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Post by dirtypillows on Feb 19, 2020 3:48:36 GMT
Tarkovsky dominates this decade, at least IMO: 10 Stalker [1979] Celine and Julie Go Boating [1974] 9 Hausu [1977] Badlands [1973] Solaris [1972] Mirror [1975] Eraserhead [1977] Days of Heaven [1978] Cries and Whispers [1972] Barry Lyndon [1975] Lancelot du Lac [1974] Valerie and Her Week of Wonders [1970] The Passenger [1975] Two-Lane Blacktop [1971] And a pretty arbitrary selection of six 1970s films I’ve rated 8, listed chronologically A Touch of Zen [1971] Chinatown [1974] Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles [1975] Duelle [1976] Suspiria [1977] Manhattan [1979] And then there's Dario Argento -- 1977 "Suspiria" or 1975 "Deep Red", take your pick. His animal trilogy from earlier in the decade was pretty impressive, too.
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Post by dirtypillows on Feb 19, 2020 8:04:27 GMT
You make humorous observations about the super silly, but highly enjoyable "Summer of Fear". I'm so pleased you watched it! Your virgin viewing! Yes, silliness rules the day! It was 1978 and they were still churning out "Rosemary Baby" plot details, ten years later. Linda is very likable, I think, and she is a good sport and does not give a bad performance, but you just can't help but notice that she is a slightly short, stocky little thing and her handsome, but corny boyfriend Mike is about 8 feet tall. He would become a hunchback if he supplied Linda with too many goodnight kisses. (they had zero chemistry; Rachel had more chemistry with the old man or her brother than with her boyfriend) The mom's character is slightly high-fallutin, which does not gell with the rest of the cast and I thought the dad was plain sexy. The girl who played Julia was pretty good, i thought. Suitably wicked. Fran Drescher had that blatant NYC accent from the beginning! She just can't help being who she is and I kinda like her, but in no way is she an actress! But there is something comforting about this cheesy, corny little Made-for-tv movie out of the late 70s. It's about as scary as an episode of "Fantasy Island". Special nod to the pink party dress. That part was hilarious. That big pink bow, odd and ridiculous, just drooped on Rachel, such a sad sight, she might as well have sewn a bunch of dishrags together. Then Julia strolls in wearing the same dress... Oh, the humanity! I have not seen "Chiller", but I have seen "Invitation to Hell" and it's just okay, I would say. Robert Urich is always appealing, though. It is up on YouTube right now. Joanna Cassidy is also in it and she's good. "Midnight Offerings" is very, very good and I would go so far as to say that it's not even silly, but actually a bit disturbing in its plausibility and I think Melissa Sue Anderson is truly excellent here; she really gives herself over and she is very convincing. And I loved her mom, felt so bad for her! The scene where the mom cautions her evil daughter about using her powers... "What about the loneliness? Don't tell you don't feel it. I've seen it. It's a trade-off, Vivian..." Oh, brrrr... People may dismiss the movie, but I can't help but be moved by certain elements, especially the truth of what the mother says. "The Spell" (yes, what is going on here?) borrows from "Carrie" and I think it's also a lot of fun, with the main girl giving a solid performance and Lee Grant is excellent as she always is. I even thought this movie had some underlying depth about the basic struggle that goes on in parent-child relationships. I don't know if the movie meant to go this deep or not, but I got something extra out of it. Yeah! What was with the mother? She was playing it like she was living in the upper echelons of Manhattan and not only had a silver spoon in her mouth, she had one stuck up her ass as well. She was a photographer who lived in an idyllic rustic setting and a bit more down-to-earthness wouldn't have gone astray. The father was a stock-broker, but it doesn't mean she had to act like a snob ffs.
The actress that played Julia - Lee Purcell - was actually better than Blair, but Blair always got by on her cutesy looks when she was younger. She was a unique feature. Blair's best performance by far is in Born Innocent a mid 70's t.v. movie. This one has more realness and grit to it and she is very believable as this sweet lost and impressionable young girl who sadly had seen a very unpleasant and harsher side of life. Her transition into tough bad girl who finally doesn't care anymore, from a society and system that failed her, is quite real and disturbing.
With Midnight Offerings, yes, it is not so much silly, as in that I meant it is still fun to watch but more on the mark in the dramatic department. I feel it topped this tv movie witchiepoo genre in terms of performance and even thematic quality like you have expressed. MSA gave very sincere performances in this and one of my favorite slashers as you know HBTM, both from 81'. The Spell took itself seriously and had a dark family dynamic but was still a bit derivative. Summer Of Fear wants to be serious, but it can't be, due to the double dose of cheese that coated and stayed stuck to the script. Surely Craven could have fixed up some of this. He had already given us two raw and gritty 70's horror classics.
I haven't watched it yet, but I have a later 80's devil worship one on vhs called Bay Coven. Will check to see if on you tube. I also own Jennifer on vhs. Have seen that one a few times. This was made for theatrical release. I have to watch it with my feet up because of the snakes. Jennifer is on you tube.
Hey, did you happen to notice, Toasted Cheese, the mean, red-haired nurse's appearance when the old man got hexed and put in a hospital? That's one of our very most un-favorite movie characters, Ms. Bunweill - "3 Women"! I looked her up and the actress has been in exactly two productions and now you've seen them both. She has a rare gift of playing cold, nasty, uptight bitches. What a stretch! But that's ole Big Buns, as Doris, "The Chinese One", called her once or twice.
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Post by dirtypillows on Feb 19, 2020 14:13:49 GMT
Oh, agreed. From your list, "The Poseidon Adventure" is lots of fun, and gotta love the original "Dirty Harry" (1971 was the Year of Clint!). "Annie Hall" is excellent, maybe my second favorite Woody Allen (after "Radio Days") and "The Spy Who Loved Me" is my favorite Bond outing. "Up In Smoke" is laugh out loud, goofy fun, and "Grease" is a ball, with a wonderful, super catchy score. Bette Midler was a powerhouse in "The Rose". I have yet to check out "Electra Glide in Blue", but remember you citing it as an excellent movie many moons ago, Toasted Cheese. It does look intruiging. I wlll not, can not stop at twenty for what is the best decade for film ever!!! No can do! If I recall, I think you rented out Electra Glide In Blue at my behest, but I think you commented you weren't getting into it. I can understand that. I only came to it in the early 00's on vhs and it impressed me immeasurably. I just connected with the whole thing. Blake, his character and the stunning cinematography really hold it all together.
I noticed I wasn't able to include anything from 76', but all other years. Well, those are the breaks.
1979 is the only that didn't get representation on my list, and 1974 was the year with the most citings, with 7 out of 25.
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Post by dirtypillows on Feb 19, 2020 14:16:59 GMT
Hey, did you happen to notice, Toasted Cheese, the mean, red-haired nurse's appearance when the old man got hexed and put in a hospital? That's one of our very most un-favorite movie characters, Ms. Bunweill - "3 Women"! I looked her up and the actress has been in exactly two productions and now you've seen them both. She has a rare gift of playing cold, nasty, uptight bitches. What a stretch! But that's ole Big Buns, as Doris, "The Chinese One", called her once or twice. Sierra Pecheur. I didn't recognize that, thanks for pointing it out. At any rate, she is a better actress than Fran Drescher. Drescher got by on personality. Yeah, Drescher's "The Nanny" was all about FD's big personality, you either liked her or you didn't, though I guess I am pretty middle ground on Miss Fran Drescher. IRL, she is a lot more subdued than her persona might suggest.
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