Baby Love (1968)
This movie is possibly the ultimate mindfuck, and also I need to stress at this point, though it is a moderately trashy sexplotation movie, it is not an early porn film, alot of critics mistake it for such. Here is the concept, 15 year old Luci comes home from her day of being a hot british schoolgirl, to find her mother, who happens to be the town slut, dead in the bathtub from slit wrists. Luci gets taken in by a life long friend of her mother's, who is now a successful doctor. Luci repays this kindness by basically destroying his family, by means of sleeping with them all, with the doctor himself, with his teenage son and with his apparently bi-curious wife, and along this path to ruin sleeps with afew others that cross her path, including a very erotic yet uncomfortable given Luci's being under age scene in a movie theater. Seriously, this movie is the ultimate mindfuck, i ain't kidding.
So why do i like it? Simple, not only is it the first on film apperance of Linda Hayden, one of my favorite actresses of all time, who went on to do some awesome movies for Hammer Horror Studios, and possibly one of the most questionable roles for Diana Dors (the british answer Marilynn Monroe), both good reasons to enjoy a movie this obscure and kinda blunt, but the best reason of all is because it literally screws with your mind the whole way. You get lost in all the aspects of this story of a mentally unstable sexual predator going about destroying the lives of those she comes into contact with, Linda Hayden was 15 when she starred as Luci, which makes the movie unsettling on a whole other level. And though it all, through all the mindfuckery that this movie gives out, in the end, you feel as if you've just seen one of the bravest and boldest movies ever made. you can watch the film here at archive.org or hunt down your very own copy, though i'm not sure there is a dvd rip out.
Somewhere In Time (1980)
This is a lovely little quasi-science fiction film, infact the movie "the lake house" is losely based on it, though anyone thats not a fan of Keanu Reeves probably wouldn't find that a point of interest. Anyway, forget that guy and his wooding acting, this movie has another Reeves, a much better Reeves infact,Christopher Reeves! what makes this movie of note as well is, this is the movie that Chris chose to do after the first Superman movie. And some might question that, but well, here we are 29 years later and there are some insanely devoted fans out there, some even gather at the hotel the movie was filmed at once a year and watch the film, so yeah, massive cult appeal. Here is the plot of the film; its 1972 New York City, young hotshot playwright Richard Collier (reeves) is at an after party for his latest hit play, I guess in early 1970s NYCizzle theater was a legitimate medium still, during the party, an elderly woman in a very old ball gown comes up to Richard and hands him a pocket watch saying "come back to me". Richard is startled by this, but eventually puts it out of his mind, fast forward 8 years, Richard is a highly successful playwright now and after a long run of hits, he decides to take a break to clear his head. He heads out to The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island in Michigan, given its rich film and theater history he thinks maybe such a grand place will clear his mind abit. In the hotel's lobby he finds a portrait of a beautiful woman, which entrances him. He discovers that she is Elise McKenna, a very 20th century stage actress, who 8 years before, on the day she passed away, gave richard that pocket watch. At this point Richard becomes obsessed with her, so much so he reads upon and decides to attempt this obscure science theory of "auto suggestive time travel" where in if you make yourself believe you are in a certain place at a certain time, your mind will make you believe it, and thus allow you to go about as if you are there. From there it tells the love story of two who should have never met, yet were ment for each other, and how love can stop at nothing to become reality.
Why do i like it? Because its message is so very true, love, no matter what is in its way, will always come true in the end and find away to make it happen. You find yourself entranced in the story of Richard and Elise, regardless of how cliche the the story might seem by today's standards, add to that the excellent work by Reeves, the very beautiful Jane Seymour, and an excellent supporting role by Christopher Plummer, who does a great job as an early 1900s cockblocker, plus the ending gets me abit weepy... what? I said it.... deal with it...
Harold and Maude (1972)
Harold and Maude is a fairly well known movie, its the story of a morbidly obsessed 18 year old kid and how his life is changed by a holocaust survivor who's living her very quirky life in 1972 San Fransisco, who teaches him that there is always something worth living for. Most remember the hearses that Harold drove though out the movie, and the rather hilarious fake suicide attempts of his, as well as the bits of teen on gmilf making out, and music lovers find Cat Steven's soundtrack to be one of the best of the era, if not of all time, framing the film perfectly.
Why I like it? Well, who doesn't love abit of gmilf on teen making out? no seriously, who doesn't, cuz there is soemthing wrong with them. Ok im kidding, the film has always been a favorite of mine, it teaches you of how important life is and how we all need to live it at all times even when we feel we have nothing to live for, or would rather be dead, in a sense, teaching us of life through jokes about death, suicide might be one of the worst things a person can do, but that doesn't mean the idea of it can't be funny, the symbolism through out the whole movie is amazing too, you seem these little glimpses of Harold's morbid fixation with death and killing himself surface in the oddest ways, and as the end comes to be, you actually feel sadness, then rejoice as well, in a sense, a rebirth, which is the meaning of the film. So beautifully done. Plus, gmilf on teenage boy action... who can pass that up?
The Wrestler (2008)
I've always been a fan of movies that take a former joke of a star and make them shine for that one moment, I've a believer in the idea that atleast once each star be them a true star or a joke, deserves that one moment to prove their greatness. For Mickey Rourke that moment was The Wrestler. The movie tells the tale of a hasbeen professional wrestler how 20 years ago was ontop of the world, even sold out Madison Square Garden at the height of his career, now he works weeks at a supermarket and wrestlings at indie shows around new jersey on weekends for extra money. His life is completely gone to shit, he's drinking way to much, he's doing way to much cocaine and seems to only have an emotional bond with a stripper, he has heart problems and has destroyed his relationship with his daughter. The movie tells the tale of the events that come up to a 20th anniversry match between him and his biggest rival (played by Ernest "the Cat" Miller!!), it shows his drive to return to his glory days just once more, and his need to try and fix the damaged relationship with his daughter.
why do I like it? Because aside from it being an incredible story, for the first time in all of his years of acting, I saw Mickey Rourke as the star, I saw him reach for greatness, and get it. Kind of like a story with in a story, as his character, a former superstar in his business now faded and withered to obscurity reaches for that one last grab of the brass ring of fame, so does Mickey... its a beautiful both sides of the mirror tale that everyone should see.
Candy (1968)
This is another British sexploitation movie, though this one, unlike Baby Love, is not the ultimate in mindfuck technology. This is rather the opposite, this is a hilariously comical take on the sex, drugs and rock and roll culture of the late 1960s that was spreading all over the world. It stars Ewa Aulin as Candy, a girl who descends to earth from outer space in the first moments of the movie, for some reason, then the movie jumps to her in school as a teenager and it follows her accidental sexventures from that point, as she travels around the world accidentally being exploited for her beautiful looks and trusting nature. This movie is one of the most hilarious I've ever seen. Its got a huge list of stars that even at that time were huge names, Ewa Aulin, Ringo Starr, Richard Burton, Walter Matthau, Marlin Brando, John Astin (Gomez Addams), James Coburn, one of the few english roles of Charles Aznavour, as well as minor appearances by legendary boxer Sugar Ray Robinson and afew other famous europian actors that even i didn't recognize right off (thats hard to do seriously), it makes you wonder why this hilarious little jem was forgotten for so long with such a great cast... its truly worth seeing.
Why do i like it? well thats easy, the movie is hilarious! it pokes so much fun at late 60s pop culture that it just makes me laugh almost non-stop. From Richard Burton playing a crap poet who no matter if he's standing still or walking his hair and scarf are constantly blowing in the wind, Marlin Brando playing a fake indian sex guru, to Walter Matthau playing an insanely repressed General who proclaims that family members can't give other family members blood transfusions because that would be incest, Ringo Starr as a mexican gardener who seems tad retarded, but the real stand out in this film is John Astin, most of you will remember John as Gomez Addams, but in this, he plays twin brothers who happen to be the complete opposite of each other, Candy's father is proper and repressed and straight laced and by the book, and his brother is all about the freewheeling drugs rock and toll and sex of the era, complete with leather wearing swinging girlfriend. In both roles John delivers some of the best lines of the film, as Candy's father; "this isn't some bordertown, where you can come and go as you please doing whatever you do, doing, Mexican things!" and as his brother the whole conversation about biker gangs and whips and chains magazine is hilarious. Seriously a must see even if you aren't a fan of the less blatant sex comedies,
Vanishing Point (1971)
Set in post Woodstock america, Vanishing Point tells the story of Kowalski, his first name is never given, he is a vehicle transporter, you find out through the movie he has absolutely nothing left in life except his job, he's hired to take a white 1970 Dodge Challenger thats been tricked out like you wouldn't believe, from Denver to San Fransisco, as he drives along, and meets various people, hot female hitchhikers, gay hitchhikers that try to rob him, black blind DJ, and many others, you near about Kowalski's life, he was a vietnam veterin, turned cop who had to leave after being framed for drugs because he stopped his partner from raping a young girl, then he became both a motorcycle and race car driver, and ended up where he is now, driving cars from place to place for a company that delivers cars, the closest thing to a girlfriend he has is a criminal he couldn't bust because he was smitten with her right away, as these stories come to light, you realize that there really isn't anything left for Kowalski in life, and you start to see that he does the things he does with out thought because he really has nothing left to lose. The whole point of the film is that even when we've got nothing, and no where to go but down, we can still fight, still fight for what we believe in, still fight for our beliefs, all of that, because tahts what humans do, we fight for what we have, no matter how little it might be.
Why do I like it? Anything that shows how someone thats literally fighting for their life will not give up, even when they know they have nothing to lose or nothing to gain but they still fight on, with all the energy they've always had and always will, and are willing to defy just about everyone and everything that stands in their path, and make you stand up an cheer for them as they do it, is someone that is worthy of respect and love.... atleast from me. Plus the way this film was shot will leave anyone thats ever so much as made a home movie of kids playing in a bathtub drop their jaw.. friggin amazing.
Ok thats enough for part one... :D
---------
Laz
0 comments:
Post a Comment