Beach Party (1963)

Director: William Asher

Writer: Lou Rusoff

Composer: Les Baxter

Starring: Robert Cummings, Dorothy Malone, Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Morey Amsterdam, Harvey Lembeck, Eva Six, John Ashley, Jody McCrea, Dick Dale and the Del Tones, Andy Romano, Vincent Price

More info: IMDb

Tagline: When 10,000 kids meet on 5,000 Beach Blankets ... something's bound to happen!

Plot: Anthropology Professor Robert Orwell Sutwell and his secretary Marianne are studying the sex habits of teenagers. The surfing teens led by Frankie and Dee Dee don't have much sex but they sing, battle the motorcycle rats and mice led by Eric Von Zipper and dance to Dick Dale and the Del Tones.

My rating: 5/10

Will I watch it again?  No.

I'm not the target audience for these beach flicks but I will watch them all but only once.  If they were made post-1980 I wouldn't.  There's something about these movies that came at the right time to be able to watch 50 years later and still be watchable on some level.  This was the first of a few starring Avalon, Funicello and Lembeck.  I'm a big fan of Lembeck so there's that excuse.  I also dig Morey Amsterdam and Robert Cummings.  But the big reason I was eager to see this was for Vincent Price.  THE HELL?  He's only in it for about ten seconds, a couple of minutes before the end credits.  What a cheat.  It's also the only time I laughed.  The songs are forgettable (unlike BEACH BLANKET BINGO (1965), a better film and memorable tunes).  The comedy in these things is about as broad as it gets and just about every character is a live action cartoon.  It does have a certain level of silly fun if you're inclined.  The MGM DVD has a nice anamorphic widescreen print & trailer, the only extra.

Satan's Angel: Queen of the Fire Tassels (2012)

Director: Joshua M. Dragotta

Composer: Anthony Marsico

Starring: Angel Walker, Vic Crotwell, Dixie Evans, Kitten Natividad, Michelle L'Amour, Ginger Lynn, Lilli Von Schtupp, Terry Earp, Angie Pontani, Tara Mi Sioux, Big Fanni Anni, Miss Kitty Baby

More info: IMDb

Tagline: A candid glimpse into the life of burlesque's hottest legend

Plot: Satan's Angel is a legend among burlesque dancers. Her legacy is filled with San Francisco counter culture, Las Vegas stage door Johnnies, and a sexuality she refused to closet. Angel has amassed four decades worth of fascinating, colorful, and riveting stories as she's traveled the globe performing the art of burlesque. This unique film documents her love for the craft and preservation of burlesque as well as her love for her life partner Vic.

My rating: 7/10

Will I watch it again? Nah.

I loves me some burlesque so it was a no-brainer picking up this DVD a couple of years back.  I hope I paid less than ten bucks for it because it wasn't as good as I had hoped.  I say that because it's usually not cool watching someone talk about how awesome they are.  Angel is very proud of herself (which is natural) but she's also much too vocal about singing her own praises (not cool).  It was great seeing some of the gals who performed back in the 60s and 70s talk about their experiences in the business.  Those were the best moments.  For that, it's worth watching.  You do get to see lots of vintage pictures and some video, also very cool.  It was interesting, though, that big bones are made about her twirling tassels which are on fire only to see just a couple of seconds of her doing it but not from way back when (which would have been AWESOME) but from a recent gig she'd done (actually it was in the parking lot at the venue after gig since they couldn't have fire inside).  If you're into burlesque or just B-curious, you'll probably dig it.  It moves pretty quickly and there's a good deal of information bandied about.  The Breaking Glass Pictures DVD has a nice anamorphic widescreen print and lots of extras. You get a 16-minute video podcast with the two directors, a 6-minute interview with them and Angel from the Scottsdale Arizona Film Festival, a 1-minute clip of Angel talking about how she came about her name, 3 minutes of her talking about her 1960s all-girl topless band The Hummingbirds, 2 minutes with Angel talking about meeting Steve McQueen (this and the previous two are more like deleted scenes), two trailers for the film and trailers for other Breaking Glass films, and a bunch of very short (sub-one minute) promo videos that are either teasers taken from the film, the Kickstarter campaign, poster, soundtrack, etc.  You can pick it up online new for $6 all day long.  Fans of burlesque will be happy.

Hello I Must Be Going (2012)

Director: Todd Louiso

Writer: Sarah Koskoff

Composer: Laura Veirs

Starring: Melanie Lynskey, Blythe Danner, John Rubinstein, Sara Chase, Caniel Eric Gold, Tori Feinstein, Dave T. Koenig

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Meet Amy Minsky. She's just getting over her divorce.

Plot: Circumstances force a young divorcée to move back in with her parents in suburban Connecticut, where an affair with a younger guy rejuvenates her passion for life.

My rating:  6.5/10

Will I watch it again? No.

Holy smokes, I didn't recognize Melanie Lynskey at all and I had just a few days ago watched HEAVENLY CREATURES (1994) for the second time.  Wow.  This romantic comedy is light on the funny.  It's more drama, really. It's pleasant enough to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon with but I didn't find it anything but.  I liked the ending which is positive but not in a cheap Hollywood kind of way.  Amy's (Lynskey) arc worked out well and it was nice to see the shift from her positive relationship to her father move to her mother.  The Oscilloscope DVD comes with some extras including an interview with the writer and director (11 minutes), an interview with Lynskey (8 minutes), the theatrical trailer (anamorphic widescreen) and trailer for 4 Oscilloscope films.

American Graffiti (1973)

Director: George Lucas

Writers: George Lucas, Gloria Katz, Willard Huyck

Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips, Wolfman Jack, Bo Hopkins, Manuel Padilla Jr., Beau Gentry, Harrison Ford, Joe Spano, Suzanne Somers

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Where were you in '62?

Plot: A couple of high school grads spend one final night cruising the strip with their buddies before they go off to college.

My rating:9/10

Will I watch it again? Yes.

Who would've thought that the genius behind STAR WARS (1977) made this picture just a few years before?  I think I've seen this flick about ten times in the last 35+ years and it never gets old.  In fact, it's still just as comforting as it ever was. Besides the great classic song soundtrack, INCREDIBLE cast (courtesy of casting directors Mike Fenton and Fred Ross) and gorgeous cars, I'm really taken with the pacing and organic nature of the storytelling.  It all takes place over the course of one night and it feels genuine.  These people aren't acting, they're living and recreating experiences.  I was a few years away from existence when this film takes place but I feel like I'm one of their pals hanging out and having fun just the same.  I only saw the sequel once in the early 80s and that was just to see Harrison Ford's bit part.  I need to give that one a spin now.

The Jeffrey Dahmer Files (2012)

Director:  Chris James Thompson

Writers: Chris James Thompson, Andrew Swant, Joe Riepenhoff

Composer: Robert Mulrennan

Starring: Andrew Swant, Pamela Bass, Jeffrey Jentzen, Pat Kennedy

More info: IMDb

Tagline: How close were you to the most infamous serial killer of our time?

Plot: An experimental documentary that uses archival footage, interviews, and fictionalized scenarios to tell the story of the people around Jeffrey Dahmer, during the summer of his arrest in 1991.

My rating: 7.5/10

Will I watch it again?  Sure.

Here's a different approach to telling story that has been told many, many times.  The talking heads are here but what's different is that they're fascinating stories are interspersed with docu-drama footage of Dahmer (played by co-writer Swant) going about his daily business at his various jobs and the kinds of seemingly mundane activities that he used to get what he wanted.  You often get to hear the audio of the talking heads over the video of the drama portions.  Combined with the droning and moody score, it makes for a darkly soothing tale.  I've seen several serial killer docs but I haven't seen one made like this one.  Even if you're familiar with the Dahmer story, check this one out (it's currently on Netflix streaming).  You might not learn much more than you know but it's a nice presentation that shouldn't go over-looked.

How to Steal a Million (1966)

Director: William Wyler

Writers: George Bradshaw, Harry Kurnitz

Composer: John Williams

Starring: Audrey Hepburn, Peter O'Toole, Eli Wallach, Hugh Griffith, Charles Boyer, Fernand Gravey, Marcel Dalio, Jacques Marin, Moustache, Roger Treville, Edward Malin, Bert Bertram

More info: IMDb

Tagline: S-S-S-H-H-H-H-H - Meet a couple of smart operators who give a lesson in love and larceny

Plot: Nicole's father, a legendary art collector, lends his prized Cellini Venus to a prestigious Paris museum. Unfortunately, the Venus was *not* sculpted by Cellini but by Nicole's grandfather. (Her father is a forger as well, but his specialty is paintings.) Before tests can be done which would prove the Venus a fake, Nicole enlists the services of "society burglar" Simon Demott to steal the million dollar statue.

My rating: 8/10

Will I watch it again? Yeah.

One word sums this up perfectly, delightful.  It's in the performances, the gorgeous scenery, the comedy, the relationship between Simon (O'Toole) and Nicole (Hepburn), John Williams' score, everything.  It's been a good twenty years since I saw this and it's even better than before.  At two hours, you'll be surprised at how quickly it moves and it's over before you know it.  It's a 123 minute smile. 

Chef (2014)

Director: Jon Favreau

Writer: Jon Favreau

Starring: Jon Favreau, John Leguizamo, Bobby Cannavale, Emjay Anthony, Scarlett Johansson, Dustin Hoffman, Sofia Vergara, Oliver Platt, Amy Sedaris, Robert Downey Jr.

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Starting from scratch never tasted so good.

Plot: A chef who loses his restaurant job starts up a food truck in an effort to reclaim his creative promise, while piecing back together his estranged family.

My rating: 7.5/10

Will I watch it again? Yeah.

Story-wise, CHEF is a conventional, by the numbers Hollywood film.  It hits the beats that you'd expect.  A professional man who takes pride in his work like an artist and decides to shed his corporate structure and strike out on his own to do things his way.  He's got a strained relationship with his young son and uses the opportunity to get closer to him.  Sound familiar?  Yeah, it's been done to death.  But Favreau takes the tired formula and, despite the abundance of cliches, makes an entertaining and really fun picture.  It's very upbeat, the pacing is great, the images of food are fetishistic, the performances are fun and, for the most part, there's very little conflict.  I was really digging the picture and it seemed like everything was going really well with nothing getting in the way of Carl (Favreau) and his son's, Percy (Anthony) happiness when suddenly Carl throws a monkey wrench into the whole thing shortly before the end (they really waited to the last minute on the friction) which felt about as forced as you can get.  WTF?  It's like spending the weekend at Disneyworld and you're having a blast with your parents and you couldn't be getting along any better and then as you're walking back to the car on the last day your dad turns to you and says, "Get the fuck in the car, I'm taking you back to the orphanage."  It's about as fucked up as that.  I hated it.  It's such a great ride and I kept thinking how nice this was that there's nothing bad happening and then BAM!  It's not shocking that the film ends on a very happy note but the tremendous emotional impact you get from that is not made any more powerful because of the bullshit move Carl pulls on his son.  The film was strong enough to not need that.  I've been bitching about this type of scenario for years.  Wouldn't it be nice to see a movie that's all happy and fun with no conflict?  Favreau almost made one.  Despite that frustrating bit of business it's still a great flick.  It's currently streaming on Netflix.