Twistin - 45worlds - All Comments

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Member	Item		Review/Comment
Twistin 3rd Apr 2021		Cinema Treasure Island	Well, it's actually a Canada / UK production. And on this page: https://www.blu-ray.com/dvd/Treasure-Island-DVD/136406/ the DVD release is listed as theatrical 1.85:1, DVD 1.78:1 -- a common extension from theatrical aspect ratio to 16:9 home video widescreen (each cropped from 1.33:1 camera A/R.) Likewise for the Blu-ray: https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Treasure-Island-Blu-ray/49350/ Both A/R's used the same 1.33:1 print and an aperture plate on the projector to crop the image (except on hard-matted prints). Anyway, given the theatrical release dates and the fact that two of the three lead cast (and the director) are North American, it seems the primary target audience was North America and an appropriately adapted A/R would have been the default standard.
Twistin 3rd Apr 2021		Cinema Treasure Island	Almost certainly it was shot in 1.33:1 (4:3) and was masked to 1.85:1 in its theatrical run. A lot of films shot and projected that way were released on home video in 4:3, but if you look at the opening credits, they avoid the top and bottom areas so that when masked, the text is not affected. I watched the first five minutes of this film with the top & bottom area cropped to 16:9 and it seems clear that the film was composed for a 1.85:1 display (or possibly, but less likely, 1.66:1 which most North American theaters were not setup to display properly.)
Twistin 2nd Apr 2021		Cinema The Werewolf Of Woodstock (1975)	Rated 8/10 Just wow! A long-lost classic. This made-for-TV feature from the pairing of ABC-TV & Dick Clark Productions, was from a period when TV was attempting to capture that new 70s rock audience. The team had previous success with the late night Friday audience (no school on Saturday!) and the series, "In Concert" in 1972, the year NBC introduced "Saturday Night Live" to their late night weekend schedule. Both tried to nick viewers who were otherwise going to late screenings at theaters marketed to the rock & roll drug culture. After NBC grabbed late Saturday, they took over Fridays with "Midnight Special", and the syndicated "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert" also grabbed a chunk, leaving ABC out in the cold. Eventually, the network was left with nothing more than "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" every year, but a last ditch effort was made in 1975 under the name, Wide World Mystery. Using the 'Wide World' prefix from ABC's sports franchise, tacked onto their late night banner, the one and only entry into the series was The Werewolf of Woodstock, a thriller mysteriously shot on videotape rather than film, the second TV-movie shot to tape (the first being "Sandcastles" on CBS, fact fans.) The results in both cases were quite mixed, ultimately failing to achieve any emotional element sans celluloid. All of that said, this is quite a miraculous anomaly, should you manage to get your hands on this rare feature. It's in light circulation in digital bootleg parlors. My guess is that it will be of little interest to the majority, the mainstream lot that they are, at least until an "official" fan movement for a film begins. So if one of those teenybopper magazines like Spin or Rolling Stone tells the kiddies to seek out this film, it could be the next The Room. And if there's any real punk misfits left, you need this flick in your weed-stenched home theater. 4 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 1st Apr 2021		Cinema Sleazy Rider (1972)	Rated 1/10 A poor excuse for pornography that tries to elevate itself by being a regular movie with x-rated conventions. While it barely earns its x-rating, it fails across the board in every aspect of filmmaking. As a biker movie, it's slow and uninvolving, helped along by the grade Z acting and tepid excuse for a storyline (sheriff pulls over bikers, feels up the women, then leaves, bikers want revenge.) Then there's the "porn", staid nudity and poorly simulated sex scenes. I laughed out loud through most of the (thankfully short) hour duration. Even the casual drug use is limited to what looks like the Ozark Mountain Daredevils smoking grass. The ending is an unbelievably inept cop-out. And its nowhere near as sleazy as you might expect, other than the fact that there's nothing here even remotely sexy. Cheezy Rider might have been a more appropriate title. 2 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 31st Mar 2021		Cinema Carnival Magic (1983)	Rated 4/10 Jeez, where to begin! Made at the tail end of Al Adamson's freaky career, Carnival Magic was never released and was only discovered after his death when police searched his residence (another freaky situation on its own.) From the opening credits, you know you're in for sloppy incompetence. It's the only film I've seen where the final credit is not the director, but the producer, which may be a quibble, but it's just not done. After the end credits are superimposed over a local parade, the screen turns black and text appears announcing that next summer will be a sequel, More Carnival Magic (!) as a vocal music number begins, only to drop out and fade away a few seconds later. Huh? Mind you, I'm not sharing any of the ineptitude from the actual movie itself, mainly because it's boring -- and sometimes wildly inappropriate, especially for what appears to have been aimed at an audience of tykes?!? As it all unfolded (slowly), I kept thinking how hokey it all was, like the many local films produced in the area where I live. Lo and behold, it actually was shot in my backyard, which explains plenty. Coupling that with the already questionable skills of Sir Adamson and the end result is one of Al's more bumbling efforts. It's been several years since I watched this and my biggest memory is just hating the damn thing. How I awarded it a whopping 4 stars is as much a mystery as the film itself. 8 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 31st Mar 2021		Cinema Cool It (2010)	Please use IMDb for release date info (on the Release Date page, not the film's main page.)
Twistin 25th Mar 2021		Cinema Devil's Angels (1967)	"The Checkered Flag", which refers to the flag signifying the end of a car race, has nothing to do with the story in this (or any other biker film I am aware of.) Wikipedia is the only source that claims such an aka and even on that very Wikipedia page, it states (at the top): "This article needs additional citations for verification [...]" None of the three sources on that page suggest any alternate title, and none of those contain links for verification. After countless Google searches, not one reliable site could confirm that aka, almost all being verbatim copy & paste of the text on Wikipedia ("Devil's Angels (also known as The Checkered Flag) is a 1967 American outlaw biker film written by Charles B. Griffith and directed by Daniel Haller.") Hence, that is merely an unsourced error. Furthermore, the Note above which states, "A follow up to "The Wild Angels" is also incorrect, or at the very least, misleading since it suggest "Devil's Angels" (the film) as a follow-up to "The Wild Angels" (film). It was American International Pictures' followup to the biker genre, which is not even noteworthy. Again, the culprit here seems to be rooted in Wikipedia on their page for "The Wild Angels", although it seems more clear there than it is presented on this page. Wikipedia is not the best source for "details" like these, especially if these cannot be verified elsewhere (save sites that harvest data from Wikipedia itself.) :
Twistin 24th Mar 2021		Cinema Devil's Angels (1967)	"The Checkered Flag"? Where is this listed as an aka for this film?
Twistin 21st Feb 2021		Cinema The Monuments Men (2014)	Why would black bars be needed on a title screen? They only exist because 16:9 screens are 1.78:1 and thus a 2.35:1 display has the bars due to screen size - not intended as part of the original (theatrical) screen.
Twistin 7th Feb 2021		Cinema Made In USA (1987)	Rated 2/10 What a completely STUPID movie. Way back when, I unsuccessfully tried to locate this film because I had a thing for Lori Singer (well, the 80s version of her, anyway...) Seeing the film now, she looks like a caricature of 80s MTV, pretty but soooo back then. But that has no bearing on the poorness of the film itself. Dar & Tuck are two losers in a small town in Pennsylvania who decide to "drop out", and hit the road so Dar can find a pin-up girl from a surfer magazine, stealing cars and various petty crimes along the way for kicks. And thus, the setup for a road movie, which no doubt seemed like a great artsy, Cannes-y vehicle for our rebellious young director, Ken Friedman. In practice, it comes off like someone got stoned listening to a Timbuk 3 album and decided to make a movie based on the way the record made them feel. Sounds ridiculous, but that's the way it looks. There's not even a convincing existentialist undercurrent. In fact, within 15 minutes, I was ready (and hoping) for our heroes to crash into bulldozers or something. The worst part is around the midway point where we're supposed to find sympathy for the characters, as the crazy Annie rebel chick is seen in tears hugging an Indian woman for no real reason in some greasy spoon restaurant. A link to Indians plopped down on top of the non-story (and it keeps aimlessly building on this subplot!) There's more useless diversions, like Dioxin poisoning, that hang on as long as possible before detouring. No issues addressed, just diluted references randomly fading in and out. How cutting edge. Or the result of the edited cut of the film, following some chaos after the Cannes screening. Apparently this was intended to be a poetic diatribe about ecological concerns, but what we get is a screed in wolf's clothing. (There is a wolf in the film, yet another foolish misstep.) The only bright spot is the music, even if it's wasted on contrived visuals. A mixed bag of tunes from Sonic Youth, John Hiatt, Phil Ochs, The Rubinoos (!), Mojo Nixon / Skid Roper, Rick Cunha, and World Party, among others. I suspect this virtually invisible film will one day develop a cult following, as soon as some hip director says he was influenced by it. There will be 10-star grades weighing heavy on the IMDb score, and will reside on lists with smart names like 1987, while reviews will drop such clever quotes as "Bad hair, dude." But today, I have peace knowing that sometimes a turd is just a turd, and few have heard of "Made in U.S.A." because it truly is wretched. 4 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 7th Feb 2021		Cinema The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane (1976)	Rated 7/10 Not as compelling (or entertaining) as the book, but a passable little thriller. The casting in particular makes this work, with strong performances from Foster, Sheen, and Jacoby, although this is not one of Jodie's favs, for good reasons. Not so much a keeper, but worth watching once. 4 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 21st Jan 2021		Cinema Elizabethtown (2005)	Rated 5/10 The hopeless romantic in me wanted to love this almost paint-by-numbers comedy-drama. I knew the critics were unimpressed, but I don't mind the monotony that the intelligentsia so loathe. I even looked forward to swimming upstream of their jaded dismissals of life, love and the human condition. I stayed true to this defiance for the majority of Elizabethtown, but as the final act wrapped up the loose ends, I found myself in that crucial aha! moment. Everything I loved about the film was tossed away into the miasmic stench of sentimental denouement. I felt as if I was in a relationship, each day filled with discovery and fulfillment until the facade revealed itself just when I'm ready to commit. Love gone spoiled sour. I'll dispense with the storyline and characters since I don't want to give the impression of recommending this affair. Anyway, those details are easily attainable, so instead, a brief plus & minus bit: Strengths: · charming Southern quirks in small town USA · humorous side characters that don't overplay their hand Weaknesses: · being pummeled with greeting card philosophies · a soundtrack that feels like a playlist from a smug Rolling Stone magazine list-maker The road trip home caused my grade to start its descent, ultimately flipping from 8 stars to 5 by the time Drew is baptized by the history of Memphis -- a sequence so hackneyed that I had to turn away from the sacrificial (and predictable) lessons. Better stick with the Hallmark rom-coms, at least they have the courtesy to wallow in their banality instead of springing it on you like a jack-in-the-box. 8 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 6th Jan 2021		Cinema En Som Hodder (Someone Like Hodder) (2003)	Rated 10/10 Ineffably sweet, but also incredibly sad. The anchor of the film is young Hodder's unyielding optimism even when faced with cruelty and melancholy. The main cast is perfect, and none of the characters are reduced to easy, one-dimensional caricatures. Finally, the music soundtrack cannot be ignored. For a family film, it's quite profound and moving. 7 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 30th Dec 2020		Cinema Dirty Weekend	I always liked Michael Winner's 60s and especially 70s output, but Death Wish just left a bad taste in my mouth. Probably due to the savage abuse of Mrs. Muir by the home invasion thugs.
Twistin 27th Dec 2020		Cinema Naughty Network (1981)	Rated 8/10 Most pornography doesn't really belong in a film database, since it's just a collection of sex acts on film, the idea being to stimulate, not entertain. At some point in the 60s, several hardcore films decided to experiment with actual plots and characters. Mixed reactions, depending on whether one wanted interferences with one's...erm, stimulation. Personally, non-stop sex + extreme close-ups are too much. In the 70s, filmmakers stepped it up with a variety of subjects, which continued through to the latter part of the 80s. Once the video medium became the standard delivery mechanism, the renaissance ended. One of the beacons of the era was 1974's Flesh Gordon, an erotic send-up of the 1936 Buster Crabbe serial, Flash Gordon. Director Howard Ziehm already had a fistful of adult films under his belt using the pseudonym Harry Hopper, but Flesh Gordon put him on the map. He continued making adult films under various names, ending his career with his final film in 1990, Flesh Gordon Meets the Cosmic Cheerleaders. One of his fake names was Linus Gator, which he used for Naughty Network, a send up of television featuring segments such as "Genital Hospital" (General Hospital), "TRASH" (MASH), and "The Young and the Horny" (The Young and the Restless). The TV station airing these shows is WHAC. Considering the genre, it's well shot, funny, and yes, erotic. Particularly the "Wild & Crazy Kingdom" segment. Obviously if you don't like adult films, you'll want to steer clear. But if you like your blue movies with an ornamental edge, you could do a lot worse than Naughty Network*. 7 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 27th Dec 2020		Cinema 31 (2016)	Rated 1/10 Rob Zombie is about as cutting edge as an episode of "Joanie Loves Chachi". As usual, we get a "thriller" bereft of any original ideas and bankrupt of any vocabulary shy of the f-word. I keep hoping each of his films will be his last. I keep watching them in the futile hope that Zombie will come up with any idea of his own, which may release him from the obligation of reviving the careers of oldschool actors (hey - great idea, Rob! You should try to get a Sweathog in one of your films!...and be sure to populate it with a smart, edgy soundtrack replete with a mix of classic rock and obscure oldies...how about a disc jockey thrown in for no good reason.) Ultimately, we are left with enough misdirection to completely distract from the emaciated excuse for a storyline and from there, a withered leaflet of brutal kills. 8 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 21st Dec 2020		Cinema Welcome To Arrow Beach (Tender Flesh) (1974)	Rated 8/10 Virtually unheard of, Welcome to Arrow Beach is an entertaining thriller, and the last film from Laurence Harvey, who also directs. It hardly compares to his previous masterpiece, The Manchurian Candidate, but never mind that. The story begins with a very cute hitch-hiking hippy chick (Meg Foster) who ends up in the quiet title beach community. After a nude swim in the beach, she meets and becomes friends with Jason (Harvey), who happens to have been watching her through his scope. He has a dark past from his days in the Korean war which has managed to integrate into his world back home where he lives with his sister, who just happens to be his lover. Their beach-front home is a good location for spotting pretty young runaways or drifters, which is our setup. Harvey helmed this thriller while deathly ill and some parts certainly suffer from whatever he was going through dealing with stomach cancer while directing and starring in a cannibal opera. Good supporting cast and an unusual title song by Lou Rawls that draws creepy parallels to the story, despite the initial impression of being awkward and unfitting. In a perfect world, Warner Bros. would restore the full version of the film and release it on home video, but that's not likely to happen any time soon, if ever. Major studios had never dealt with an extreme topic like cannibalism in 1974, so this only played in a few test-market cities -- sometimes with alternate names -- ultimately getting shelved due to either drab boxoffice figures or embarrassment. I was lucky enough to see a brand new, uncut 35mm print (in a big, oldschool N.C. movie theater) and enjoyed it a lot. But that was based on the fact that I didn't measure the film by how gory it was or wasn't, so if that is your criteria, you may love or hate the film, depending on your disposition. Even with some plot holes and abandoned side stories, it worked for me. Meg Foster certainly played a part in the film's appeal with her haunting, innocent beauty. It's rare enough to find any version of this film, but if you do, it will likely be an edited copy. Some prints have chopped out the cannibal element entirely, leaving behind a jumbled mess. I own two different versions and neither is technically complete. Maybe we'll get lucky and Criterion, or one of several Blu-ray labels who specialize in limited editions will take on this project. For the time being, if you find the DVD from Luminous Video, that's the edited 85 minute version, despite its claim of being uncut. The (assumed) uncut version can only be had from an old VHS tape from Magnetic Video (who later became CBS/Fox), but even that version is full screen (1.33:1) and is fairly washed out, coming from the infancy of the home video market. 9 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 21st Dec 2020		Cinema Chillerama (2011)	Rated 3/10 Allegedly, this parody of classic horror films is supposed to have a greater appeal to horror fans than the general public. I am a horror fan and found it to be tasteless, un-funny, juvenile and overlong. The directors seem to have limited knowledge of horror film history (or even general knowledge of film.) Their worn film stock attempt, as was properly done in Grindhouse, is woefully illiterate -- in one example, a jerky splice is accompanied by the sound of a needle scratching across a record! Rather than aiming to please horror fans, the film is more obsessed with sex and toilet humor -- both topics from the purview of a teen metalhead. An entire segment is dedicated to feces and farting, while other segments zero in on themes like erections (at times shown in close up), sperm, homo-erotica, and politically correct Nazi satire. Raunchy sex and language far outweigh horror tropes, definitely for adults only. The CG is on par with the worst Asylum films and the screenplay is more inane than a Troma film festival. These sub-films probably seemed like a good idea on paper when they were dreamed up, but fleshing them out into something effective as horror and satire is a delicate procedure best left to qualified people like Mel Brooks, Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker, (early) Tim Burton, etc. I didn't see affection for horror cinema in Chillerama, more a passion for explicit vulgarity that needed something to be attached to. Lamearama, more like. 6 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 19th Dec 2020		Cinema Lower Learning (2008)	Rated 3/10 I really have little to say about this low-brow comedy. If your idea of funny cinema is the Police Academy series, this might be up your alley. There's actually some decent performances (and some bad ones, as well), but most of the cast have little more to do than swear and recite shocking lines in front of elementary school children. At other times you're supposed to laugh at the fat kid farting, or kids in the schoolyard playing "drive-by" while speaking gangsta slang. Or a second grader convinced she is pregnant. (sigh) Some gags in the film work, but most get a failing grade. The budget for Lower Learning was a paltry 2 million; it only played in a single theater (and a single showing!) which pulled in almost $3,000. I suppose I should end with a punchline like Lower Earning or something to that effect. Then I'd have all the skills needed to write rubbish like this film. 6 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 17th Dec 2020		Cinema Sink Hole (Sinkhole) (2013)	Rated 3/10 Rookie film-making 101. I was sure this was gonna be one of those SyFy / Asylum mockbusters that can be entertaining even in their weakest hours. Sink Hole doesn't even rise to that level. It's not terrible in a "I can't even endure this" way, just boring fare with a soap opera tempo and characters you don't give a damn about. The script is possibly the weakest link (along with the director) and was probably penned under the title "Plot Hole" (take your pick from many...they should have sent in the rescue team to find them!) And don't even get me started on the junk science that seems to be the root cause of every modern disaster movie. The ending is a spectacle of stupid, so expect that should you dare to venture into this dangerous territory. I would recommend watching the trailer before making that journey, it may even be worse than the film itself. If you have the DVD, you get a nice cover graphic that is leaps and bounds more interesting than the film itself. In conclusion, the lack of suspense, logic, and viewer involvement with anything going on results in zero fun factor for this snooze-fest. 6 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 17th Dec 2020		Cinema ...And God Spoke (The Making Of '...And God Spoke') (1993)	Rated 9/10 One of the most outrageously funny satires ever, despite its total obscurity. A This Is Spinal Tap for the film industry, if you will, although on a shoe-string indie budget with little star power. Two thoroughly incompetent hack wannabe filmmakers decide to make a new religious epic along the lines of The Ten Commandments, an unfashionable task in itself in the 90's. Nice cameos from the Brady Bunch's Eve Plumb as herself (even though the director and producer continue to mistakenly call her Jan) and Soupy Sales, who is cast to play Moses in one of the film's best bits which I won't give away. Some friends of mine who work in the film industry were genuinely offended by this film, which I don't understand. The only way you could be bothered by this film's depiction of the filmmaking process is if it hits too close to home. 7 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 17th Dec 2020		Cinema Roller Boogie (1979)	Rated 7/10 I've often wondered how the fall of Communism in the USSR really came about, having read a number of accountings which differ greatly. Me personally, I'd like to think a copy of Roller Boogie leaked into the red zone. After seeing that opening sequence, those people KNEW they had to have freedom if they were ever going to enjoy life the way the USA did on that jaunt down the Venice Beach Walk. It wasn't going to happen by disarmament but disco. Several years later, well, you know how this story ended. All the suggestions about the late 70s and L.A. being a shallow nest of superficial excess can be put to rest. Like the kid's t-shirt says, Heaven. Deep stuff here. And completely ignored by the Academy. 5 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 13th Dec 2020		Cinema Despicable Me (2010)	Maybe the discussion would be better suited to the forums where it will not be outdated after any such changes are made, plus will have better visibility for the moderation team. Also, correction suggestions have better success when using the Make Correction link than in the comments, I have found, probably because it goes straight to the mod team rather than the entire 45worlds members. Just a suggestion...
Twistin 9th Dec 2020		Cinema The Day The World Ended (2001)	Rated 6/10 Simple, old-school (ish) little horror/sci-fi TV movie (from HBO's Creature Features series) that claims to be a remake of the cheesy 1955 Roger Corman flick -- which was also co-produced by Samuel Z. Arkoff -- but it's not really a remake, just an allusion. Critics of the film have whimpered about the cheap fx, but it's better than the lousy CG in most every budget genre film these days, so for me it was actually an upgrade. I docked the film a star simply because I found Nastassja Kinski's character so annoying and presumptious. If you're a fussy eater when it comes to this genre or of b-movies in general, then you'll surely be disappointed. Me, I like the whole small town breeds scary secrets formula and as long as that is delivered competently, I win. 7 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 23rd Nov 2020		Vinyl Album Elvis Presley - Spinout	Notes The labels show the Catalog Number as LSP 3702, while the jacket shows it as LSP-3703. My copy has LSP 3702 on the front and back covers as do the covers displayed here.
Twistin 26th Oct 2020		TV Second City Television (1976 - 1984)	I've probably watched the "Maudlin's Eleven" and "Vic Arpeggio: Private Investigator" segments over 200 times (each!) and laugh hysterically at them every time as if seeing them the first time. This series was a gift from heaven. Joe Flaherty is one of the most underrated comic geniuses ever. And get a load of the Skip Bittman (Rick Moranis) stand-up comedy warming up "The Danny Thomas Show", brilliantly inept!
Twistin 26th Oct 2020		TV Second City Television (1976 - 1984)	[YouTube Video]
Twistin 26th Oct 2020		TV Second City Television (1976 - 1984)	[YouTube Video]
Twistin 11th Oct 2020		Cinema I Married A Witch (1942)	Rated 8/10 Cute 'n' cuddly comedy that provided the inspiration for the TV series "Bewitched" more than two decades later. Veronica Lake is just gorgeous and her comic timing is also a treat. Snuggle up with this one & Arsenic and Old Lace while waiting for Halloween night to arrive. 7 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 8th Oct 2020		Cinema Bucktown (1975)	Rated 9/10 What's not to love about this under-appreciated genre classic? It's from AIP, Fred Williamson and Pam Grier top the cast in full campy glory, Thalamus Rasulala shines as the corrupt Chicago heavy, and wonderful support roles from Bernie Hamilton, Tierre Turner and Art Lund. Carl (Rocky) Weathers is also on hand as a thug, along with the charismatically sinister Tony King, and Jim Bohan ("Phantom of the Paradise" and "American Graffiti" bit player) as one of the evil honky bullies. Johnny Pate's soundtrack is also a bonus. Probably my fav blaxploitation flick. 8 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?

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