Q: The Winged Serpent (1982)

Q: The Winged Serpent

Q: The Winged Serpent

Day three of #Junesploitation and today it had to be a film that had David Carradine in it, again I could have gone with a couple of the obvious ones including Death Race 2000, but went with this one instead as it had Richard Roundtree in it as well.

The winged terror over New York turns out to be Quetzalcōātl as imagined by Victorian palaeontologists stopping by Jim Henson for some advice, it was terrible rather than terrifying.

Carradine had a small and disjointed role in this and never seemed comfortable or in a flow until he was all dressed in black with a gun in his hand.

This really wasn’t helped by an awful script that was totally unsure of where it wanted to go and was so stilted it felt like a school production.

Richard Roundtree got to play an asshole cop with a massive attitude and a story arc that was appropriate for the role.

The end section with the beast was very reminiscent of the King Kong Empire State ending though with the viewer having very little sympathy for the beast.

Got to say that I’m enjoying this ‘challenge’ as it’s letting me watch films I would never have thought to put on without it, tonight’s film is going to be ‘Bamboo Gods and Iron Men’ blacksploitation and kung fu all in one package!


Q: The Winged Serpent | October 29, 1982 (United States) 6
Director: Larry CohenWriter: Larry CohenSummary:

Watch Me When I Kill (1977)

Watch Me When I Kill (1977)

Watch Me When I Kill (1977)

This is my first watch in this year’s Junesploitation extravaganza!

A lot of face action going on in this twisty post-war Italian thriller, lot’s of close ups of actors emoting loudly toward the camera.

Pretty standard thriller with a couple of juicy red herrings to throw you off the trail.

Absolutely loved the taxi driver and main character shooting off in a taxi from the scene of a crime rather than staying and helping the police but then there wouldn’t have been much of a film if they hadn’t.

The Tango during the opening credits!

It wasn’t a straightforward film, especially with some of the subtitling, but it was an OK enough watch especially for a schlock film from the 70s, and those clothes brought back nightmares!

Couldn’t link the film to the title though, there was no ‘Peeping Tom’ vibe at all.

Showed Italy as a bit of a dump, all greys and muted tones, even the clothes were muted.

Another of those abrupt as hell endings which left a lot in the air really.

 


Watch Me When I Kill | September 3, 1982 (United States) 5.9
Director: Antonio BidoSummary:

The Lighthouse (2019)

The Lighthouse (2019)

The Lighthouse (2019)

This is going to be the first of the reviews that I’m going to be putting out there, learning how to write about film (and writing words down in general). I’ve always been a huge film/TV fan and never really felt I was allowed to have an opinion, but you know what? I do and I’m going to be sharing it through semi-regular posts on this blog.

The format of the review may change as I go along and gain more confidence and skill in writing but I thought if I don’t get one out now I never will.

You can always follow me over on Bluesky for the occasional live watch through of TV series as and when I do them and various ramblings about whatever seems to take my fancy.


Shot in (almost) square format which gave an old-fashioned feel to the film, though the black and white was crisp and had none of the greyness associated with older films. The deep black tones of the film matched the deep tones of the constant fog horn setting a mood that got darker and darker as the film progressed.

“The light is mine”

The darkness is so oppressive that the counterpoint and beat of the lighthouse light felt alive, a heartbeat, a seductive creature in itself, maybe the real inhabitant of the island.

Both Patterson and Dafoe portray their characters brilliantly, this is emphasised with stunning direction and camera work, every frame is redolent with depth and meaning, with the solitude being carefully crafted and counterbalanced with foreboding and foreshadowing.

There is a definite Lovecraftian feel to the oppression, the sea, and madness. This tone then ups a gear a third of the way into the film changing from a pure portrait of solitude to something else as the wind changes.

The slow creeping horror builds throughout the first part of the film to what became a necessary conclusion.

Touching on a lot of different themes this is a great, though harrowing, watch with stunning performances from both actors and I’m sure it will improve from multiple watchings.

A well-crafted portrayal of a bleak existence and descent into alcohol-fuelled madness where myth and reality blend into one wind-swept and rain-lashed nightmare.

The Lighthouse | November 1, 2019 (United States) 7.4