Topic: The little known movie review depot

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

                             
               DVD Cover                                                                  Theatrical Poster       

Title: Werewolves on Wheels
Year: 1971
Genre: Biker Movie
Director: Michel Levesque (Supervixens – Art Director)         
Rating: R
Length: 1h19
Video: Widescreen
Audio: English
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Stephen Oliver (Motor Psycho)
D.J. Anderson (Count Yorga, Vampire)
Duece Berry (The Velvet Vampire)
William Gray (The Day the Earth Stood Still)
Barry McGuire (The singer of Eve of Destruction)   

Plot:
The Devil's Advocates - an outlaw gang of Harley-riding hellions led by Adam (Stephen Oliver of "Motor Psycho" and "Peyton Place" fame) and his 'ol lady Helen (D.J. Anderson) - troll the dusty highways of the American Southwest in search of the next great kick, whether it be sex, drugs, or violence.

My Thoughts:

This movie is a mix of two genres : Biker and horror movie and it was a little budget drive-in film. The big majority of the cast members are non actors (stuntman and real gang members), in fact there are only six actors in this movie.

The amalgamation of the 2 genres is not a perfect success, the bikers movie element is the best part. On this we see the lifestyle of the gang : great bike riding scene, violent way of dealing with the « normal » society, the camaradery of the members, etc. The horror part is the weak point : the werewolf effect are not that great (even for the seventies standart) and the satanic element is not really interesting too (the director stretch a black mass way too long : more than 20 minutes). But the snake/skull dance who is a part of the celebration is a high point. Another thing who is a big problem is the fact that the DP don't use other source of lightning than the natural one during the night scene, so we don't see a lot of important scene (the majority of the werewolves attacks). The soundtrack is really good with the use of southern rock song by Don Gere.

I can't really recommand this film, the biker part is well done and maybe it would have been better to continue only with this genre, since it's a good base for a biker movie. 

Rating : 

Movie Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VujduJa6vn0

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

                 DVD Cover

Title: The Hard Road
Year: 1970
Genre: Cautionary tale
Director: Gary Graver (Amanda by Night)       
Rating: Unrated
Length: 1h25
Video: Full Frame
Audio: English
Subtitles: No Subtitles

Stars:
Connie Nelson (Dracula vs. Frankenstein)
John Alderman (Love Camp 7)
Gary Kent (Swingers Massacre)
Liz Renay (Refinements in Love)
Bruce Kimball (The Scavengers)
   
Plot:
After giving up her baby for adoption, 17-year-old Pam realizes "she can never be a kid again," so embarks on a career as a Hollywood tramp.

My Thoughts:

This movie genre is nothing new, in 1912 already « For his son » a cautionary film about drugs was produced and they continue to be done now. Many time those films lost all credibility because they are too over the top, « Reefer Madness » and «Narcotics: Pit of Despair » are two good examples of this.

This movie was made as an exploitation/genre picture and, contrary of what we could think, it's a very serious movie about the danger of the drug consumption. The story begins with Pam a 17 years old who is pregnant and give her child for adoption after the delivery (now since it's an exploitation films the movie stop and a doctor show a little film about the baby growth and the child delivery. Don't worry this is not too graphic). Pam will find a job, smoke her first joint and catch a STD (second interruption. No film this time, but a lot of pictures showing the effect that the syphilis have on the body, this time this is pretty disturbing). After that her mother throw her out of the house and her fall into hell start untill the inevitable conclusion.

This movie is well made and doesn't give a positive image of the drug consumption. For her first movie Connie Nelson give a very good performance and it's very surprising that she have made only 3 movies (IMDB is totally wrong on her credit). John Alderman show another time why he was the best actor in the exploitation films in the rôle of a junkie, the scene where he is affected by drugs withdrawal symptoms in jail is something to see. Graver use is camera (he is the DP too) in a perfect way to show the effect of the drug trip (fast editing – new image each second, fast zoom in zoom out, slow motion and image out of focus). The film doesn't end in a good way

(click to show/hide)

Pam die hit by a car when she's on drugs

and it's a good thing. Honestly if I would have teenagers this is the film that I would use for warning them about drug abuse (I write abuse, because I don't think a normal consumption is very dangerous).

A very good movie well made and credible, that’s really too bad that the print quality isn't very good (a lot of scratch line and popcorn). But just to have this after more than 30 years is already something.


Rating :   

Movie Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y9leQL7qDM

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

                             
                 DVD Cover                                                              Theatrical Poster   

Title: Happy Birthday to Me
Year: 1980
Genre: Slasher Movie
Director: J. Lee Thompson (Battle for the Planet of the Apes)         
Rating: R
Length: 1h51
Video: Widescreen
Audio: English
Subtitles: English, Japanese and Spanish

Stars:
Melissa Sue Anderson (Little House on the Prairie)
Glenn Ford (Superman)
Tracy Bregman (The Young and the Restless)
Lawrence Dane (Scanners)
Lisa Langlois (Class of 1984)   

Plot:
Popular high school senior Virginia Wainwright (Melissa Sue Anderson) survives a freak accident, but suffers from memory loss and traumatic blackouts.  As she attempts to resume a normal life, something terrible is happening -- her friends are ruthlessly murdered one-by-one.  Will she be the next victim or is she the killer?  The terrifying truth is finally uncovered at Virginia's 18th birthday party...and you're invited.   

My Thoughts:

During the seventies and the eighties the Canadian cinema industry was in good shape and a lot of the best Canadian movie are from this period. In those years the Canada was a cinema tax shelter like the Germany is now and that's why the Canadian producer was not affraid to take some chances. Now, sadly, it's all over and my country doesn't produce nothing really great, the Province of Quebec was an exeption for some time but the French Canadian had follow the same road : pale copy of the American cinema (Bon cop bad cop, Nytro, Les Boys,...) and the only criteria is now the possibility of financial success.

« Happy Birthay to Me » was not really a success in 1980, because the market was already saturated with slasher movie and it's really sad. This film is probably the best slasher movie of all time and I don't exagerate at all. This is an intelligent horror movie, the killer is not an invinsible creature like Jason and the story challenge you all the time you watch it. You will think many times that you have found the killer and everytime you will be wrong, when it will be reveal at the very end you will be surprise. The script is good with a backstory who explain why the events happen. In the acting side Melissa Sue Anderson proove that she was a real good actress, Tracy Bregman is good too in her first film role (it's sad that she is stuck on the soap opera, she have too much talent for that) and nobody is really awfull in the cast.

I really recommand it, it's the best slasher movie of all time and I don't joke at all about this. Am I the only one who find that the DVD cover is really awfull?   

Rating :   
Movie Trailer : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mKLMUnw2ag

[RossRoy]

Title: Happy Birthday to Me

Hmmmm you've piqued my interest on this one. Mostly because it is a Canadian movie and I'm always on the lookout for good local offerings. +1 on my wishlist! 

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

                             
                DVD Cover                                                                      Theatrical Poster

Title: April Fool's Day
Year: 1986
Genre: Slasher Movie
Director: Fred Walton (When a Stranger Calls)         
Rating: R
Length: 1h28
Video: Widescreen
Audio: English and French
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Deborah Foreman (Valley Girl)
Amy Steel (Friday the 13th Part 2)
Ken Olandt (Leprechaun)
Griffin O'Neal (The Wraith)
Jay Baker (The Incredible Hulk Returns)   

Plot:
When Muffy St. John invited her college friends up to her parents' secluded island home for the time of their lives, she just forgot to tell them it just might be the last time of their lives.

As soon as the kids arrive on the island, someone starts trimming the guest list… one murder at a time. And what starts out as a weekend of harmless "April Fool's Day" pranks turns into a bloody battle for survival.

My Thoughts:

I will be very brief on this one. This is just a typical not really original eighties slasher movie. Everyone act as a bunch of idiot young adult, Amy Steel and Thomas Wilson are wasted in this. We see the end coming from one mile because of the title, the french one was not that obvious (Weekend de terreur/Weekend of Terror), certainly lame but not obvious. Some movie deserve to be lost and forget, this is one of them. Wait, the worst thing about it ... it'll we be remade this year

Rating : 
Movie Trailer : No Trailer
                 

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

        DVD cover

Title: Alice in Wonderland
Original Title:
Year: 1976
Genre: Comedy
Director: Bud Townsend (Coach)           
Rating: XXX
Length: 1h21
Video: Widescreen
Audio: English
Subtitles: No Subtitles

Stars:
Kristine DeBell (Meatballs)
Larry Gelman (The Odd Couple - TV)
Bree Anthony (The Taking of Christina)
Juliet Graham (The Story of Joanna)
Terri Hall (The Story of Joanna)

Plot:
This witty, appealing fantasy musical skin-flick treatment of the Lewis Carroll classic starring former Playmate Kristine DeBell as Alice features original songs like "What's a Girl Like You Doing on a Knight Like This" and will have you laughing as familiar characters such as the Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter and the White Rabbit put a titillating twist on the children's tale. While certainly not for the kiddies, it doesn't have the hardcore, unemotional edge common to the genre--just lots of flesh, silliness and fun.

My Thoughts:

The seventies is the Golden Age of the adult industry and a lot of quality « pornographic » title were made in those years. It's difficult to understand for someone who is only familiar with the adult material from mid-eighties untill the present days, but many of those adult movies are real movies. They was made to play at theatre, they use script, real actors and all what is considered production value for the mainstream industry.

The movie reviewed here is an adult version of the child tale. This is not only an adult version, but a pretty good adaptation who follow the Lewis Carroll novel too. Like I've said the production of this time were considered as movie, don't expect wall to wall sex with this films and that's a good thing for me. You have real actor with mainstream credit (Kristine DeBell, Larry Gelman, John Lawrence, Kristen Steen and Jason Williams [Flesh Gordon]) and a lot of familiar east coast performer (Terri Hall, Bree Anthony and Nancy Dare). You have a real and good story, in fact there are very few adult material and nothing is gratuitious or in bad taste. This is also a musical so a lot of singing and dancing are present and some songs are really good, but I can garantee for sure if the actors are the real singers. This is, like many other films of this time, more a sensual movie with sex scene than a gynecological examination as the actual films are.

If you want to taste the flavour of the seventies this movie is a good solution, even a woman will apreciate it since this is a couple movie.

The DVD have an X rated version too (the same films without the sex scene), but I've not watched it.

Rating : 
Movie Trailer : No Trailer

[DJ Doena]

btw: Your April Fool's Day movie poster doesn't show. Instead there is a huge placeholder.

[Jimmy]

btw: Your April Fool's Day movie poster doesn't show. Instead there is a huge placeholder.

It appears on my screen. Maybe your firewall block it or something? I add it here as an attach file.

[DJ Doena]

btw: Your April Fool's Day movie poster doesn't show. Instead there is a huge placeholder.

It appears on my screen. Maybe your firewall block it or something?

I think it is a "don't steal my bandwith referer" and the reason you see it is because you were on their site and now have the correct image in your browser cache.

Just a wild guess.

[Jimmy]

I've change the link. Does it appear now? BTW thanks to let me know, if that happen again tell me and I will try to make the corection.

[DJ Doena]

I've change the link. Does it appear now? BTW thanks to let me know, if that happen again tell me and I will try to make the corection.

Thx now it works

[Achim]

The DVD have an X rated version too (the same films without the sex scene), but I've not watched it.

Something about this doesn't seem right... An X rated version without sex scenes?

What you mean by X-rated? Or did you mean that that one has more sex scenes?

[Jimmy]

The X rating is the ancient form of the NC-17 in the United States.

Some X or NC-17 movie : Midnight Cowboy, Boys Don't Cry, 1900 and the majority of the T&A movie of the seventies (most of the time self apply by the movie producer)

The meaning of this is adult material but not pornographic.

The MPAA don't rate the pornographic production, but the industry itself use the XXX who is not an official U.S. rating.

Remember my post on this subject on the DVDP forum?

Let me know if it still unclear.

[Achim]

Jimmy, I understand the meaning of X rating. What throws me off is, that you say there is an X rated version without sex scenes...

I'd expect an R rated version without the sex scenes and then an X rated version with the sex scenes in tact; kinda like they did with Thriller: A Cruel Picture.

[Jimmy]

This movie was distributed in the mainstream theatre by "20th Century Fox" in 1976. The rating was a self applied X and the MPAA officially gave it an R rating in 1978. So this version countains nudity, but not more than any other T&A.

In 1980, the movie was re-released on video in it's complete form. This version add the cut done to the 1976 version. Those cuts are the pornographic parts (masturbation, blow job and penetration sex scene).

The confussion is probably because I use the 3X rating who is an unofficial one. If I take your example it exactly that,

1976 X version = They Call Her One Eye (the cut version)
1980 XXX version = Thriller: A Cruel Picture (the movie with porn insert)

I use the term "X" when the sex scene are fake and the "3X" one when it's real.

Hopes I'm clearer now