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Post by timshelboy on Dec 15, 2022 21:55:00 GMT
A seminal 70s star, she seemed to be everywhere that decade. The quality of her roles/films nosedived in the 80s but she kept working til her death in 2013   Here are some of my favourite Karen Black movies YOU'RE A BIG BOY NOW 67  I'm not a fan of the movie but her featured role in EASY RIDER was a good one to have on the CV  FIVE EASY PIECES her first great role as Nicholson's girlfriend - only oscar nom  Roles in A GUNFIGHT, CISCO PIKE, BORN TO WIN and PORTNOYS COMPLAINT foolowed. A second great role THE GREAT GATSBY with Bruce Dern  Camp classic AIRPORT 75 as the stew flying the plane  Voodoo dolly shocker - TRILOGY OF TERROR a Tv movie that has a following.  Neglected Nathanael West adaptation as Hollywood starlet - another very good one.  As C&W singer in Altman's magnificent NASHVILLE - she got to write her own songs too.  as a mystery woman in Hitchcock's last - FAMILY PLOT  Cruddy horror movie  A cameo in fun Fake Moon Landing thriller CAPRICORN ONE (CORRECTION - Fake MARS landing)  IN PRAISE OF OLDER WOMEN  Idiotic but fun Heist movie with added piranha...  Another great part COME BACK TO THE 5&DIME JIMMY DEAN JIMMY DEAN. With Kathy Bates (I think) and Cher.  Oddball comedy had cult success  Very little of her work since then (1983) is notable - DIXIE LANES , CRIMETIME and THE CHILDREN probably the most respectable. OUT OF THE DARK was a weirdie. She had a cameo in THE PLAYER. Other titles - she appeared in 200 plus movies/TV shows - include DINOSAUR VALLEY GIRLS , STRPPING FOR JESUS, CHILDREN OF THE CORN iv, HOUSE OF A THOUSAND CORPSES, PLAN TEN FROM OUTER SPACE, and AUNTIE LEE'S MEAT PIES. She did win a Fangoria Chainsaw Award for HOUSE OF A THOUSAND CORPSES    in HOUSE OF A THOUSAND CORPSES  What are your favourite Karen Black movies?   |
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Post by petrolino on Dec 15, 2022 23:08:54 GMT
Great actress. Worked with a lot of directors I like during the course of her career including a number of filmmakers who'd worked with Roger Corman. I prefer some of the genre films she made in the 1980s and beyond to some of the films you've mentioned from the 1970s (eg. 'Airport 75', 'Cisco Pike', 'The Great Gatsby', 'Family Plot', 'Burnt Offerings' ...).
Here's a great one ...
I'll have a think and come back with some favourites!
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Post by timshelboy on Dec 15, 2022 23:20:15 GMT
Great actress. Worked with a lot of directors I like during the course of her career including a number of filmmakers who'd worked with Roger Corman. I prefer some of the genre films she made in the 1980s and beyond to some of the films you've mentioned from the 1970s (eg. 'Airport 75', 'Cisco Pike', 'The Great Gatsby', 'Family Plot', 'Burnt Offerings' ...).
Here's a great one ...
I'll have a think and come back with some favourites!
  I bet you are a TRILOGY OF TERROR fan though....  |
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Post by timshelboy on Dec 15, 2022 23:23:12 GMT
 A Good one I forgot - from Doris Lessing novel, as unhappily married Expat in 40s Rhodesia |
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Post by politicidal on Dec 15, 2022 23:57:43 GMT
I thought Capricorn One was about a fake Mars landing?
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Post by timshelboy on Dec 16, 2022 0:02:13 GMT
I thought Capricorn One was about a fake Mars landing? I'm sure you are right - I do this mostly from memory and at age 61 that can sometimes fail me - Good movie though whatever planet visit was faked.  |
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Post by jervistetch on Dec 16, 2022 3:25:41 GMT
Thank you for this wonderful nod to the career of Karen Black, timshelboy. Such a defining actress of the 1970’s. A lot of great performances including GATSBY and LOCUST, but her stand alone best for me is for FIVE EASY PIECES. She gave us a character that was “fingernails on a chalkboard” annoying as hell but your heart broke for her. I imagine that’s not an easy feat to achieve for actors. I’ll remember her always.  |
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Post by Prime etc. on Dec 16, 2022 6:37:32 GMT
She did some seriously creepy 70s movies--Trilogy of Terror--and also Burnt Offerings.
I heard someone complain about her in Airport 75----I can't remember the criticism now but I think she did a good job selling the scariness of being alone in a cockpit with no pilot.
That's a situation where the performance has to draw you in to be scared too.
She's not actually in a plane but has to make you believe she is.
Nowadays we take it for granted because the spfx can do all sorts of fancy camera moves to show the environment.
Back then the performance had to sell the scenario.
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Post by Power Ranger on Dec 16, 2022 8:26:15 GMT
I love her.
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Post by teleadm on Dec 16, 2022 17:59:34 GMT
She sort of disappeared from the limelight after Airport 75 and Family Plot 1976.
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Post by timshelboy on Dec 16, 2022 19:59:23 GMT
She sort of disappeared from the limelight after Airport 75 and Family Plot 1976. Yet she worked steadily in movies with limited audiences. and COME BACK TO THE 5 & DIME JIMMY DEAN JIMMY DEAN gave her a good lead role (1982)  OUT OF THE DARK  DINOSAUR VALLEY GIRLS   |
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Post by Captain Spencer on Dec 16, 2022 20:29:07 GMT
Surprised nobody mentioned The Pyx. Perhaps a bit slow-moving and dreary for some people's taste, but I found it to be an effective blend of horror and mystery. The black mass scene was splendidly creepy.  |
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Post by timshelboy on Dec 16, 2022 20:40:37 GMT
 She inspired a rock band..... |
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Post by petrolino on Dec 16, 2022 22:10:42 GMT
Great actress. Worked with a lot of directors I like during the course of her career including a number of filmmakers who'd worked with Roger Corman. I prefer some of the genre films she made in the 1980s and beyond to some of the films you've mentioned from the 1970s (eg. 'Airport 75', 'Cisco Pike', 'The Great Gatsby', 'Family Plot', 'Burnt Offerings' ...).
Here's a great one ...
I'll have a think and come back with some favourites!
I bet you are a TRILOGY OF TERROR fan though....
I prefer Dan Curtis' 'Trilogy Of Terror' to 'Burnt Offerings', that's for sure. But I prefer 'Ooga Booga' to 'Trilogy Of Terror'.
Karen Black made a lot of horror movies. Unfortunately, I found she sometimes wound up in great genre directors' weaker pictures. I'd say this was the case with European directors Alfred Hitchcock, Gordon Hessler, Antonio Margheriti and Ruggero Deodato, as well as American filmmakers like Tobe Hooper, Larry Cohen, John Carl Buechler, Jeff Broadstreet and others. For me, her genre keepers were often low-rent sleepers; 1990 was a career year (I'm not even including the sequel 'Zapped Again!'). It's a shame Alex Cox's sequel 'Repo Chick' (2009) was so poor.
20 Favourites
01) 'Easy Rider' (1969 - Dennis Hopper) 02) 'Five Easy Pieces' (1970 - Bob Rafelson) 03) 'Drive, He Said' (1971 - Jack Nicholson) 04) 'The Outfit' (1973 - John Flynn) 05) 'The Day Of The Locust' (1975 - John Schlesinger)
06) 'Nashville' (1975 - Robert Altman) 07) 'Capricorn One' (1978 - Peter Hyams) 08) 'Come Back To The 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean' (1982 - Robert Altman) 09) 'Can She Bake A Cherry Pie?' (1983 - Henry Jaglom) 10) 'Bad Manners' (1984 - Robert Houston)
11) 'Savage Dawn' (1985 - Simon Nuchtern) 12) 'Out Of The Dark' (1988 - Michael Schroeder) 13) 'Club Fed' (1990 - Nat 'The Bat' Christian) 14) 'Evil Spirits' (1990 - Gary Graver)
15) 'Haunting Fear' (1990 - Fred Olen Ray)
16) 'Mirror, Mirror' (1990 - Marina Sargenti) 17) 'Twisted Justice' (1990 - David Heavener) 18) 'Tuesday Never Comes' (1992 - Jason Holt) 19) 'Charades' (1998 - Stephen Eckelberry / co-written by Karen Black) 20) 'Ooga Booga' (2013 - Charles Band)
I like David Winters' satirical horror 'The Last Horror Film' (1982), Robert Altman's satirical mystery 'The Player' (1992) and Stephen Kessler's satirical comedy 'The Independent' (2000) - I think Karen Black appears as herself in all three movies.
Laverne and Shirley meet Fabian Forte ...
I've not seen alot of her tv movies which often had great directors behind the camera. Among her features, need to see Luke Moberly and Bob Woodburn's adventure 'Little Laura And Big John' (1973) with Fabian Forte. Also, Paul Williams' 'Miss Right' (1982), Henri Charr's 'Fatal Encounter' (1990), Dominique Othenin-Girard's 'Night Angel' (1990), Tony Randel's 'Children Of The Night' (1991) .... quite a few really.
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Post by timshelboy on Dec 16, 2022 22:21:12 GMT
I bet you are a TRILOGY OF TERROR fan though....
I prefer Dan Curtis' 'Trilogy Of Terror' to 'Burnt Offerings', that's for sure. But I prefer 'Ooga Booga' to 'Trilogy Of Terror'.
Karen Black made a lot of horror movies. Unfortunately, I found she sometimes wound up in great genre directors' weaker pictures. I'd say this was the case with European directors Alfred Hitchcock, Gordon Hessler, Antonio Margheriti and Ruggero Deodato, as well as American filmmakers like Tobe Hooper, Larry Cohen, John Carl Buechler, Jeff Broadstreet and others. For me, her genre keepers were often low-rent sleepers; 1990 was a career year (I'm not even including the sequel 'Zapped Again!'). It's a shame Alex Cox's sequel 'Repo Chick' (2009) was so poor.
20 Favourites
01) 'Easy Rider' (1969 - Dennis Hopper) 02) 'Five Easy Pieces' (1970 - Bob Rafelson) 03) 'Drive, He Said' (1971 - Jack Nicholson) 04) 'The Outfit' (1973 - John Flynn) 05) 'The Day Of The Locust' (1975 - John Schlesinger)
06) 'Nashville' (1975 - Robert Altman) 07) 'Capricorn One' (1978 - Peter Hyams) 08) 'Come Back To The 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean' (1982 - Robert Altman) 09) 'Can She Bake A Cherry Pie?' (1983 - Henry Jaglom) 10) 'Bad Manners' (1984 - Robert Houston)
11) 'Savage Dawn' (1985 - Simon Nuchtern) 12) 'Out Of The Dark' (1988 - Michael Schroeder) 13) 'Club Fed' (1990 - Nat 'The Bat' Christian) 14) 'Evil Spirits' (1990 - Gary Graver)
15) 'Haunting Fear' (1990 - Fred Olen Ray)
16) 'Mirror, Mirror' (1990 - Marina Sargenti) 17) 'Twisted Justice' (1990 - David Heavener) 18) 'Tuesday Never Comes' (1992 - Jason Holt) 19) 'Charades' (1998 - Stephen Eckelberry / co-written by Karen Black) 20) 'Ooga Booga' (2013 - Charles Band)
I like David Winters' satirical horror 'The Last Horror Film' (1982), Robert Altman's satirical mystery 'The Player' (1992) and Stephen Kessler's satirical comedy 'The Independent' (2000) - I think Karen Black appears as herself in all three movies.
Laverne and Shirley meet Fabian Forte ...
I've not seen alot of her tv movies which often had great directors behind the camera. Among her features, need to see Luke Moberly and Bob Woodburn's adventure 'Little Laura And Big John' (1973) with Fabian Forte. Also, Paul Williams' 'Miss Right' (1982), Henri Charr's 'Fatal Encounter' (1990), Dominique Othenin-Girard's 'Night Angel' (1990), Tony Randel's 'Children Of The Night' (1991) .... quite a few really.
MISS RIGHT is disappointing considering cast (Karen plus Margot Kidder, Virna Lisi, Marie France Pisier, Jenny Agutter...)  Here is LITTLE LAURA AND BIG JOHN LITTLE LAURA |
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Post by paulslaugh on Dec 16, 2022 22:24:23 GMT
I saw The Day of the Locust in theaters while I was suffering (still undiagnosed) mononucleosis. That was a fucked up experience I still remember. I’ve not seen the movie since.
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Post by timshelboy on Dec 16, 2022 22:32:27 GMT
I saw The Day of the Locust in theaters while I was suffering (still undiagnosed) mononucleosis. That was a fucked up experience I still remember. I’ve not seen the movie since. I vomited down the steps of the Romford Odeon after watching THE EXORCIST. Impressed those just coming in...  I should have invoiced Warners Marketing Dept. Its a very good movie - downbeat but a good adaptation of the novel and Karen is on top form  |
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Post by paulslaugh on Dec 16, 2022 22:38:53 GMT
I saw The Day of the Locust in theaters while I was suffering (still undiagnosed) mononucleosis. That was a fucked up experience I still remember. I’ve not seen the movie since. I vomited down the steps of the Romford Odeon after watching THE EXORCIST. Impressed those just coming in... I should have invoiced Warners Marketing Dept. Its a very good movie - downbeat but a good adaptation of the novel and Karen is on top form I still can see Donald Sutherland all bug-eyed jumping up and down on the tranny kid. |
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Post by timshelboy on Dec 16, 2022 22:44:06 GMT
I vomited down the steps of the Romford Odeon after watching THE EXORCIST. Impressed those just coming in... I should have invoiced Warners Marketing Dept. Its a very good movie - downbeat but a good adaptation of the novel and Karen is on top form I still can see Donald Sutherland all bug-eyed jumping up and down on the tranny kid. Sutherland gave great heavy eavy...  check him out in 1900 if you haven't seen it. He's astonishing. |
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Post by timshelboy on Dec 16, 2022 23:17:56 GMT
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I should have invoiced Warners Marketing Dept.