Fay Wray - Kong's Beauty

Gorgeous and incredibly talented. It's no wonder that big ape wanted her so much. 

What I Watched in May

When the second John Wick film came out a couple of years ago with action scenes that were just as impressive as the first I was not surprised. Those kinetic set pieces were the film's most electrifying moments so improving on them was the obvious thing to do for the sequel. What was unexpected in that second film was the deepening of the world in which John Wick moves. The dark criminal structure that he escaped from against all odds before we meet him was interesting but just colorful background to the action. The second film decided that the world of Wick needed to be fleshed out. There was a sense of a heightened reality in that movie that the first film had only hinted at. Detail was added, rules elaborated upon and rigid norms explained that made the assassins and their support organizations much more interesting. This Wick world began to take on less of a sense of realism and began to become more of a gritty cinematic fantasy. In Chapter 3 The World of John Wick continues to gain more expansive detail creating a deeper and increasingly weird universe that can no longer be a part of our real world. This is a wonderful accomplishment! We now have a completely alternate universe. Rarely have I seen a series of films stay true to its core goal while at the same time growing and becoming more complex with each subsequent movie. Only the Mad Max original trilogy comes close to matching the level of depth and detail being added to an already well imagined world.

Chapter 3 begins seconds after the fateful choice Wick made in the previous film that has him with one hour to save himself before a multi-million dollar bounty is placed on his head. The journey he takes to preserve his life and the touching reason he gives for not giving up and ending things are the catalysts for an amazing action film that finishes taking this series into it's own beautifully realized fantasy world. Staying just grounded enough to give the fights heft the film zips along showing us just how complicated this world can be and how far some friendships can stretch. It's astonishing to find myself becoming more of a fan of these movies with each new entry rather than feeling tired of the concept. Incredible!

But I was surprised at how hard this movie sets the table for a fourth film. Didn't see that coming. But I can't wait to see the next John Wick film! And as soon as possible, please.

THE LIST 
A STAR IS BORN (1954) - 7

BLACK DOG (1998) - 6

THE MANSTER (1959) - 6 (rewatch on Blu)

THE THIN MAN (1934) - 9 (rewatch)

AFTER THE THIN MAN (1936) - 8 (rewatch)

FUGITIVE WOMEN (1974) - 4 (terrible late period Ed Wood film)

MR. SADONICUS (1961) - 7 (rewatch on Blu)

THE BLOOD DRINKERS (1964) - 6 (rewatch on Blu)

KILLER OF DOLLS (1975) - 6

DEMON WITH THE ATOMIC BRAIN (2017) - 6 (Mihm's affectionate 50's flavored adventure)

ANOTHER THIN MAN (1939) - 7 (rewatch)

GREEN MANSIONS (1959) - 6 (high class jungle girl tale)

MANDY (2018) - 8

SHADOW OF THE THIN MAN (1941) - 7

JOHN WICK CHAPTER 3 (2019) - 8

Trailer - THE DRACULA SAGA (1973)

Podcast on the way soon! 

The Untold Legend of Batman Covers

This series was incredibly exciting to twelve year old me when it came out in 1980. I was so thrilled to have the history of the character laid out with art by my favorite Batman artist Jim Aparo that I considered buying multiple copies of each issue because I didn't ever want to lose access to this information for future reference. I read and re-read these comics absorbed in the details and action. Time to pull out my much newer, hardbound version and read this tale again! 

The Bloody Pit #86 - OPERA (1987)

We've wanted to discuss the films of Dario Argento for a long time but have been stumped about the correct starting point. In a career spanning more than fifty years and over twenty films where do we jump in? Luckily, our occasional podcast guest Jason Spear helped us cut through the noise to focus on the director's amazing OPERA (1987). This was prompted by the recent Scorpion release of the film in an incredible three disc Blu-Ray set that provides probably the best way to see the movie since it's theatrical run. Packed with extras that allow fans to deep dive into details of the production it serves to fuel our rather rambling look at this stunning thriller.

To dig into what we love about this movie we do away with the idea of a linear discussion of the plot and just hop around talking about random scenes and sequences. We assume that the podcast audience is familiar with the film and plunge forward pulling apart our favorite elements and puzzling over the odd things that make this giallo such a strange and wonderful experience. That means there are certainly spoilers, so be aware! We discuss the madness induced by repressed sexual desires as well as the perceived age problem between the killer and the focus of his obsession. We spend a good deal of time on the fascinating possibility that Argento rotates his narrative inside the head of his main character much sooner than usually imagined. We debate the sanity of the central figure of the film for probably too long and then devolve into relating our individual favorite three Argento efforts. As you can tell, we swing all over the place in this one!

If you have any comments or just want to give us your own list of favorite Argento movies the show's email address is thebloodypit@gmail.com where we will be glad to hear what you have to say. I cap the episode with an old Hoodoo Guru's song but stick around afterwards for some bonus complaining from me about Argento's Dracula film. Ugh! And, as always, thank you for listening to the show.

Apple Podcast LINK

MP3 Download LINK

Mark Maddox Doctor Who Art

The mighty Mark Maddox knows his Who! 

Doctor Who - Inferno (1970)

I've been watching the first year of Jon Pertwee's Doctor Who stories. In the past I had seen several of his adventures but this is the first time I'm trying to go through the series in order starting with his first season. It's an entertaining way to look at the show as it entered the 1970's and altered itself to be broadcast in color. Marooning the time hopping traveler on Earth in one time period was an odd way to hem the writers in but they responded with some extraordinary tales within those strictures. One of the strengths of Pertwee's years on the show is that often the stories were longer than the standard length that became the custom by the Tom Baker run. It was not unusual for a Pertwee era tale to run six or seven episodes. This extra time was often dreaded by the writers because that meant that they had more time to fill when telling their story. But, this weakness was sometimes turned into a strength. I just finished Inferno which stretches to seven episodes but never feels as if things are being stretched. The writers used the extra time to add scenes between the regular characters that move beyond just plot mechanics and give the actors the chance to flesh out the ongoing relationships on the shows. These scenes add detail and deepen the emotional tension of the suspenseful events later on as the danger ramps up. There are later long Who stories that don't use the extra time as well as it is used in Inferno making events feel slow. This is an excellent example of working well within the restrictions placed on a show and it's one of the best of the Pertwee years.