An Italian spaghetti western directed by Lina Wertmuller and Piero Cristofani, starring Elsa Martinelli and George Eastman.
A woman outlaw falls in love with a man outlaw. She shares her back-story with him before they plan and execute a robbery.
This was pretty cool. The video was a little grainy, as expected from the date and the audio was slightly muffled. There were also some underexposed scenes. These imperfections did not distract from the film though. The plot was clearly presented with the main characters being well-acted and memorable. The pacing was just right: slow enough to let you enjoy what is currently happening, but fast enough to keep things moving. I think that the best part was the overall style that was relatively common in these late '60s and early '70s spaghetti westerns. I didn't notice amazing camera-work, but neither did I notice that it was bad. It blended seemlessly into the film as a whole, which is what is supposed to happen anyway. Overall, this is a very good western and one of a very rare few with a female main character. I give it one of those nice, solid green ratings that I wish I could give more frequently.
An Italian American science fiction horror film directed by George Eastman.
A genetic researcher faces a tight deadline because his funding will be taken away if he does not report the details of his research. In light of this, he injects himself with a chemical that is supposed to stop the aging process. His experiment is successful, but turns him into a monster.
Not to be confused with Metamorphosis: The Alien Factor (1990), this film reminded me of Altered States (1980). The plot and characters kept my attention, but the production was poor quality and the video was really dark. The audio was actually good, with the only annoying section being a telephone ring that the scientist would not answer and was driving him crazy. This was a good use of a repetitive and annoying sound, which is extremely rare in films. Even though the date of the film's release was 1990, the style was stuck in the '80s. It is difficult to discern whether this was a good or bad style choice. There was a classic '80s blue-lighted sex scene at about 30 minutes in, but no female anatomy points were earned. The music for this scene seemed to be a strange choice with vintage synthesizers and not enough groovy bass. If you liked Altered States, you may want to watch this so you can appreciate that film more. I rate it adequate.
