FilmFanatic.org

Synopsis:
Unmarried schoolteacher Rachel (Joanne Woodward) lives alone with her sickly mother (Kate Harrington). When she finally gets a chance at love with a visiting classmate (James Olson), she tries to break free from her confining existence.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Character Arc
• First Love
• Geraldine Fitzgerald Films
• Joanne Woodward Films
• Paul Newman Films
• Spinsters
• Teachers

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, Joanne Woodward — “one of our finest actresses” and “perhaps our most likeable star” — is “brilliant” in her husband Paul Newman’s directorial debut as a spinster schoolteacher who’s “tired of her boring smalltown existence” and longs “to say something I’ve never said before — I’m happy!”

While it’s tragic watching Rachel invest so much in her first affair given her inevitable disappointment, Woodward manages to convince us that Rachel will rally through and make the best of her experiences. This is a woman who is finally finding her personal strength, and a better life is surely ahead for her.

Redeeming Qualities:<

• Yet another excellent, unsung performance by Joanne Woodward
  
• Estelle Parsons as Rachel’s joyful friend Calla
  
• Fine cinematography
  

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended, especially for fans of Woodward.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Gerald Peary’s Film Review

Synopsis:
15-year-olds Angel (Kristy McNichol) and Ferris (Tatum O’Neal) compete to see who can lose their virginity first at summer camp.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Coming-of-Age
• Rivalry
• Summer Camp
• Teenagers
• Virginity

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary stipulates that adults will “appreciate the funny, sensitive performance by the versatile McNichol, but not much else” about this infamous coming-of-age film. More than 25 years after its release, however, the “adults” watching this film on video are likely the very same underaged girls who, as Peary notes, “repeatedly sneaked by near-sighted ticket takers and made this R-rated comedy a big commercial success.” Whether or not you have memories of it from years ago, this little-seen film remains an undeniably powerful portrait of teenage rivalry and bonding; it’s refreshing to see a rare female perspective on the age-old trope of teens desperately seeking to gain sexual experience. While Tatum O’Neal inexplicably seems like she’s sleep-walking through her role, McNichol’s soul-searching insecurity over losing her virginity is honest and sensitive, and buoys the entire film.

Redeeming Qualities:

• Kristy McNichol’s Oscar-worthy performance
  
• Cynthia Nixon in a bit role as a flower-child camper
  

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended for McNichol’s fine performance.

Links:

• IMDb entry

Synopsis:
A woman (Gladys Knight) whose husband (Barry Hankerson) has run out on her goes to Alaska to try to win him back.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• African-Americans
• Alaska
• Feminism and Women’s Issues
• Marital Problems
• Strong Women

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, this “acceptable low-budget film” — a rare, non-exploitative 1970s movie about a black couple’s relationship — is more a curio for Gladys Knight fans than anything else. Other than the “rousing” soundtrack, the film’s primary strength lies in the way it shows Knight trying to help out her needy female friends in the “male-dominated” territory of Alaska.

Redeeming Qualities:

• A refreshing focus on a black couple in a mostly-white state
  
• Beautiful cinematography of Alaskan wilderness
  
• The haunting theme song (“So Sad the Song”), which will stay in your mind for quite a while.

Must See?
No, unless you’re a hardcore Gladys Knight fan; I recommend buying the soundtrack instead.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
A gay graduate student (Richard Ryder) making a documentary film about child abuse befriends an abused teenager (Raphael Sbarge), and the two become lovers.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Child Abuse
• Homosexuality
• May-December Romance
• Movie Directors

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, this “extremely controversial” independent film — definitely not for all tastes — is both “thought-provoking and important”. There are many unsettling moments, including the “almost too realistic scenes in which the boy’s father and mother switch in an instant from being loving parents to monsters”. It’s clear that director Arthur Bressan, Jr. believes “a young adult becoming lover/protector of a teenager is a welcome alternative to his parents battering him”, but this view is contestable. See Gregg Araki’s Mysterious Skin (2005) for another interesting look at the not-so-clear-cut line between abuse and a consensual May-December affair.

Redeeming Qualities:

• A provocative storyline without a clear sense of right-and-wrong
  
• Powerful abuse imagery, which allows viewers to truly empathize with Sbarge’s terror
  

Must See?
No, though it’s definitely worth checking out.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TV Guide Review
• Not on Netflix Review

Synopsis:
An idealistic young man (Paul Le Mat) running a voluntary station to help truckers in distress gets so fed up with frivolous use of the emergency frequency by amateur CB-ers that he tries to hunt down and stop the perpetrators. Meanwhile, his neglected girlfriend (Candy Clark) starts fooling around with his more attentive brother (Bruce McGill).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Candy Clark Films
• Character Studies
• Ed Begley Jr. Films
• Jonathan Demme Films
• Paul Le Mat Films
• Revenge
• Truckers

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, this “amiable comedy-character study” features “smart dialogue, quirky but believable, engaging characters, and a nice mix of humor and occasional drama.” Unfortunately, while the quirky characters and their situations are amusing at first, director Jonathan Demme inexplicably shifts into slapstick mode by the end, with contrived coincidences complicating the film’s overall laid-back approach. Nonetheless, as Peary notes, this film is notable for moving Demme “into [the] Hollywood mainstream” when it “got excellent reviews”.

Redeeming Qualities:

• Paul Le Mat as Spider
  
• Charles Napier as a bigamist whose two wives accidentally meet one day
  
  
• A horrifying early scene in the rain, when Napier is nearly killed by his semi until Spider comes to his rescue
  

Must See?
No. While this is an interesting look at a subculture, it’s not must-see viewing.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
When Edna Mae (Ellen Burstyn) dies in a car crash, she returns to life with amazing healing powers. While she has the best of intentions, she must deal with those who doubt the veracity and the source of her power, including her abusive new lover, Cal (Sam Shepard).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Do-Gooders
• Ellen Burstyn Films
• Lois Smith Films
• Supernatural Powers
• Untimely Death

Response to Peary’s Review:
Although Peary is an enormous fan of this “special film” which “slipped by moviegoers in 1980”, I find it ultimately unsatisfying. Burstyn’s wonderful performance — which Peary names as Best of the Year in his Alternate Oscars — can’t erase the fact that the script never reaches its full potential; most egregious is the focus on Edna Mae’s romance with the wildly inconsistent Cal, a “spousal-abuse” subplot which ultimately just distracts us from the real drama of Edna Mae’s miraculous story.

Redeeming Qualities:

• Burstyn’s quietly powerful performance as a woman who simply wants to do good in the world
  
• Edna Mae healing her own legs and learning to walk again
  

Must See?
No. While based on an intriguing premise, this movie ultimately doesn’t quite deliver.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Moria Review

Synopsis:
A group of children born with immunity to radioactivity are held captive by British officials (led by Alexander Knox), who believe they are the only hope for humanity after an imminent nuclear holocaust. When three young adults — Simon (Macdonald Carey), Joan (Shirley Anne Field), and Joan’s brother King (Oliver Reed) — stumble upon the children in their cave, they attempt to rescue them.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Escape
• Joseph Losey Films
• Nuclear Holocaust
• Oliver Reed Films
• Science Fiction
• Shirley Anne Field Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
This highly controversial, “sobering science fiction film” by director Joseph Losey (which wasn’t released in the United States until 1965, in a shortened version) is noteworthy for “combining social criticism with sci-fi” and “suggesting that the British government was capable of insidious plots.” While the film isn’t entirely successful — it’s burdened by distracting subplots, and only becomes truly interesting once the children appear on-screen — it nonetheless makes for highly provocative viewing. It bears striking similarities to Kazuo Ishiguro’s poignant novel Never Let Me Go (2005), about clones who are raised in isolation for a grim future as organ donors; both stories invoke the ethical dilemmas of raising children apart from mainstream society for questionable purposes.

Redeeming Qualities:

• Shirley Anne Field as Joan
  
• A fascinating, controversial sci-fi premise
  

Must See?
Yes. The controversy surrounding the release of this unusual little film makes it must-see watching.

Categories

• Controversial Film

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Moria Film Review

Synopsis:
A director (Bruce Kimmel), producer (Stephen Nathan), and secretary (Cindy Williams) try to save their film studio from bankruptcy by making an adult musical within two weeks.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Let’s-Put-On-a-Show
• Musicals
• Satires and Spoofs
• Sexuality

Response to Peary’s Review:
This “minor but amusing parody of both porno films and ‘let’s-put-on-a-show’ musicals” was a box-office flop at first, but eventually became a cult hit (a process which Peary describes in great detail in his second Cult Movies book). Cindy Williams shows great promise as a comedienne — a talent borne out in 1981’s quirky UFOria — and she’s surrounded by a cast of “spirited and brave” co-stars. While I agree with Peary that highlights most definitely include the auditions and the “Dancing Dildoes” number:

… I disagree that the film’s visuals “aren’t erotic enough”; this movie intends to satirize porn, not aspire towards it.

Redeeming Qualities:

• Cindy Williams’ dead-pan performance as Rosie
  
• The hilarious auditions
  
• The amusing songs (including “Lesbian Butch Dyke” and “Let Me Eat You”)
  

Must See?
No, but it’s worth a look as one of the few attempts to explicitly bridge the worlds of adult films and mainstream movie-making. Discussed at length in Peary’s Cult Movies 2 (1983).

Links:

• IMDb entry
• DVD Talk Review

Synopsis:
When Count Mitterhaus (Robert Tayman) is killed by the villagers of Stetel, he vows to seek revenge. Fifteen years later, a circus of vampires arrives in town and starts killing off the villagers one by one, in an attempt to raise Mitterhaus from the dead.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Carnivals and Circuses
• Horror
• Revenge
• Vampires

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, the storyline of this “very unusual Hammer horror film set in 19-century Serbia” is hard to follow at times (the “story gets confusing”), but contains countless “artistic flourishes” by director Robert Young, some nifty special effects, and an effective portrayal of small-town life threatened by “outsiders”. Because the transient, freak-filled nature of circuses makes them inherently creepy, the idea of a circus composed of vengeful vampires makes sense in a weird way — indeed, Richard Scheib’s reference to the equally supernatural Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) is an apt one. As Peary writes, the “great use of religious symbolism and visuals… make us question whether we’re witnessing reality or have entered a dream state.”

Note: Fans of Jerzy Skolimowski’s Deep End will no doubt enjoy seeing the film’s teenage star (John Moulder-Brown) in a radically different role as the town’s young hero.

Redeeming Qualities:

• Nifty make-up and special effects
  

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Moria Review

Synopsis:
A man (James Gordon) dreams of building a transcontinental railroad across America, but is brutally murdered by the villainous Bauman (Fred Kohler). Gordon’s son (George O’Brien) carries out his late father’s wishes, while simultaneously trying to avenge his death.

Genres:

• Historical Drama
• John Ford Films
• Revenge
• Silent Films
• Trains and Subways

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary argues that while this “John Ford classic holds up better than James Cruze’s The Covered Wagon, the other major western epic of the silent era,” it “too seems very slow… and not particularly original.” He notes that it’s a “tribute to the visionaries who realized that such a crazy project” as building a transcontinental railroad “was essential to our country’s expansion west”, and that “like many future, better Ford westerns,” it’s about “the men who sacrificed their lives so those who followed in their paths could have an easier time.” Ultimately, the historical elements of this silent epic are far more compelling than its sappy central saga of romance and revenge. Indeed, the film’s greatest strength lies in its powerful imagery of laborers hard at work; shanty towns cropping up along the tracks; and the “final railroad spike [being] driven home.”

Redeeming Qualities:

• A powerful reenactment of the building of America’s transcontinental railroad
  

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a look for its historical relevance.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• Silent Volume Review