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The Black Gestapo 1975
Week 31: Blaxploitation Week
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This was a lot of fun. Not really the film that is conjured up by the title and poster (probably for the best), this is about a vigilante group that comes together to overthrow the mob, but then with the power they become worse than the mob. Consistently entertaining with quite a nasty and sleazy edge to it, a lot of fun to watch, even if the nazi connotations feel very misjudged.
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The Vault of Horror 1973
Week 25: June 17-June 23
Horror Anthology WeekThe tales are extremely tenuously linked but 'tis no matter here because the large cast is simply fantastic, the stories are mainly strong and, though darkly humorous, include two or three moments of creepy effectiveness, and, all in all, it's hugely entertaining. So much, in fact, that one can even forgive its having Jasmina Hilton in brown face playing an Indian girl. Quite possibly my favourite British horror anthology film now.
See also
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The Brood 1979
Week 26: Cronenberg & Lynch Week
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Covers a lot of classic Cronenberg ground, impressive and stomach-turning practical effects and strange psychological horror, although for the most part this didn't really click with me. The horror elements felt a bit silly, and I wasn't particularly swept up in the story. Reading up on it now, the dramatic elements of it were based around his own messy divorce/custody battle, which does make sense given the content of the film, think I'd probably feel differently about this one on a rewatch.
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Godzilla 1954
Week 24: June 10-June 16
Godzilla WeekWhat this alarmingly somber, terrifyingly grim and tragic cautionary allegorical tale of nuclear paranoia and apocalyptic dread really needed was a catchy theme song and for Godzilla, the harbinger of man-made atomic annihilation, to have a buffoonish cousin called Godzooky to give the movie some light-hearted relief.
Why, just like this in fact! -
Tales That Witness Madness 1973
Week 25: Horror Anthology Week
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A horror anthology with some interesting enough ideas (a haunted penny farthing!) but every segment just falls a bit flat, all feels quite cheaply made and lacking any real heart.
Includes a scene of a woman being attacked and undressed by a tree, I'd very very surprised if this wasn't an influence for Sam Raimi.
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Destroy All Monsters 1968
Week 24: Godzilla Week
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A bunch of destructive monsters escape an island and immediately start wreaking unthinkable havoc, attacking the Russians and France.
BUT ENOUGH ABOUT ENGLISH FOOTBALL FANS. WAHOO!!!!!!!!!
Absolutely filled to the brim with the kind of charm that could only be found in old sci-fi, it's kind of like jurassic park except with cooler puppets and also spaceships and mind control. Hard not to grin during the scenes with all monsters together, an assault of gunfire and explosions and destroyed buildings and wonderful, iconic monster noises. -
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Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the '70s 2012
Week 23: Eurocrime Week
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Eurocrime! is a comprehensive documentary on an entire cinematic genre told in a really engaging way, featuring a really impressive amount of the key people involved (nearly all of whom are really colourful interesting characters and have some incredible anecdotes to share about production), and documenting the life cycle of the genre, including the major influences and rise and fall into obscurity.
To me eurocrime/poliziotteschi is the best and most fun genre, in many ways…
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Shadows in an Empty Room 1976
Week 23: Eurocrime Week
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This Italian-Canadian co-production is comfortably one of the better Eurocrime entries I have seen, although it doesn't fit so neatly into the genre due to the strong giallo elements which it contains. It has the archetypal hard-boiled detective who doesn't play by the rules (from the poliziotteschi genre) solving the kind of murder mystery, riddled with twists and turns, that you might expect from the giallo.
While (relatively) conservative on the violence and sleaze…
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The Beauties and the Beast 1974
"Bigfoot gets a lot of action in this movie. If every movie had more Bigfoot action in it, there would be no need to complain about anything anymore. Speaking of action, everyone else in this movie gets a lot of that, too. Pubes, boobs, and penises are in no short supply in Bigfoot’s general vicinity. So what the audience ends up getting out of all this action is a no-budget sex movie with a monster-on-the-loose foundation. It’s like a 1970s…
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Encounter of the Spooky Kind 1980
Week 21: Hong Kong Horror Week
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A goofy horror comedy with ghosts and kung fu. Doesn't take itself seriously, manages to be genuinely quite funny and charming, a lot of fun.
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