like oldies radio stations, the popularity of Hammer horror films seem to be drifting out of favor as a new generation redefines what is to be considered “classic.” Just ask around; the ‘80s are now thought of as mainstream horror’s hey-day, the ‘70s are certifiably old, and anything beyond that is downright ancient. Don’t even bring up the black-and-white argument unless you want to lose all faith in the future of humanity. So it’s ironic that the latest Hammer to see the light of day on blu-ray was itself representative of the company’s desperate attempt to keep up with the changing times. The Vampire Lovers (1970) is an adaptation of the erotic vampire novella Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu. Despite being the first Hammer production to feature bare breasts and some lesbian interludes, it was a natural progression for the company, whose leading ladies were often in just as much jeopardy of a nip-slip as being drained of blood. The nudity here is about as tawdry as a National ...

Is there any metropolis more cinematic than NYC in the ‘70s? Grungy, dangerous and lit with a sick fluorescent glow, it seems possible to catch an STD just by standing too close to the screen. That’s the kind of New York on display in Massage Parlor Murders (1974), a rather inept serial killer story that shares a few plot points with David Fincher’s Seven yet barely delivers enough sex and violence to raise an eyebrow on network TV…let alone 42nd street. A pair of laconic cops are out to stop a killer who targets the female employees of some of New York’s seediest massage parlors, seemingly striking at random and dispatching his victims with a unique method each time. Unless they can figure out the murderer’s MO, there will be no “happy endings” for anyone this time around. Beyond the gritty postcard view of NYC circa 1974 (watch for some great movie title up on the marquees), Massage Parlor Murders doesn’t have much to offer anyone outside of exploitation film collectors. For...