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Reviews
The Last House on Dead End Street (1973)
One of the Strangest and most hallucinogenic of the Extreme Grinedhouse Oddities
Reading the reviews here I can't help but notice there hasn't been a recent one for some time. Here goes. The plot is as follows: A newly released convict with a big chip on his shoulder against society ropes in a couple of old friends and some Manson Family type females to make snuff movies and proceeds to do just that. This movie has more than a few W.T.F scenes which easily place it higher than the usual grind house fare of the seventies, some of these scenes are just plain bizarre with the whipping of a young lady dressed in a maids outfit with her face covered in black and white mistral make-up by a dwarf!!!. The atmosphere of violent misanthropy and amphetamine abuse which this movie is saturated in is powerful to say the least, the rage filled moment when the lead character kicks a director to death while screaming "I'm the ******* director here" is particularly memorable. But what I came away with most from this movie was the sheer strangeness of it all. The very early primitive-synthesizer soundtrack really is creepily effective. The otherworldly behavior of the Manson family type girls is disturbing and the Greek Mythological masks the characters wear while torturing and killing their victims hint at something deeper, more thought provoking and just plain scarier than other movies of this ilk. Even the opening sequence/trailer with the revolving screaming head jumps at you. And this movies' history, where for almost 2 decades it was all but lost with the names in the opening and closing title sequences being pseudonyms leading to the idea that this movie really was a snuff movie help give this film it's undoubted uniqueness. Some of the oddness can be explained by the fact that in it's uncut form this movie was about 3 hrs long!!! and it's original title was the "Cuckoo Clocks from Hell" But unfortunately this version remains and will probably always remain lost. Ahhhh we can but hope it will turn up in a New York warehouse until then buy a 6 pack stick the DVD in your player and sit back and enjoy this hallucinogenic scare flick
Dirty Sexy Money (2007)
Too Smug for its own good
Normally I wouldn't comment on an American soap opera however this just seems another example in a long line of mediocre work, which is just way overrated. Case in point: Peter Krause seems to be the most narcissistic actor working in TV today and the 4 or 5 expressions he managed to pick up in acting classes were wearing a bit thin in 6 feet under ( another overrated pile of doodoo ) Now they are just indicative of his total lack of character/personality/screen presence.
The married relationship smug Nick and simpering Lisa have is a boring cycle of Lisas' insincere jealousy of Karen-argument-bust up-reconciliation EVERY episode.
William Baldwins' character Patrick is supposed to be a senator or congressman or something. Well all he does is stumble around with that slack jawed, half coherent primate with hurt emotions thing he does so well, which suits 2 dimensional stereotypical characters like cons, drug dealers, drunks but is a bit of a stretch way playing a complex character like a US senator.
Donald Sutherland and Jill Clayburgh are just laughing all the way to bank.
There's more but I've got things to do.
OH Glenn Fitzgeralds' character is this shows only saving grace and it's probably not enough. Cheers
Shine a Light (2008)
It just isn't very good
I've been a stones fan for about 25-30 years now A Relative Newcomer and I've collected over 300 bootleg recordings of live stones concerts during the previous 3 decades. Gimme Shelter is one of the best music documentaries ever. Martin Scorsese is probably the best director America has given us in last 50 years. The Last Waltz was superb, the Scorsese Dylan documentary No Direction Home was a wonderful look at the roots of Americana and folk music and I'm NOT a Dylan fan. So why oh why was this so dull. Reason 1: Special guest audience only, ex-presidents, TV stars, Movie Stars in fact just about anybody who wasn't a true Stones fan was there resulting in a lack of atmosphere for a Rock 'n' Roll concert Reason 2: Mediocre performance by the guys themselves. Reason 3: Vintage footage of their days in the 60s and 70s which I've seen MANY times before. Reason 4: Not exactly "Martys" best work. This post is not a flame, I truly wanted to love this film but it just isn't very good
Born to Lose: The Last Rock and Roll Movie (1999)
A messy yet fascinating journey
Lech Kowalski made a documentary called Story of a Junkie, which was a journey through the filthy, junkie littered and violent streets of NYC in the early eighties with a charismatic heroin addict called John Spacely ( Who's in this documentary also ) acting as our guide. The similarities with that film and this one are many especially the sense of going on a journey. In Story of a Junkie we go on a journey with John to score smack, here the journey is Johhny Thunders life, starting with elderly family and friends recollecting what kind of kid he was growing up in Brooklyn through to his early notoriety with the amazing New York Dolls, then onto the lesser successful but equally important Heartbreakers and Eighties solo work. Along the way we meet an array of groupies, dealers, unscrupulous managers with sad, funny and at times pathetic memories of their time with J. Thunders. Johhny himself isn't interviewed, which is by far this documentary's weakest point although not the only one. Editing is the another main weak point with several ridiculous examples, one being the interview with a barely awake drunk French band member and his mother which becomes impossible to understand, however there is a lot of live footage here and much of it is priceless especially the New york Dolls and Heartbreakers stuff on the other hand this being a journey with an end ( Johhny's Death ) It becomes truly grim as we move into the late eighties and Johhny frankly looked appalling with the sickest most abused body that anyone would pay money to see and the final still photographs of him in Bangkok in the early nineties are just frightening. It's the life of J.Thunders and it isn't the most pleasant of trips but if you've gotten here and are reading this then you probably want to take it too. RIP John ( Arthur Kane, Jerry Nolan & John Spacely too )
All Dolled Up: A New York Dolls Story (2005)
Probably the best dolls documentary we'll ever get
In the early seventies a documentary making couple ( Bob Gruen & Nadya Beck ) bought a black & white video camera and followed the New York Dolls around NYC and their short but important west coast tour. They recorded live performances, rehearsals and off stage footage in night clubs, backstage, limos etc.. This DVD release is the edited results. Some of the off stage footage is fascinating ( the dolls dancing to their chart hit at Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco night club, Johhny Thunders with the legendary groupie Sable Starr ) and mundane ( Arthur Kane pulling on his y fronts ! ) However the recordings of the live performances at various NYC venues and the Whiskey in LA are the best footage of the dolls live that exists period, bootleg or official. If you're a dolls fan it's a given you'll need this. On the other hand if you've got just a casual interest in the dolls you might find it a bit hard wading through all of the off stage footage. But with the passing of time and sadly the passing of 3 ( 4 counting the original drummer Bill Murcia ) of the original band, this is almost certainly the best collection of vintage live footage we New York Dolls fans will ever get. Treasure it.
My Friends Need Killing (1976)
Another Well Acted, Grim and Despair Filled 70s' Gem
Having read about this movie for a long long time on various websites in the last 10 or so years, I finally managed to get a hold of it through slightly dubious means. Well it is nowhere near a graphically violent 70's sleazefest film that's been suggested in other websites. It is in fact a very grim character study of a man who can only come to terms with the actions of what he and his comrades did in their shared combat experiences by killing!!! his former comrades by way of the methods they used to kill the enemy and civilians. The acting is perfectly acceptable in the supporting roles and frankly is excellent in the lead performance by Greg Mullavy whose eyes and facial expressions suggest more pain and insanity than any unsubtle looney tune overacting by the likes of Mel Gibson could ever hope to achieve. It is however unavailable on DVD and it's really tough to get a VHS copy or any other format for that matter. Nevertheless if this is the genre you like and you've not seen it yet keep on keepin' on because it is another one of those unseen 70s' gems that I personally do so love. Recommended double bill My friends Need Killing + Night Flowers Nuff Said
Night-Flowers (1979)
Unseen Gem
Following the financial and critical success of The Deer Hunter and to a lesser extent Coming Home in the late 70s. Exploitation filmmakers began making some astonishing movies concerning the same subject (War veterans return home and the sometimes horrifying consequences). Checkout the $6.50 cents budgeted Combat Shock. However one of the 1st was this Gabriel Walsh scripted and acted hardly ever seen gem. Its' plot is simple enough it follows 2 friends back from Vietnam living in some sh*thole apartment in NYC in the late 70s and going about their day to day business. What makes this stand out from the rest is an appalling authentic rape/murder scene. The mundane way the violence is committed by what up until this point was a semi likable character has never left my memory (I saw it for the 1st time over 25 years ago). The complexities of the relationship between the 2 friends (Guilt, horrifying shared experiences) leads the other protagonist to reluctantly help his friend cover up his crime. Yet the film still hasn't finished and there's more to come "The Dancing Disco Danny" scene in which the Gabriel Walsh character transforms from quiet barely keeping it together but loyal friend into a cold vicious killer is truly chilling. There are several more though less violent moments when some extraordinary acting by particularly Gabriel Walsh is on view suggesting frightening and severe psychological damage (The Vet Admin Office scene for One) make this movie quite simply an unforgettable and draining experience. The very VERY least this movie deserves is a cleaned up print with extras DVD release by Blue Underground or Severin or any of those specialist DVD releasing companies. Until then it will remain a largely Unseen Gem Good Luck finding peeps.
*** Appendage*** Viewers of this great movie and by the way it's great news to hear it's finally going to get a DVD release this year 2013 have commented about Linda Hamilton's non appearance in this film. She's there just before the rape scene you see her walking up the steps outside the 2 main characters apartment. Then once inside it's a different actress altogether can't say I blame Linda for not appearing in the following scene.
Dværgen (1973)
Almost a Lost Exploitation Gem
Almost a Lost Exploitation Gem. This one just emanates a foul ambiance. With a twisted dwarf, his sociapathic Ex Music hall singing mother, her gin swilling friend, heroin addicted and for the most part very attractive unwilling hookers and a likable young English couple down on their luck. Lashings of sex more towards hard rather than soft core between the above mentioned heroin addicts and the mothers selected clients. Torture usually carried out by Olaf the dwarf and lots of Seventies children's toys from choo choo trains to barking poodles. If you've arrived here and haven't seen this One put it right at the top of your must see list
The Candy Snatchers (1973)
Not Quite The Lost Grindhouse Gem Of the 70s But,,,,,,,
What an oddball mixture we have here. The plot concerns 3 inept but vicious thugs including a very attractive blonde who kidnap a teenage schoolgirl in order collect a half a million bucks from her father as with all of these schemes things just don't go to plan, stupidity and mayhem follow. This movie has a look and feel of a 70s made for TV thriller punctured with scenes of violence and comic relief straight from the grind house " how to make a movie guidebook " The characters are all as amoral as you can get with the exception of Candy and a little mute boy!!! The pace of the movie moves a little too slow in parts particularly in the middle section but picks momentum big time during the almost " jaw dropping " conclusion. In fact the conclusion is what has set this movie apart ( I think ) from many other similar but easily forgettable movies from the period. It shows several shocking, intelligent and believable plot twists, with the last being the most shocking of all. This movie isn't as visceral as Last House on the Left or as controversial as Fight for Your Life but has more than a good deal of intelligence and directorial talent than most of the 70s offerings, So check it out. And with the recent Subversive DVD release of this not quite a classic but... It is no more one of those " lost gems "