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wjbrocker
Reviews
Love and Kisses (1971)
Standard Nudie Flick
Although made in 1971, I didn't see this until several years later at a midnight show in Philadelphia. The ad for the film was misleading as it read "Russ Meyer's 'Love and Kisses'". The only connection with Russ Meyer was that it starred Charles Napier, who played a good guy, and the plot was a weak rip-off of "Vixen", with the female lead going after other women's husbands. I was set in a winter environment and I think it had a chase scene on snowmobiles. That's all I remember about it as I only saw it once and never found it on video.
The Forgotten (1973)
This is worth remembering
As a late-going patron of the drive-in thearers (1970's-1980s), there are many movies that I have seen & forgotten. This is one I could never forget. Despite its low-budget, exploitation-style of movie-making, the STORY was very well done. The isolated therapy-asylum, where patients act out their fantasies in order to help cure their phsycosis, the accidental murder of the head doctor just as the new nurse arrives on the scene, the (supposed) assistant doctor taking over, the various crazy paitents, the revelation that the assistant doctor is actually a patient herself, and, finally, the rescue of the young nurse by the simple-minded Sam, who killed everyone else in the house so she could escape unharmed, made for a great STORY, which held the film together. I emphasised the word STORY because that's what makes a good or great film. No matter how much blood, gore, nudity, sexual matter, or outrageous behaviour you put in a film, if the STORY is not good, then the film is not good. The film credits show clips of all the actors, including the old hag with the final line telling you to get out & never come back, which is a great ending to this film. If it is out on video/DVD, see it & enjoy it.
Fever Pitch (1985)
Good story
If you've never seen this little gem in the theaters (as I did), then get it on video/DVD right away. Although I only saw it 1/2 times when it first came out, the story-line was riveting. Ryan O'Neal stars as a newspaper reporter who is writing a series of true stories about compulsive gambling and the harmful effects of it, with the compulsive gambler's name listed as only "Mr. X." It is only near the end of the film that he reveals to his editor that HE is the Mr. X in the story when he requests for a leave of absence to take care of all the problems that have resulted from his life of compulsive gambling. The most single dramatic scene for me was, while the reporter went into the gambler's anonymous meetings, his son was put into a meeting of "Gam-A-Teen", a group for children of gamblers. The scene involved the testimony of one teen boy who said that, although he realized that compulsive gambling was a problem & that his father needed help, he could not forgive his father for the grief that he put his family through, and, that if he got the opportunity, he would KILL his father. This was delivered in such a cold, serious fashion that I will never forget it. So, if you think that compulsive gambling is not a serious addiction as you thought, check out this gem from the 80's, and contemplate how much worse it can be today.
4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
A fun time for all
I don't know what all the "serious" critics say about the film, but I had a good time just sitting in the theater with my bag of popcorn and enjoying myself, and that's what this movie is all about. Good special effects, easy-to-follow plot line, lots of humor and light drama. A suggestion for IMDb.com; You should include in your "Memorable Quotes" section the dialog between Reed & Gen. Hager in which Reed stood up for himself. During the picture, Gen. Hager had been belittling and insulting Reed and Reed just stood there and took it. Then, in the forest scene, where the F.F. and the Army were setting up a trap for the Silver Surfer, Gen. Hager said that the Army would take over and that Reed & his "freaks" should stay out the way. This was HIS team, and HE was the quarterback. Then he told Reed that he never played sports in school, did he? I only saw this once, so I might not get it exactly: Reed replied: "You're right. I never played sports in school. I stayed home & studied like a good little nerd. And now 15 years later, where am I? I'm the greatest genius of our time, I'm going to marry the hottest girl in the world, and the high school JOCK is asking for MY help, and I'm not going to do a THING for you until you show me & my friends some RESPECT!" At which point, the General gives a half-smile, turns to his men and says,"Give the man whatever he wants." As I said, I only saw this film once, but this was the most memorable quote for me. Enjoy the film, see it again if you want to, and just have FUN!
The Groove Tube (1974)
Release date
I noticed that the release date listed on your web site is 1974. That is strange, because I distinctly remember seeing the film in theaters in 1972. If people are confused, that may be because another multi-style movie came out in 1974 called "Tunnelvision", which was also a satire of TV genres but with a twist; The story was set in 1985 (11 years in the future) in which a Congressional committee was investigating the practices of Tunnlevision, which was a completely uncensored TV network. During a sample viewing of one of the Network's daily showings, the shows, commercials and news broadcasts showed futuristic forecasts of world events and celebrities (of 1974). Of course, this was all comedic speculation, but I found it funny all the same. Anyway, "The Groove Tube" was released in 1972, not 1974 as your web site reports.
Can I Do It 'Till I Need Glasses? (1977)
Fond Memories
While the first film, "If You Don't Stop It...You'll Go Blind", was very funny, "Can I Do It 'Till I Need Glasses?" is far superior. As a movie junkie, I have had the privilege of seeing all THREE versions of this film in the theater. THREE versions, you say? How can THAT be?? Version #1: The original had none of the sketches that Robin Williams did. It DID, however, have three sketches by the comedy duo of Roger & Roger as the "Lone Stranger & Pronto." Version #2: The first re-release of the film had Robin Williams hyped as a featured player, although he only appeared in TWO sketches! A total rip-off! Not only that, but two of the original sketches were deleted from Version #2 to make room for the Robin Williams sketches. One of them was the third & final "Lone Stranger & Pronto" sketch. Version #3: After threats of lawsuits from Robin Williams (and others, possibly), the movie was again released in theaters without the Robin Williams sketches, but the two deleted original sketches were NOT included!! An even BIGGER rip-off!!
The first "Lone Stranger & Pronto" sketch was described by Theo Robertson in the User Comments, so I don't have to mention that. The 2nd sketch had The Lone Stranger in a saloon telling the bartender about the rattlesnake bite, how Pronto left him to die, and how he survived (that can still be seen). Here is the third, "Lost", sketch. The announcer states that The Lone Stranger has forgiven Pronto and are back together again. Hiding behind boulders, they are beset by large tribes of attacking Indians. The Lone Stranger points out the various tribes (using stock Western footage) charging from all sides. He then sees smoke signals, and asks Pronto to interpret them. After a few seconds, Pronto tells The Lone Stranger that the smoke signals say, "You going to DIE Kimmasabe!!" He then stands up an starts giving hand-signs to the attacking Indians(the Peace sign, the raised Power fist) while saying things like, "Don't shoot! Me Soul Brother! Peace, brother!", etc. FUNNY!! And LOST forever, unless the producers have the courage to release it on DVD. Just think; They could release it with ALL the sketches restored, including the lost sketches! Come on,guys! Other old movies are being revitalized, why not YOUR two masterpieces??
The New York City Woman (1977)
Updating comments
I tried using the "Update" section, but could not complete it for some reason or another, so I am using the "Comment" section to get my point across. I saw this film while I was vacationing in Florida in 1977, three years before your web site's posting of the release date (1980). I remember Harry Reems appearing in the film during the final sex scene. C.J. Laing took on three of the top porn stars of the era, John Holmes, Tony Perez and Harry Reems, all at the same time. John's character found C.J. to be the ultimate woman that he had been searching for during the whole movie. I won't tell you how he found this out, for obvious reasons. You have to see the movie to find out for yourself. I don't know if it's out on video/DVD or not, but if it is, all you old-school porn fans should check it out, since the final scene is worth the price you pay for it.
The Brothers O'Toole (1973)
Thank you, IMDb
I only saw this movie ONE time in the theater, and never again, and have racked my brains out trying to remember the title. Tonight, I looked up John Astin's name, and THERE IT WAS! When I went to the local theater to see it, I was drawn in by the teaser that it was the funniest movie ever made. If it was so funny, why was I the ONLY patron in the theater for this showing?? Anyway, I have NO memory of the plot or the characters, but there is ONE thing that sticks out in my mind. During the middle portion of the film, the townspeople hold their annual spitting, belching and cussing contest. The spitting was disgusting, of course, but the belching was funnier, even showing an infant child doing a belch. The winner of the belching contest was John Astin's "brother", who let loose with a winner. After that, John's character let loose with a diatribe against the townspeople using proper English words to describe the town, its people and their low-life ways to show his disgust for them. After he finished, he was declared the winner of the CUSSING contest! And that, friends, is ALL I really remember about this film! I hope it is on home video so I can see it again (for the second time|) just for the heck of it.
Where Does It Hurt? (1972)
The first time I saw Uschi
My rating for this movie is only because I saw it only ONE time in a theater, and never again, so I don't have an objective viewpoint of it. The year 1972 was when I graduated from High School, and I had already seen some "R"-rated movies ("Shaft" was my first). Since I had already seen "Hospital", starring George C. Scott, I knew that this would be another version of the hospital satire. But never in my life would I know that I would be seeing, for the first time, the woman who would be my all-time favorite nude model & nude film star, Uschi Digard. Near the end of the film there was a big party scene. An old doctor asks Uschi to lower her dress, which she does, revealing her abundant bosoms, which he then proceedes to do a breast exam on her. Since I am a lover of big breasted women, I was of course enthralled, but what also attracted me to her was those full lips of her mouth that seemed to look like a little child pouting her lips like she was sulking over something. What a turn-on! Since then, I would become a big fan of Uschi, seeing many of her movie appearances in drive-ins and grindhouses over the course of the 1970's. But this was the FIRST time I had EVER seen her on screen. If this film is EVER available on video/DVD, I will Definitely buy it, just to see Uschi once again.
Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo (2006)
Fun for T.T. and anime fans alike!
What a fun movie! As a fan of the Titans series since it first came on the air, it was great to see the gang get their own full-length movie. Since other reviewers will write about the plot, with spoilers included, I won't go into that here. Instead, I want to give props to WB for continuing the anime flavor that has pervaded this American series. For instance: 1. Starfire's demonic enemy looked a lot like an evil version of Astro Boy. 2. The motorcycle Robin stole from the crook's club looked similar to Kaneda's bike from "Akira", and the sideways skid at the police blockade was taken right from the movie. 3. The commander of the Tokyo Troopers was dressed exactly like Inspector Zenegada from the Lupin III series.(Dark suit, with brown trench coat & fedora)
Did you also notice that at the karaoke club, one of girls in the audience was a Ganguro girl? You also see her face twice in the crowd shots. If you know what a Ganguro girl is, you will have no trouble finding her & freeze-framing the shot. Extra props to WB for showcasing this outrageous fashion sub-culture in Tokyo. If I hadn't learned about it in other anime info web sites, I wouldn't have appreciated it in the film.
It would have been nice to show subtitles during some of the Japanese dialog (what did the cat girl say to Beast Boy?), but that is a minor complaint.
All in all, a fun time to be had by all. For all the serious reviewers out there who want to knit-pick about small details, just shut up and enjoy yourselves! Bye for now!