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Reviews
Abby (1974)
ABBY won the lawsuit!
Do not doubt this film's fabulousness. Doubt its credibility, maybe, but not its sheer power to amuse. But this posting is here to dispel some misinformation, not to review the movie. Suffice it to say, if you have a sense of irony and don't need MST3K to tell you what's funny, you'll enjoy it. About four scenes were taken directly from THE EXORCIST, but there were about a dozen movies that were much more derivative.
Actually, Warner Brothers lost their lawsuit in '78, but AIP didn't rerelease it out of fear of WB's corporate muscle, and because the EXORCIST craze was basically over with. I sometimes wonder if WB would have sued someone who was (or claimed to be) actually possessed during this period, as they seemed to think they had possession itself copyrighted. Listen closely: WB did not, and could not, order all prints destroyed. The movie simply went into limbo. It has been doing very well on bootleg video, and if the copyright holders (formerly AIP) wished to do so, they could find a good print and put it out on video legitamately, and rake in the dough.
Blood Feast (1963)
ANCIENT WEIRD RELIGIOUS RITES
Some day, I hope to travel to Clearwater, Florida, to place a manikin leg before the Sphinx in the patking lot, in honor of this classic of trash cinema which was filmed there. This is the one film I can think of that succeeds brilliantly in every frame to be deeply entertaining because it's so profoundly inept. Though I have, on repeated viewing, developed a special fondness for Mal Arnold's interpretation of Fuad Ramses. It's the essence of camp. He might have been a neighbor on Pee-Wee's Playhouse! Has anyone else noticed the perverse giddiness of the scenes where he fondles womens' entrails?
There's a cut-rate irony at work here, too. The only things happening in this town are Suzette Fremont's party and those horrible murders. Yet only we, the audience, know that they're related. And what about that book club? Do they only offer one title?
Also, the tongue-pulling scene had to be the first occurance of slapstick gore. I mean, he didn't knock her out or anything. He just jammed his fingers into her mouth as soon as she opened the door. And she didn't particularly struggle with him. She just went "Ngaahhh!" and "Lleeehhh," as he yanked. And when he got the tongue out, it was about a foot long. Did it get stretched out of shape like taffy?
For a movie to be that entertaining to me every time I've watched it (which must be more than fifty by now)represents some weird kind of accomplishment. Do yourself a favor and buy the DVD. This is perhaps the best unintentional comedy ever made!
Pit Stop (1969)
A Beautiful Throbbing Piece of Americana
There's a genuinely unhinged quality to the stock car drivers depicted in this movie. Their lives are empty except for the thrill of racing, which amounts to a death wish. The black and white cinematography is excellent, with a very moody documentary/chariscuro feel. The principals are all very good, especially Sid Haig as a particularly unhinged driver. Beverly Washburn (also from the incredible SPIDER BABY) plays the protagonist's teenage girlfriend. For me, this movie shows a more complete mastery of the cinematic form then Coppola or Bogdonovich or any of those guys had when they were with Corman. And of course, the car wrecks filmed at real race tracks don't hurt either.
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970)
THIS CAMP MASTERPIECE LITERALLY OVERDOSES ON ITSELF!
"There are juice freaks and there are pill freaks, and everyone's a freak. I think all you really need is... some grass or a downer or something." In a telling review (actually more of a memoir) Roger Ebert said that Russ Meyer swore him to secrecy: if the cast asked him, he was to swear that they were making a drama and not a comedy. That is the true meaning of deadpan camp. It is a rare thing to find a movie that accurately parodies its own place and time, and this one does it beautifully. Hollywood in 1969 is depicted as tasteless, deluded, and homicidally egocentric. The multiple plotlines are a barrage of sleazy degradation. I own this title in cinemascope on laserdisc even though I don't have a player. I'm going to buy the DVD as soon as it's out! I love this movie, and it's not just a cheap, physical thing.
Glen or Glenda (1953)
"ONLY THE INFINITY OF THE DEPTHS OF A MAN'S MIND CAN REALLY TELL THE STORY."
In Wood's body of work, there is a spark of genius along with the landslide of incompetence. Generally, there will be a few scenes that are just too inspired to be labelled "bad." GLEN OR GLENDA is what might be called an unconscious surrealist masterpiece. The form of the movie slides back and forth between docudrama and educational film. Bela Lugosi is the film's god, "the scientist." A mad, cackling, spiteful old man who controls our fates but never seems to know what he's doing. Timothy Farrel, known for playing gangsters and thugs, plays the equally crazy psychiatrist. As voice-over narrorator, he smugly explains that the reason men go bald and women don't is that men's hats are so tight they cut off the blood flow to the head while women's hats are loose and comfortable. Dolores Fuller puts in a hypnotically wooden performance as Barbara, "a lovely, intelligent girl." Wood himself is actually pretty good in his role as Glen/Glenda. The crescendo of the story is Glen's nightmare, where Satan is witness at his wedding. Unfortunately, the nightmare is interrupted by a stag reel producer George Weiss threw in to make the movie more exploitable and to pad out the running time. GLEN OR GLENDA is a very funny movie to watch and, in an odd way, a haunting movie. I couldn't imagine a more personal movie or a movie with more creative energy. "People. All going somewhere. All with their own thoughts, their own ideas. All with their own personalities! One is right because he does wrong. One is wrong because he does right... PULL THE STRING! DANCE TO THAT WHICH ONE IS CREATED FOR!!"