What was the last movie you watched? Part 2

[KaijuDude1992]

5/10



5.5/10




6.5/10

 

[Frodo]

THIS HOUSE IS POSSESSED ( 1981)

A slow burn of a tv movie but it ultimately pays off as things go bonkers .

It features another one of those actresses I was just too young to see in stuff , but I thought she was great .

She reminds me of a bit of a mixture of the Cindy Williams , Carrie Fisher, and Karen Allen .
So , I tip my hat to an actress whose new to me from the 1970s and early 1980s, Lisa Eilbacher, whose probably known alot for her role in the first Beverly Hills Cop , film

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Take an Easy Ride (1976)

An oddity. It starts out just like one of the TV public information films prevalent in the UK in the 1970s, this one aimed at teenage girls (and their parents), warning of the perils of hitchhiking. We get some street interviews gauging the public's views and whether they would stop for a hitchhiker themselves. Then we move on to dramatic reconstructions showing teenage girls setting out for various destinations, all by 'thumbing a lift'. All of this is narrated by a typical 1970s BBC-type voiceover. Then it starts to take a turn... As the (universally) mini-skirted girls are picked up by their respective lifts we get suggestive shots of their anatomy; fair enough - it shows what's going on in these lecherous drivers' minds. But then - with one exception - each situation 'goes south' in various ways, from initial groping, to sexual assault/rape, to murder. If you're making a film warning about these possibilities it makes sense to show them, but it's the way they're shown. One attack by a lake has a strong The Last House on the Left feel, and one (involving a ridiculously naive Scandinavian girl - seriously, she's portrayed like something out of a Benny Hill sketch!) is shot like typical softcore porn of the time, as she's molested by a 'swinger' couple in a hotel room (probably the longest scene of the film). Interestingly, there is one scenario that actually shows the dangers drivers can face, when a genuinely good Samaritan is robbed at knifepoint by two girls and ends up being stabbed to death.

The whole jarring approach is explained once you start to look at the history of the film. Director Ken Rowles initially set out to make a genuine public information film, with what he called 'Ken Loach realism'. After a few days filming he was viewing what he'd shot so far, when a leading UK film distributor looked over his shoulder, thought it was terrific, and told Rowles that if he could 'make it a bit sexier' he could secure a big screen release. So that's what happened; a well-intentioned public service short became a low-budget exploitation flick. The Scandinavian girl was a late add-on (she had a background in softcore/sexploitation). The film was shown at a 'private members cinema club' in London's Soho (red light district) and ran for 48 weeks, making a lot of money.

Ken Rowles had a respectable career as an editor in mainstream cinema (he was brought in to re-edit Jean-Luc Godard's Rolling Stones pic Sympathy for the Devil when the producers didn't like Godard's cut, and he worked on the chase scene with the Minis in the original The Italian Job), but Take an Easy Ride seems to be what he's best known for (in certain 'select circles' at any rate).

It's a really interesting snapshot of the time (both in what it portrays, and the way in which it's done). As a piece of filmmaking I give it a 4 ('gritty' is fine, but it's rough in places); for its 'cultural significance' I give it a 6. Overall, 5/10.

 

[Batgirl0202]

8/10

 

[The Caped Knight]

Tron - Tron: Legacy - Tron: Ares (Trilogy)
Tron : “I fight for the User”

 

[Luigi]

Werewolves

6/10

 

[Sculder]

Naboer / Next Door (2005)
Tomb Watcher (2025)
Le testament du Docteur Cordelier / Experiment in Evil (1959)
Promenons-nous dans les bois / Deep in the Woods (2000)
Ziam (2025)
Demons of the Mind (1972)
Horrors of the Black Museum (1959)
Book of the Dead (2024)
Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital (2024)
Never Play with the Dead (2002)
#AMFAD All My Friends Are Dead (2024)

 

[MilkmanDan]

The Act of Killing

 

[Brutikus]

 

[Frodo]

UNSOLVED MYSTERIES : THE ORIGINAL SERIES

CHARLES AND MARIAN SHELTON



The heartbreaking story of missing POW Charles Shelton , and his wife's endless crusade to bring her husband home, long after the Vietnam War ended.

The US Government believes he perished during the Vietnam War, while other evidence, and stories from Vietnamese refugees , suggests he may have survived into the 1980s.


WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION

In 1991 , Authorities in Florida receive an anonymous phone call from a man ,who claims to have witnessed the Drug related Murder of a young woman .

When the tip turns out to be true and the woman's body is discovered , the search is on to unravel this mystery.

While the authorities believe they have viable suspects , they still seek out the gentleman who made the phone call, in order to help their case.

 

[3rdstone]

True Grit (2010)

Having my first Coen brothers experiences back in archaic days with like Blood Simple and Arizona Junior, I wasn't expecting them making a western later on. The original with John Wayne is a flick I've always wanted to watch but never got around to. This is the second time watching this remake since it came out, and it really holds on 15 years later. Impressing cast, in which of course Bridges is brilliant in this perfect role at that age. Brolin and Damon are equally great as well in their very specific roles. Little Hailee Stanfield stands out as the child who's die hard determined to get justice for her father's death, and behaves very rational and more grown up than her young age would assume. Such child characters can IMHO often feel unnatural or quickly turning out just being annoying, but I personally really rooted for her throughout the film booth back then and now.

A quite simple story but with great character interaction and some typical Coens dark humour translated into the harsh conditions and environments during this era and place. Without even having watched the original, I'll boldly say this is how remakes should be made. IMHO there's a remarkable difference between remaking a 1969 western in 2010, and remaking a classic sci-fi flick from 1990 already in 2012 in terms of making an interesting modern version (y'all know which one I'm talking about..). Yeah, I'm aware the latter example is a low bar, despite a good cast.

 

[ObiWanCon]

TRON: Ares (2025)

 

[Ash J. Williams]

Zombie School

The Vengeance of the Vampire Women

 

[KaijuDude1992]

7/10



6/10



6/10

 

[Frodo]

VAMPIRE ( 1979)

Again file this into the " I Was Too Young To See It Air" , since I was literally 5 months old when it aired on ABC here in the states . .

So, it's as old as I am , and it didn't rerun when I was growing up , so , for a first time viewer , I thought it was pretty good.

The always great Jason Miller and E.G. Marshall bring grounding to what could easily be over the top Vampire hunter roles , while Richard Lynch, who I've usually seen play henchmen and hired muscle, makes for a dapper ,and suave, aristocratic ,Villainous , Vampire.

It also features Jessica Walters in a much smaller supporting role , and Barrie Youngfellow who was on a tv series called It's A Living, which I had totally forgotten about from my childhood.

It 's full on 1970s with the big collars and bell bottoms, in addition to Youngfellow working at a Disco .

The one big negative for me , is that the versions I saw on Youtube were clearly from an old recording ,so when there are scary scenes in the dark , you can barely see what's going on, and it's basically pitch black with sounds .

But , Beggars can't be chooser , and since alot of these telefilms only aired once in the 1970s and 1980s , and many of them didn't even make it to VHS , let alone Blu-ray , so, I'm glad I was at least able to see it , even a few decades after the Disco boom .