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Reviews
Rituals (1977)
The Missing Link Between Deliverance and the Blair Witch Project!!!
When "Blair Witch" broke big, it's makers named 70's movies like "The Legend of Boggy Creek" among their influences. "Rituals" had to be another influence!!! Not a great film by any stretch of the imagination, but boy is it a trashy hoot! My favorite scene? Our protagonists cross a river shoeless (after their footwear's been swiped by an unseen stalker in the woods), unaware the river's bottom has been rigged with bear traps!!! An old friend recommended it to me, it scared the hell out of him on late night TV as a kid. I was lucky enough to find the uncut Canadian version in a bargain bin... Hal Holbrook gives an intense, convincing performance (especially towards the climax) in an otherwise very awkwardly made, awkwardly acted "Deliverance" rip-off. These "awkward" qualities actually enhance the film's creepy atmosphere, much like another old trash favorite of mine, "Don't Look in the Basement." I agree 100% with the other posters here - get this movie UNCUT onto DVD ASAP SVP!!!!
The New Music (1981)
Great show - esp. the first 3 or 4 years
A great Canadian rock show produced by City-TV. The New Music predates the debut of the Nation's Music Station MuchMusic by 4 years - although during the 5th or 6th season, the show began to air on MuchMusic (at least until the early 90's - is it still in production?). Early episodes featured intimate profiles (consisting of backstage interviews, concert performances and music videos) of artists and bands like Iggy Pop, the Ramones, U2, the English Beat, Gang of Four, the Specials, Police, Madness, The Clash, the Cars, the Deadboys, The Pretenders and countless others. Many of these acts were up-and-coming at the time, and this show gave them valuable, nationwide exposure early in their careers. This is especially cool since North American mainstream radio at the time was dominated by schlock like Journey, Toto and Rick Springfield. The New Music (filmed mostly on location in Toronto) had a hip college radio feel to it, and the interviewers, all of them fans, took a serious, respectful look at the performers. Besides the aforementioned new/cult acts, I remember seeing interviews with superstars like The Who and Bob Marley. Co-host John "J.D." Roberts began his career here, and now hosts the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather!