Tuesday, August 28, 2012

BECK



BECK is a Swedish television series which airs on MHZ NETWORKS in the United States.

This is one of the most unique cop shows I've ever seen. It's like a breath of fresh air in a genre that stinks to death with cliches and tedium.

In the short time that I've spent watching episodes on MHZ NETWORKS and YOU TUBE, it has become one of my favorite cop shows of all time.

HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET is the only other cop show that I feel passionately about.

MHZ NETWORKS presents BECK in WIDEscreen with Swedish subtitles.

My Swedish is extremely limited, but I have NO complaints with the subtitles used in this series. In fact, I think they're above average. They're not too quick and are easy to read.

The camera work is beautiful, even during gruesome scenes.

All of these characters feel real. They're so detailed, so human.



The main character is Martin Beck, and he is portrayed by Peter Haber.

The writers, actresses, and actors in this show, do an incredible job.



Mikael Persbrandt as Gunvald Larsson



Ingvar Hirdwall as Beck's neighbor



Rebecka Hemse as Beck's daughter Inger



Stina Rautelin as Lena Klingström

Each 85 minute episode, feels more like a movie than part of a TV show.

Some of the stories contain very harsh content that no U.S. broadcast network would ever air. Usually, you only find this type of content on U.S. cable channels, that should tell you how gutsy this show is.

Some of the more disturbing episodes I've seen - on MHZ NETWORKS and YOU TUBE - have involved....

A killer that chopped-up his victim and put his body parts in a broiler that usually holds chickens

A baby locked-up in luggage... then the luggage was blown-up by the cops

A baby being dropped from a tall apartment building

A group of kids that murder people in the Stockholm subway

A killer that peels off human faces

Most of the stories I've seen, are NOT as disturbing as the previously mentioned episodes.

BECK also has a lot of dark humor, and it's actually funny.

If you get a chance to watch BECK, then please do so.



MARTIN BECK originates from a series of novels written by Per Wahlöö and Maj Sjöwall.



This version of BECK was released on region one DVD by MHZ... NOTE: This series is NOT based on any of the books.



Walter Matthau portrayed BECK in a movie called THE LAUGHING POLICEMAN ( AKA Den Skrattande Polisen ). It was released on region one DVD by FOX.

Saturday, August 4, 2012

VIOLATED LOVE



DIRECTOR:
Emilio Vieyra

WRITERS:
Abel Santa Cruz
Vito De Martini

CAST:
Jose Maria Langlais
Libertad Leblanc
Carlos Alberto Carella
Eduardo Munoz
And many others....



Martin ( Jose Maria Langlais )


Blondie ( Libertad Leblanc )


Otero ( Carlos Alberto Carella )


Inspector Santoni ( Eduardo Munoz )


Martin's brother, Raul, has been murdered.

He thinks a crime faimily is responsible, so he goes undercover to find the killer.

The cops know what he's up to, and warn him not to take revenge.

Martin develops a close relationship with the crime lord's girlfriend, Blondie.

Martin thinks he knows who the killer is. But, he's in for a big surprise, because things aren't always what they seem....



QUOTES:
Otero: "You're wise to our gag and just went along for laughs"

Martin: "I want revenge for my brother"

Blondie: "Why do you ask me so many questions?.. I've already said too much.. Leave me alone!"

Martin: "I have ice water in my veins"





VIDEO INFO:
Online
FULLscreen
Black and white
Region code - None
Company - PRODUCTORES ARGENTINOS ASOCIADOS / CIP
UNrated
Extras - None
Inserts - None





OBTAINED AT - DAILY MOTION
PRICE - Free





DO I WANT MY MONEY BACK?:
HELL NO!....

I love noir / crime / thrillers, so this movie is right up my alley.

I haven't seen this movie since I was a kid. But, I managed to find the original version online. It was posted in 4 parts at a website called DAILY MOTION.

This is an EXTREMELY RARE movie.

NOTE: The original version runs over 80 minutes. Most grey-market discs run less than 60 minutes ( SOMETHING WEIRD's DVD-R is a great example of this ).

Below are some of the scenes that are missing from SOMETHING WEIRD's version.....









VIOLATED LOVE is also known as TESTIGO PARA UN CRIMEN.

To the best of my knowledge, no legit pressed DVD has ever been released in the United States.

Friday, August 3, 2012

MARILYN AND ME



I visited one of my local BARNES & NOBLE book stores, and read at least half of MARILYN & ME.

In my opinion, the chapters feel like you're reading letters from a friend, and I love that.

Let me make one thing perfectly clear, I do NOT have a problem with the text.

However, I DO have a problem with almost everything else.

This SMALL and THIN book costs $20.00 fucking dollars!... Are you fucking kidding me?!... That's truly insulting!

This version of MARILYN & ME, only contains a handful of SMALL BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOS. And the pages are printed on somewhat grainy paper. Let me say it again, NOT one color photo!

PHOTOS were the main focus of this book, NOT the text. That's what all the HYPE was about.

The uber-fancy edition of this book by TASCHEN - with tons of color photos - sells for $1,000 dollars!... Truly absurd....

Marilyn Monroe fanatics will gobble-up this book in a heartbeat. But, that's not a shock, because those folks would eat her feces, if it were served to them on a platter. However, the rest of us folks will find it difficult to pay twenty fucking dollars for a glorified magazine article.

Marilyn Monroe was NOT a saint, she was a human being, and that means her shit stunk just like everybody elses!

I had more things to say, but why bother?.....

BOOK INFO:
ISBN ( 978-0385536677 )
AUTHOR - Lawrence Schiller
COVER PHOTO by Lawrence Schiller
COMPANY - KNOPF DOUBLEDAY ( another version is by TASCHEN )
OBTAINED AT - I decided NOT to purchase this book after seeing and reading some of it at BARNES & NOBLE
PRICE - $20.00
HARDcover - It has a dust jacket ( the covers are plain black ).
SIZE - approximately 5" wide by 7" tall
PAGES - approximately 114 pages of text and a handful of small black and white photos