1998 – Rie Inoue – Ring

In the late 90s, I had the opportunity to cover Montreal’s FanTasia Festival as a journalist for a couple of years for the late (!!!) lamented (?) AstroneF Magazine, thus viewing around 75 titles in a month-long event. At first, the organizers’ intentions were to share the discovery of many eccentric Asian movies with North American viewers, in a time when the names of Jet Li, Chow Yun-fat, John Woo or Michelle Yeoh were not widely recognized and the availability of these productions on home video was still confidential. With time, FanTasia’s programming began to evolve into more international entries, prizes were quickly awarded, guests that we couldn’t meet were invited, so it began to loose its shine for me, especially in recent years. I won’t use the word “pretentious”, far from it, preferring the term “self-satisfied” to describe the whole yearly affair. Truth be told, I mainly lost my patience in waiting in endless line-ups sandwiched between cult movie enthusiasts, people whose behavior, speech patterns and clothing choices got on my nerves. That’s what you can call GRUMPINESS, I guess, and I won’t even hold a grudge if you do.

Regardless, I had tons of fun in FanTasia’s first five years, let’s say, enlarging my cultural horizons and discovering new and fascinating movie people. I fell in love with Maggie Cheung, among many other craziness, and once proclaimed on a television show where I was a colorful movie critic that she was the most beautiful person in the world. Yes, I did that. But I digress. I also saw a beautiful copy of my personal favorite Godzilla adventure, Destroy All Monsters, and some Santo movies, these later being midnight showings that were greatly enjoyed and turned into carnival-like events, complete with amateur costumes and enthusiastic mock battles. During a friendly Ultraman key episodes retrospective, a guy accompanied by his young son was laughing so hard at the unlikely appearance of some ridiculous giant monster that he actually fell off his theater chair, pissed his pants and lay sprawled on the ground, between aisles, unable to get up, shaking with laughter. His kid was starring blindly at the screen, presumably bored (and/or ashamed?) out of his mind. Myself and many others witnessed this with great delight. Actually, a stuntman dressed up as Ultraman was also running around the Imperial Cinema that memorable Saturday matinee.

But FanTasia’s 1999 edition promised a Japanese movie that would knock our socks off, that was the last word in Movie Fear. Now, how many times have I heard that? How many movies had literally scared me, anyway? Really scared? I’m not talking about being merely disgusted by gross effects and surprised by jump-scare tactics. Well, I admit that my first viewing of The Exorcist (on its first broadcast television premiere back in 1980, I think) left me devastated. The circumstances of seeing the original Night of the Living Dead for the first time in an almost empty theater on a dark autumn night in a strange neighborhood was quite unique also. But on that hot 1999 summer night, me and hundreds of others, now all veterans of FanTasia and no strangers to odd viewing habits, got an eyeful, if I may employ the term.

Of course the film was Hideo Nakata’s Ring and I was never prepared for that kind of experience. Close to 10 years after its premiere, Ring and its mythology of many sequels, remakes and copies is now well documented and kind of diluted. Hell, the concept of a vengeful ghost girl with long dark hair is an old convention in Asian legends and many movies before Ring had proposed that particular visual. But I can still remember the collective gasp of the audience when we all saw what is in my opinion one of the most frightful sight in movie history: a close-up of Sadako’s eye, more or less obscured by hair, looking downward in a most intense way. We all lost it.

Ring tells the tale of a haunted video that eventually kills whoever views it. There’s a link with a murdered misunderstood young girl with psychic powers but I’ll let you discover it for yourself, if you hadn’t yet the pleasure. That ghostly girl is played by Rie Inou, who retook the role in the sequel Ring 2. Rie was born in 1967 and was chosen for the part because of her Kabuki theater background, especially her involvement in Ban’yuu Inryoku, a stage technique where you exaggerate your movements and take odd postures to convey different emotional meanings. These gestures were utilized in the most creepy way possible, and that’s why it’s so effective here than in any precedent Japanese vengeful ghost story filmed in previous years. Movie history was immediately made for this unique character, a most tragic and still monstrous figure that couldn’t be more adequately played. I don’t even remember being scared in a movie theater since, so it’s impossible not to salute that tremendous performance. But I barely drag myself to go out and see new films anymore!

This concludes Cult Sirens’ 13 Favorite female performances in horror movies. I proposed this feature in the first days of this blog and I can proudly say that it contributed to the success of this corner of the world wide web. These 13 performers and their roles are to be forever part of movie legend and it was an honor to write a little something about them in this format.

Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street will be released in North America on December 21, 2007. Of course, Johnny Depp stars in the title role, seconded by Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett, his partner-in-crime and culinary expert. Burton’s usual visual touch is on display in the many preview posters available, so I’ve decided to share with you this one. Appetizing, isn’t it, as you’ll note that some human fingers are included in these succulent meat pies. But can someone really refuse anything that Ms. Bonham Carter has to propose? Check out the official site for other ghoulish goodies.

Not that’s what I call a cover, baby! In my youth, there were thought balloons on comic book covers that tried to describe the action with all kind of dramatic proclamations: “Reach for my hand, Spider-Man!”, “But… but I… can’t!” For the last couple of years, someone decided that it was probably uncool or too juvenile to do so, resulting in generic but still intriguing depictions of action scenes. This one, for Ms. Marvel #22 coming out on December 5, shows us a skillful mix of the three main costumes wore by Carol Danvers in her identities of Ms. Marvel, Binary and Warbird.

1993 – Melinda Clarke – Return of the Living Dead 3

The most sexiest zombie ever? Probably. Known at this point in her career as Mindy Clarke, the then 24-years old actress made quite an impression on the horror scene as an attractive but still deadly zombie, who seemingly can keep a bit of her wits as she’s still attracted to her boyfriend regardless of her sorry state.

Born in California in 1969, Melinda Clarke began acting in the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives and then got her start in movies that gravitated around the sci-fi/horror genre. She was seen in Spawn, the bizarre Spanish horror movie Killer Tongue and on Xena: Warrior Princess. Offered a part in Scream, she declined, preferring to distance herself from fantasy projects. Her most recent high-profile work was as a regular in The O.C. TV series. Of course, she has the most amazing pair of pale green eyes.

As the third in the Return of the Living Dead series, this 1993 movie dropped the comedy angle and remained true to director Brian Yuzna’s bizarre vision of messy body modifications, following Society and Bride of Re-Animator. Intense and quite bloody, this episode follows a teenage couple who decides to fool around a secret military base, where strange experiments with the dead are being conducted. Yes, the army is trying to reanimate dead tissue! When young Julie suffers a motorcycle accident, can her boyfriend really decide to take her back to the base… and try the serum that could get his love back on her feet? But what kind of hunger she would try to fight off? Human meat for sex or… for food?

With this intriguing premise, we have Melinda Clarke as a deadly punked-up Gothic lass with a body jewelry fetish. Actually, piercing her cold flesh with pointy object is a temporary solution to calm her zombie appetite. This turns about to be a an unexpected and touching love story, take my word for it, with an amazingly tragic ending. With a of lot of parallel zombie action, don’t worry about the amount of gore content, which is plentiful.

So what make this movie intriguing is the basic premise that works its way around some basic horror conventions and the impeccable work of a young actress who reached some levels of despair and of ferocity in her performance like as if she has been doing it for decades. Her Julie Walker character walks about like the sexiest nightmare ever, so she successfully gave all kind of chills to the fanboys in the audience. I know, I was one of them, when the picture was released around Halloween of 1993 and I met one of the best female movie monster of all time.

Our next and last installment: The face that… no, the hair that launched a thousand shrieks.

Now this is what I call a motion picture. You’ve got trampoline kung fu action in ancient times, multicultural heroes (a strong guy, a jumping-high guy, a martial arts guy), a tribe of fierce Amazons, romance, intrigue, comedy… perfect package! This encounter of the peplum genre mixed with Hong Kong battles is in fact a co-production coming from Italy, Hong Kong and Mexico.

So yes, I saw this on a big screen as a child, around 1975 or so, this incredible action picture that must be seen to be believed and is considered universally a real turkey, but it nevertheless made quite a mark on me for the Amazon society bit, an impression that follows me to this day, as I suspect that my love for strong female characters (in all terms of the word) took this key plot point as its seed. I even wrote some fiction about a bunch of Amazons battling it out in a Roman arena who are suddenly transferred through time to land on the busy streets of a modern city during rush hour! Imagine the confusion and mayhem! Bah, I still love my concept! Forget about 300 and Beowulf!

Despite its lousy script, Super Stooges Vs the Wonder Women’s first scenes depicts a deadly contest to elect a new Amazon Queen, the survivor being the lucky winner. The tone here is quite grim, a bit more violent than the following light-hearted silliness. In my then (then?) dumb innocent state, these first minutes became hauntingly mesmerizing because of their crude appeal. Sexy Magda Konopka (visually memorable in Satanik) plays here the determined Queen. I can also remember that this was a big deal at the time of its release, as local television ads screamed at us kids to rush to theatres and marvel at untold wonders of entertainment.

So here’s a poster which I admit isn’t the most memorable of all time (I think it’s the cover art of a VHS version), but I’ve still decided to share that little memory for the sentimental value. When you see things with a kid’s eyes, not matter how crappy it looks for others, it can still remains impressive when you put it into perspective. Oddly, I never had the opportunity to revisit this film, more than 30 years later, which remains strangely elusive on DVD.

Another model becoming an actress, another movie adapted from a video game… so what else is new? At least, let’s talk about Olga Kurylenko, AKA The Ukrainian Bomb.

She was born on November 14, 1979, in Berdyansk, and was discovered as a teenager by a model scout while visiting Moscow (in the subway, to be precise). It was not that long after that she made her film debut, in 2005 to be precise, for the French-German-British co-production L’annulaire. Are you surprised to learn that this movie contains sexy scenes? Of course not. Still, it got good reviews and Olga was saluted as Best Actress at the Brooklyn International Film Festival.

More work followed in Europe, including the sketch movie Paris je t’aime co-starring with Elijah Wood in a segment, the French thriller Le serpent, and a couple of television roles. Hitman could be Olga’s breakthrough on the international scene, if ever the movie is a success. It was released yesterday with mixed reviews, but at least everyone agrees that even if Olga doesn’t mind being frequently topless, she’s still a surprisingly good actress. Really.

Today, one of our favorite Asian bodybuilder, actress and stunt woman (yes, all that!) turns an absurdly youthful 50! Michiko Nishiwaki, we would dearly like to see more of you!

Ah, yes, no doubt in my mind. Even better than Angelina Jolie. Heck, even better than the pixelized Lara Croft herself! A self-confessed tomboy, this London-born model of Irish-Moroccan origins has been portraying the legendary video game heroine since February 2006, becoming the seventh official person to do so. This job is not just standing still and looking pretty in pictures: you must submit to a tough training schedule, including survival techniques, combat and semi automatic weapon firing courses, and even some basics in archeology, fields of expertise displayed by the Lara Croft character.

I officially met Karima in full costume by viewing the now defunct French talk show Tout le monde en parle, where she displayed an appropriate indifferent attitude towards host Thierry Ardisson’s inane questioning. Ardisson has a colorful history in trying to embarrass young female guests on his program by posing impertinent questions about their love lives, sex lives, etc. Karima kept her cool all the way, doing justice to the character she so aptly portrays.

Her bikini modeling pictures are not bad either! Let’s note also that Karima had a minuscule part in AVP: Alien vs. Predator, cast as “Sacrificial Maiden”!

When reviewing my short list of favorite female singers, there’s a personality trait that remain present in these cherished performers: the theatrical aspect of their live performances. As being a fan of many larger-than-life entertainers or fictional characters, is it really surprising? I’ll propose some names now and then, individuals who may not be as well known in your area than in mine. Some of them are not even popular at large in my region, so don’t despair. Let’s start this new feature with Monica Naranjo.

Geez, Monica… Not only does she used to wear very short skirts and appear frequently quasi-nude in her sensual music videos, but her lungs can back up any challenge, let me tell you. I discovered that unique talent quite by chance, on a boring Saturday night some years ago while flipping channels, as I came upon a Luciano Pavarotti special. It was the Pavarotti & Friends for Cambodia and Tibet show, taped in 2000, now available for my viewing pleasure on a PBS station. I almost immediately saw that gorgeous and dangerous looking creature performing her hit Sobreviviré, of which I had no clue at the time of its title, nor even of her own name. Of course, I dutifully stayed glued to the screen until the end credits for more knowledge. It took mere days to find a copy of her CD Minage at my local HMV’s World Music section and I was hooked.

Monica was born on May 23, 1974, in Figueres, Spain. She quickly began to idolize Italian singer Mina, a hit sensation of the sixties, so her career path was already clear. Our heroine became Miss Cataluña at the age of 14, a local beauty pageant. She released her first album in 1994, which produced at least three big hits. After an acclaimed passage in Mexico, 1996 saw the big success of her second album, which now touched fans in all Latin-speaking countries and communities, selling more than two million copies and solidifying her Diva persona. Associated with a style of Latin Pop and Dance-Pop, Monica turned to more ambitious ventures with 2000’s Minage, an homage to her idol, Mina Mazzini, with whom she performs a duet. This album remains one of my favorite of the last ten years, where the passion oozes out of your speakers and gets imprinted in your brain cells. She’s worldly known for her powerful vocal range, registering many octaves.

Monica has tried to reach a more international fan base by producing an English-speaking album, 2003’s Bad Girls. But for now, this goal has oddly not been attained. Her Greatest Hits collection can also be a good starting point for all of you curious to discover her. Do it! New song material should be available early in 2008.

Monica’s stage shows are elaborate affairs also, with colorful costumes, many dancers and a top-notch band. Sniff around YouTube for her live performances and videos and you’ll know what I mean. Sadly, some appearances on Europeans television specials are in unfortunate lip-sinking mode, but what the hell, you’ll witness Monica strutting her stuff before a seated assembly including retired Spanish ladies and gentlemen trying to keep a straight face before this hip-tossing cat-woman!

Monica took part in some movie projects, a couple of Spanish sex comedies with the translated titles being Killer Housewives and Sex Is Crazy. Her scenes as a prostitute were deleted from Yo puta (or I, Whore) for reasons unknown to me. How about an upcoming horror film, Monica, with you as some sort of succubus witch?

If I only have one message for Monica, well it’s the same that I tried to share with Bianca Beauchamp: please don’t get blonde too often…

Sweet Christmas! Here’s some visual stimulation concerning one of the best movie heroine of the seventies, the unique Cleopatra Jones, as played by the astonishing Tamara Dobson! Get down, momma! Here’s the official posters from both Cleopatra Jones and Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold. Aren’t you glad that you came to this place, sugar?

We’ll talk more about Tamara Dobson in an upcoming post. They sure don’t make them like this anymore, right? I’ll spotlight worthy Cult Sirens-ish posters like this from time to time.