FilmFanatic.org

Synopsis:
During WWII, young Noelle (Marie-France Pisier) falls in love with pilot Larry (John Beck), who promises to return and marry her. When he fails to show up for their rendezvous, Noelle spends the next eight years plotting to get him back — a plan which gets more complicated when she learns that Larry has married an American woman (Susan Sarandon).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Flashback Films
• Love Triangle
• Revenge
• Romance
• Susan Sarandon Films
• World War Two

Response to Peary’s Review:
This melodramatic adaptation of Sidney Sheldon’s novel — a “kitsch prototype” — is notorious as Andy Warhol’s favorite film. Peary refers to it as “embarrassingly bad”, and many reviewers concur, but I think it’s actually a reasonably enjoyable saga; other than a couple of slow patches here and there, it doesn’t feel long even at 165 minutes. However, its lead performers leave much to be desired. Beck is utterly unappealing:

… and while Pisier is a fine actress in her native language, she’s not up to the leading role here.

Not surprisingly, Sarandon steals the show; fortunately, her supporting role is fairly substantial.

Note: Apparently expectations were initially much higher for this film than for Star Wars (1977), which was released at the same time, so studio execs pressured theater owners into booking both simultaneously. The rest is history.

Redeeming Qualities:

• Susan Sarandon in yet another early, star-making role
  
• Fine cinematography
  

Must See?
No. Though it holds some notoriety as Andy Warhol’s favorite film, it’s no longer essential viewing.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Movie House Review
• Four Word Film Reviews

Synopsis:
Staid suburbanite Earl Keese (John Belushi) must deal with his obnoxious new neighbors (Dan Aykroyd and Cathy Moriarty), who seem hell-bent on disrupting his peaceful life.

• Black Comedy
• Dan Aykroyd Films
• John Belushi Films
• Living Nightmare

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary points out, “if you’ve [ever] had crummy and incorrigible neighbors”, you’ll definitely be able to relate to this unfairly maligned black comedy, starring John Belushi in his final screen appearance. Both Belushi and Aykroyd are cleverly cast against type in roles meant for each other: Belushi plays a “dull, ineffectual, married, [bespectacled] suburbanite”, while Dan Aykroyd is his pathologically lying, thoroughly obnoxious neighbor.

Though most reviewers and audience members at the time panned this film, I agree with Peary that it’s actually a reasonably entertaining “surreal comedy”. As Peary notes, Aykroyd’s character may be incredibly annoying, but at least “he provides [Belushi] with the first excitement he’s had in years”. I’ll admit, however, that I would have preferred a different story arc, with Belushi getting revenge on his nemeses rather than cynically joining them.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Dan Aykroyd playing against type as a blonde neo-Nazi (!)
  

Must See?
No, but Belushi fans will certainly want to check it out.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Roger Ebert’s Review

Synopsis:
A shipwrecked man and woman (Joel McCrea and Fay Wray) must find a way to escape from an isolated island owned by a human-hunting madman (Leslie Banks).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Deserted Island
• Escape
• Fay Wray Films
• Hunting
• Joel McCrea Films
• Mental Illness

Response to Peary’s Review:
Based on Richard Connell’s beloved short story, this “classic thriller” — set on a “remote island”, and “shot much like a silent movie” — is primarily known as the predecessor to its more famous counterpart, King Kong (1933), which borrows “many [of its] visuals” and features the same leading lady (Wray). While I agree with Peary that it contains many “exciting, quickly paced action sequences”:

I was frustrated by how substantially The Most Dangerous Game‘s script strays from the original story (which has long been a personal favorite). Nonetheless, The Most Dangerous Game has much to recommend it, including atmospheric, mist-filled jungle sets; heart-stopping action scenes; and Leslie Banks’ powerhouse performance as the “crazed hunter… who uses a stranded human couple… as his prey.” As Peary notes, this “would be ideal to watch with [The] Island of Lost Souls (1933).”

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Leslie Banks as Count Zaroff
  
• Atmospheric sets
  

Must See?
No, but it’s worth a look.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
A young stuntman (Dave Clark) and a model (Barbara Ferris) run away from their commercial shoot and take a trip across England. Their zany adventures include getting involved in war games, visiting a dude ranch, and being chased by police during a costume ball.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• John Boorman Films
• Models
• Musicals
• Road Trip
• Rock ‘n Roll
• Runaways

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, this musical road trip adventure starring the Dave Clark Five — the first film directed by John Boorman — “has some of the spirit of youthful rebellion present in A Hard Day’s Night, but in style and theme it is existential rather than anarchical, strange rather than surreal, more pointed in its satire, more downbeat, more working-class.” Unfortunately, it’s a bit of a dated disappointment: the film’s ridicule of consumerism and advertising is heavy-handed; the kids’ “zany adventures” (except for the costume ball) are boring; and the songs are less than memorable. With that said, the movie remains a vivid snapshot of a certain time and youthful energy in history, and may be worth a one-time look for this reason alone.

Redeeming Qualities:

• A time-capsule glimpse of the zany ’60s
  

Must See?
No; this one is only must-see viewing for fans of the Dave Clark Five.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
Russian saxophonist Vladimir Ivanoff (Robin Williams) defects to America, and must adjust to his new life as an immigrant.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Cold War
• Comedy
• Immigrants and Immigration
• Paul Mazursky Films
• Robin Williams Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, this “seriocomic pat on the back to the unfulfilled American immigrant” provides a “sobering view of America”, and admirably depicts both the heartache and the joy of being an immigrant in a land of hard-scrabble wealth and abused freedoms. Mazursky wisely shows both the positive and negative aspects of life in Soviet Russia and capitalistic America: back in Russia, Williams was surrounded by loving family and friends:

… but had to stand in line for hours to get even the most basic supplies:

In America, he struggles to earn a living, but is free to pursue his dreams.

While the story is hokey and contrived at times, there are many memorable moments, and Williams’s sympathetic performance makes this film highly recommended.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Robin Williams as Vladimir Ivanoff
  

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Roger Ebert’s Review
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
Three teens (Diane Lane, Laura Dern, and Marin Kanter) form a punk band called the Stains, and experience a rapid rise and fall in fame.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Canadian Films
• Diane Lane Films
• Laura Dern Films
• Mockumentaries
• Musicians
• Naive Public
• Punk Rock
• Rise-and-Fall
• Teenagers

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, this Canadian “musical satire about the meteoric rise and fall of a punk-rock singer” (Lane) who “temporarily becomes the idol of girls her age because of her defiant attitude, nihilistic music… and see-through blouses” features “dreary direction by former rock and roll mogul Lou Adler”, who attempts to lampoon sycophantic fans and the fragility of fame — but there’s surprisingly little to laugh at. On the other hand, the film is noteworthy for anticipating countless mockumentaries to come — plus, as one IMDb contributor notes, “The film predicts the Madonna Wanna-Be craze by years.”

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• An early, pre-Spinal Tap musical mockumentary
  
• A young, vibrant Ray Winstone as the lead singer of the Looters
  
• Diane Lane’s petulant portrayal as “Third Degree Burns”
  
• Laura Dern and Christine Lahti in early roles
  

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
Flea-circus owner Fred Froogle (Fred Allen) receives a surprise inheritance, only to find out that the money is hidden in one of five chairs he has just sold. He must locate the cash-filled chair before a group of murderous thieves beat him to it.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Comedy
• Inheritance
• Jack Benny Films
• John Carradine Films
• Thieves and Criminals

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, this “rare Fred Allen movie” — which was “the probable inspiration for Mel Brooks’s The Twelve Chairs” — is “just as cockeyed”. While it contains some “great scenes”, it’s inconsistently funny; those who aren’t already fans of Allen’s dry wit probably won’t get much enjoyment out of the film’s humor, unless you consider rejoinders like this one amusing:

Fred Floogle: “Doctor, have you considered using fly paper?”
Dr. Greengrass: “Fly paper? Since when can a fly read?”

Was this funny once, I wonder?

Redeeming Qualities:

• A few mildly amusing moments
  

Must See?
No, but film fanatics may be curious to check it out simply as Fred Allen’s only starring role in a motion picture.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• At-a-Glance Film Review

Synopsis:
After being attacked by a brutal, mysterious killer, anchorwoman Karen White (Dee Wallace) attends a retreat called “The Colony”, which she soon discovers is a haven for werewolves.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Dick Miller Films
• Horror
• Joe Dante Films
• John Carradine Films
• Journalists
• Werewolves

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, the first half of Joe Dante’s “horror film/horror parody” about a therapeutic retreat for werewolves is “hip-funny, well acted, stylish, and scary”. Dee Wallace is a compelling protagonist, and we wish her well she seeks some much-needed respite after suffering “trauma from her experience” meeting “a brutal killer in a booth in a sex shop”.

But, as Peary laments, the second half of the film devolves into a chaotic mess of killings, as characters improbably stand around waiting while the werewolf transformations take place (most likely to show off the impressive special effects):

… and “something bad happens to every character we like”. Ultimately, this movie is for werewolf-flick fans only. Watch for Dick Miller in a small bit as a bookstore owner.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Dee Wallace as Karen White
  
• Atmospheric cinematography
  
• Impressive special effects
  

Must See?
No. This film is most likely included in Peary’s book because of its historical relevance, but is no longer must-see viewing.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• DVD Savant Review
• Roger Ebert’s Review

Synopsis:
A sheriff (Kris Kristofferson) tries to stop the slaughter of 125 innocent immigrants in 1890s Wyoming.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Christopher Walken Films
• Historical Drama
• Immigrants and Immigration
• Isabelle Huppert Films
• John Hurt Films
• Joseph Cotten Films
• Kris Kristofferson Films
• Mickey Rourke Films
• Sam Waterston Films
• Sheriffs
• Westerns

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, this notoriously pretentious, painfully slow, annoyingly confusing historical drama has gone down in film history as “one of Hollywood’s greatest fiascos”: a big-budget ($36 million) flop which nearly “ruined United Artists.” Although he posits that anyone watching will believe “he or she could have done a better editing job”, Peary simultaneously doubts that this bloated film is even salvageable. Director Michael Cimino’s narcissistic tendency to linger too long on each of his scenes was hinted at in the interminable opening wedding sequence of his otherwise powerful Vietnam-era drama The Deer Hunter (1978); here, however, that tendency is impossibly out-of-control. It’s a rare instance when I can’t finish a title listed in Peary’s book, but Heaven’s Gate was a notable exception.

Redeeming Qualities:

• Vilmos Zsigmond’s cinematography
  

Must See?
Yes, but only for its notoriety.

Categories

• Controversial Film
• Historically Relevant

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Movie Martyr Review

Synopsis:
When several brides-to-be are mysteriously found murdered, Amy (Caitlyn O’Heaney) must discover who the serial killer is before she becomes the next victim.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Amateur Sleuths
• Horror
• Serial Killers

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, this suspenseful horror flick — full of “clever touches” and “engaging acting” — is among “the best of the Halloween derivatives.” It boasts a creative premise — a jilted lover turns psychotic and takes revenge on all other brides-to-be — unexpected humor (including some bit scenes with an unknown Tom Hanks), and a number of “truly scary sequences”. Although I’m not generally a fan of slasher flicks, I found myself unexpectedly caught up in this one.

Redeeming Qualities:

• Young Tom Hanks in a small supporting role
  
• A clever, exciting script
  

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended for fans of well-made slasher flicks.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Time Out Review