70s

They Might Be Giants

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They Might Be Giants. Universal 1971.

Before watching the movie:

No, it’s not about the band, but it did inspire the name. George C. Scott plays a modern-day man who believes he’s Sherlock Holmes, hence the Don Quixote reference title.

I think it’s time I admitted I have a problem where it comes to Sherlock Holmes stories, but I’m interested in seeing what George C. Scott does with the role.

If the poster image this week looks cheap and slapped together, it’s because it’s from the DVD release. I try to pick a poster version most faithful to the theatrical release, but I found that one far too nonindicative. The same could probably be said for last week’s.

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Dark Star

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Dark Star. Jack H. Harris Productions/University of Southern California 1974.

Before watching the movie:

This movie is selling itself to me hard as a comedy, and I see the potential, but it’s working so hard on that that I don’t have much else to go on but the genre. Apparently the main plot concerns a planet-destroying bomb stuck in a colony scouting ship that gets delusional and considers exploding in the hold. Like I said, not much to go on. It sounded like a fun movie, and one I’d probably have a lot to say about, but leaves me even more uninspired than usual in this section.

Bearing in mind that it’s a student film, but one of high acclaim and penned by some famous names in sci-fi, this could get interesting.

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Kelly’s Heroes

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Kelly's Heroes. Metro Goldwyn Meyer 1970.

Before watching the movie:

I was a little skeptical on this recommendation when I first received it. I never expect much from films older than thirty years for some reason, but being self-aware of that fact, I eventually looked into it, and realized it’s not a war drama or straight action, but a comedy. And when comedy and explosions are mixed… well, it’s usually better than Sgt. Bilko (the Steve Martin film. Jury’s still out on how Phil Silvers did).

I never would have expected to see Clint Eastwood and Don Rickles in the same movie, or really Don Rickles in any movie. I thought he was all standup other than voiceovers like Toy Story.

Anyway, this looks like a war heist comedy… somehow.

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The Three Musketeers/The Four Musketeers

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The Three Musketeers/The Four Musketeers. Este Films 1973/1974.

Before watching the movie:

A large-budget film with a star-studded cast and strict attention to period accuracy could go poorly in all sorts of ways. The actors could fight for attention to the detriment of the film, the visual appeal could be lost in gritty details or vice versa, and the effort put into the enormous practical concerns could stomp out any entertainment value of the film.

These worries are only enhanced by the subject material. I vaguely recall an adaptation of The Three Musketeers in that a young man wants to be a Musketeer, gets in a fight with some, and then they all have adventures together. Rather dull, especially if one isn’t into swashbuckling tales.

I recognize many names, but I can connect hardly any of them with anything I know. At least it’s sold as a comedy, but I don’t expect much out of a 70s film.

Usually, I avoid sequels, but this pair was intended to be a single film, so I am taking it as one.

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Family Plot

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Family Plot. Universal Pictures 1976.

Before watching the movie:

I didn’t know Alfred Hitchcock did comedies, but here this is. I’ve read a few different synopses that seem to tell entirely different stories, but it seems to involve disreputable people, lots of money, and family relations.

The only thing I completely understand going in is that Alfred Hitchcock was involved, so there will be massive attention to detail.

Despite the massive changes coming my way this summer, I expect to be able to keep this blog going. However, that depends on how I assess the situation upon arrival.

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Sleeper

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Sleeper. Rollins-Joffe Productions 1973.

Before watching the movie:

 

It occurs to me that I may not have actually seen any Woody Allen film before. I’ve seen him perform before, though possibly the only thing I’ve seen longer than a clip of is Antz.

That aside, once again I only realize at the moment I have to sum up my preconceptions that I don’t know what I’m getting into again. It sounds somewhat raunchy, but every adult comedy at the time was at least a little raunchy. For what it’s worth, it got a PG.

Ultimately, what I can say is that Woody Allen”s character finds himself in a future which no doubt is designed to be a satire on the world of its time.

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The Front Page

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The Front Page. Universal Pictures 1974.

Before watching the movie:

Back when I was in a film studies class, I was shown a movie titled His Girl Friday. Apparently, this movie is a more faithful adaptation of the play that movie was based on. As my professor was also apparently a fan of Billy Wilder, I’m not sure why this film didn’t come up in a way that I remember.

Also, this one has Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon, Carol Burnett, and Susan Sarandon, a trainload of fun people to watch. I didn’t know Matthau and Lemmon worked together outside of The Odd Couple, but the box seems to imply they were a popular comedy team.

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Dirty Harry

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Dirty Harry. Warner Brothers 1971.

Before watching the movie:

I apologize for again having very little to say about this movie beforehand. I’m a little drained from writing my Nanowrimo novel (which I promised myself I’d stop mentioning here).

The closest I’ve come to experiencing this film is watching the complete two-season run of Sledge Hammer, a cop-based sitcom that was made as a parody of the genre Dirty Harry spawned. I don’t really know much about the serious version. Should be good for drama and action.

On a side note, I’ve finally started a Suggestions page where readers can put their suggestions for movies to watch in one handy place. I’ll add suggested movies to the main body list and link to them as I review them.

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Logan’s Run

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Logan’s Run. Metro Goldwyn-Mayer 1976.

Before watching the movie:

My professor recommended this film to me as a similar story to draw from while writing for National Novel Writing Month. From the trailer I saw, it looks more like a totalitarian dystopia than a “the world is a lie” disillusionment, but I’ll give it a try.

The founding conceit reminds me of an episode of Star Trek, only with less protesting and more running and shooting. People’s hands have some glowing device in them.

Incidentally, Farrah Fawcett’s appearance makes a Google Image search for this movie difficult to find meaningful results.

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