mrbasehart's Film Challenge! - COMPLETE

[dignan]

No, watch a Magical Mystery Tour. You said you wanted to watch every movie. I CHALLENGE thee!

That's not a movie.  It's a bunch of over-indulged musicians wandering around England in a bus.

Hey, some of the films on that list are ones that I like. I just chose the memorable ones.

Only thing painful about watching Phantom of the Paradise is wondering how much better it could have been if DePalma had done just one more re-write with a little help from another screenwriter.

Gerrit Graham is absolutely hillarious in that.  "I know the difference between drug real and real real!"

Can't imagine that film without him.  Seen him in other things and I have to wonder how much of that is his input.  He's a funny guy.

That and Used Cars especially...great performances.

[Plastic Self-Cleaning Duck]

Oh and, I recommend the Disney film Midnight Madness!

Seconded.  Eddie Deezen was born for this film (and I Wanna Hold Your Hand).

[mrbasehart]

Hello Down There is a film I had a smidgen of hope for when people were suggesting movies.  It's a 60s comedy with Tony Randall and Janet Leigh.  Randall is an underseas engineer who has to prove that his plans for underwater housing are viable by living in the prototype for 30 days, much to the consternation of his wife and budding musician children.  This allows for some comedy, some musical numbers, and some "kooky" animals to appear.  In reality, it's a bit of a bore.  The cast are fine, I suppose, and Richard Dreyfuss has an early role as a musician, but it's never funny, engaging, or interesting enough to keep your attention.  Snore.

[mrbasehart]

The Gate is a really odd movie.  Pitching itself somewhere between The Goonies and Poltergeist, it's about 2 children home alone for the weekend, one of whom accidentally opens up a portal to some demonic netherworld in their back garden.  I'm not entirely sure how much of the movie is meant to be comedic, and how much humour is derived from the film completely missing its mark.  For example: the movie talks up these hideous hell-beasts that could be unleashed if the accidental ritual is completed, yet when they arrive, they're about a foot tall and about as dangerous as belly button lint.  Even the "final" monster is lousy, undone by the kids' interest in home rocketry.  Nevertheless, there's admirable things in here - the fairly realistic portrayal of teens is a nice touch, and the performances are quite decent, unlike 90% of horror movies made in the 80s.

[Plastic Self-Cleaning Duck]

Another suggestion if you can find it there in the UK....



Oliver Reed playing comedy and doing quite well.  "An ugly, misshapen podiatrist ingests a formula made by a colleague and turns into a handsome, devil-may-care (but violent) ladies' man."  Saw this ages ago and have been trying to find it again. There's a place that sells it on DVD but nervous about these "independents".

If you do find an alternative source, please let me know.   

[mrbasehart]

After a quick look, I can't see it any where.  I suspect that DVD is probably a VHS transfer.

[Plastic Self-Cleaning Duck]

After a quick look, I can't see it any where.  I suspect that DVD is probably a VHS transfer.

Oh, I figure that...

But a VHS tape will cost you $40 on Amazon....that DVD is $20.

Too bad.  It's cool. Was written by the guy who wrote the original The Little Shop of Horrors.  He's supposed to have answered someone about the movie on imdb.com

Mr. Valentine, you are correct; It is indeed another variation on Dr. Jeckyl & Mr. Hyde. The title alone should tell you that. At the time I wrote it, 1980, we were deep into the Iranian Hostage Crisis, (Hence the Ayatholic Prison Guard, Stan Ross, who I permitted to use his trademark "I'm with YOU," line, from a late-nite B/W TV show - can't rememeber name of show).
The similarity to the Jerry Lewis epic wasn't much of a surprise when I finally saw it, (about a year ago on TV.) The smattering of revues usually mentioned it. But not only had I not seen it, I was unaware, by tongue or by print of any similarities. But enough of my copouts, it was quite a remarkable shoot, what with Ollie on Vodka, the stacks of color gels costing $85.00 and going a week over schedule, something you did not do to "The Boys, Yoram Globus and Menahem Golan. When they ran a big preview, (for which they bought the whole back covers of Variety and the Reporter,-) in Westwood, about ten walkouts occurred, out of a packed house. Staggered by the walkouts, the boys decided not to release it in the U.S. (I hear it did well in Leichtenstein.) So that is just one of the reasons no-one has seen it. Unreleased. Many gags, many glaring mistakes, many almost forgotten, hence twisted lines, mostly from Ollie. Much fun, no result. I hope one day, you and perhaps anopther one or two might get a chance to see it. Chuck Griffith

[mrbasehart]

Oliver Reed on vodka? What a shock!

There is a VHS available secondhand here, but that's £55.  I like movies, but not that much.

[Tripe]

Or even

Oooh.  Someone challenge me to watch it on my thread so I've got an excuse!

Go on then.

[Plastic Self-Cleaning Duck]

There is a VHS available secondhand here, but that's £55.  I like movies, but not that much.

Got to be some other way.  Cute movie but not worth that for VHS.

Have you asked on that Classic Cinema Zone?

[Compound]

Okay, so I've been through the list a couple of times, looking to "acquire" the movies on there, and these are the ones that are flat-out not available:

Vampire Dentist
Rock and Roll Nightmare
The Apple
Knight Chills
B.A.P.S.
Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever

Hmm. All of the titles that I suggested were available on Netflix, so I was guessing  they were available.

Let me try Amazon.UK
Vampire Dentist - Not available
Rock and Roll Nightmare (R1)
The Apple (R1)
Knight Chills (R1)
B.A.P.S.
Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever (R2)

Of those, RNRHSF is probably your best shot, since it's region 2 and actually comes with a decent film as well.  For R1 importing, only Knight Chills is cheap (1.33 + 1.21 shipping) and it comes with 3 more films that are likely to be just as bad.

[mrbasehart]

I did look at the Amazon prices on a few of them.  Some of them are just flat out not worth the money they're asking for.  I have Rock N Roll High School, the problem is the sequel, which isn't available seperately anywhere.  I think I might get the 4 pack with Knight Chills on it though. 

[Compound]

I did look at the Amazon prices on a few of them.  Some of them are just flat out not worth the money they're asking for.  I have Rock N Roll High School, the problem is the sequel, which isn't available seperately anywhere.  I think I might get the 4 pack with Knight Chills on it though. 

Yeah, having seen other the films listed, the only one that I'd consider spending more than a rental cost on would be Rock and Roll Nightmare. But not at the prices currently offered.

[mrbasehart]

Well, I bought that 4 pack.  I'll let you know if Silo Killer is any good.   

[mrbasehart]

Right then:

Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles is the third, and probably final, film in the series, and having really enjoyed the past 2, I'm surprised at myself at not watching this one sooner.  Living with his wife and son in the outback, they move to LA where she takes a job as a newspaper editor and gets caught up in some intrigue about some suspected smugglers using a movie studio to hide their activities.  Cue Mick to become a movie extra and seek out the truth.  My first thoughts about the movie were - "Jeez, they don't make movies like this anymore" with its fish-out-of-water theme and curiously dated pop culture references, it feels like the movie could've been made at any time in the past 30 years.  Despite this, I actually found myself enjoying the movie.  Probably because I like Paul Hogan in pretty much anything - yeah, even Lightning Jack - and his wrinkly charm is what carries the movie.  They don't make them like this anymore, which is probably a shame.