Licence to Thrill – Rediscovering ‘My Chauffeur’ (US 1986 – 97 mins)

Rediscover ‐ ‐ October 31, 2017
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Licence to Thrill – Rediscovering ‘My Chauffeur’ (US 1986 – 97 mins)

A patchy, though likable romantic comedy, ‘My Chauffeur’ has aquired quite a cult following. This, I think, is due mainly to the enthusiastic performance from its wonderfully energetic lead; Deborah Foreman, whose star should have burned longer than it did.

When happy-go-lucky dishwasher Casey Meadows (Deborah Foreman) receives a job offer as a chauffeur for a luxury Limousine Service, the all male staff are suitably shocked. It doesn’t take long however before her cheerful presence wins over the other drivers, much to the annoyance of the company manager, Charles McBride (Howard Hesseman), whose assignments to Casey are given in the hope …

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Spains Sensitive Starlet – Remembering Emma Cohen (1946 – 2016)

Remember ‐ ‐ October 01, 2017
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Spains Sensitive Starlet – Remembering Emma Cohen (1946 – 2016)

A lovely, talented and daring Spanish actress, Emma Cohen was a popular Euro-starlet in the Seventies, working with such notable directors as Eloy de la Iglesia, León Klimovsky and Joaquín Luis Romero Marchent. Flitting between comedy, drama and thriller, it would be a handful of cult horror pictures however, that she would be mostly remembered for.

Born Emmanuela Beltrán Rahola in Barcelona on November 21st 1946, Emma made her debut in Jorge Grau’s 1968 musical ‘Tuset Street’, before playing a vampire in Jess Franco’s strangely popular ‘Count Dracula’ in 1970. After a small role as a farmer’s daughter in the …

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The Pom Pom Girls – Rediscovering ‘The Cheerleaders’ – (US 1973 – 82 mins)

Rediscover ‐ ‐ August 19, 2017
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The Pom Pom Girls – Rediscovering ‘The Cheerleaders’ – (US 1973 – 82 mins)

The popular Cheerleading sub-genre churned out numerous features in the 1970’s, but the one that stands out above all the rest is the once-controversial sex comedy ‘The Cheerleaders’. It’s a fun and fast-moving exploiter with plenty of raunchy moments and gratuitous nudity from an attractive (if sometimes wooden) cast who were barely heard of again!

In spite of her strict parents, pretty virgin Jeannie (Stephanie Fondue) finally fulfills her dream of joining the Amorosa High school cheerleading squad. An over-dedicated bunch, the hormone-heavy girls hatch a plot to seduce the opposing football team the night before the big game, thus wearing …

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Heroes, Horses & Harpoons – Rediscovering ‘Terror in a Texas Town’ (US 1958 – 80 mins)

Rediscover ‐ ‐ July 23, 2017
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Heroes, Horses & Harpoons – Rediscovering ‘Terror in a Texas Town’ (US 1958 – 80 mins)

An uneven movie that’s become something of a cult oddity, the low-budget western ‘Terror in a Texas Town’ is an interesting revenge piece which is noted mainly for its unique (if over-too-soon) showdown.

Returning from years of being at sea, Swedish whaler George Hanson (Sterling Hayden) finds that his father, a local
farmer, has been killed by hired gunman Johnny Crale (Ned Young), and that the corrupt sheriff has done nothing about it. It transpires that a no-good land baron (Sebastian Cabot) is forcing the locals to sell him their land at a low price, and when Hanson learns that there’s oil …

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The Ruling Class – Rediscovering ‘Unman, Wittering and Zigo’ – (UK 1971 – 102 mins)

Rediscover ‐ ‐ June 25, 2017
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The Ruling Class – Rediscovering ‘Unman, Wittering and Zigo’ – (UK 1971 – 102 mins)

Based on a 1958 radio play by Giles Cooper, the eerie obscurity ‘Unman, Wittering and Zigo’ is a cult sleeper that’s been strangely unavailable for decades. An intriguing psycho-thriller about a class of posh boys lording it over their teacher, it makes the troublesome teens of ‘To Sir With Love’ seem like pussycats.

Soon after arriving at “Chantry Boys Boarding School”, new teacher John Ebony (David Hemmings) is quietly informed by his polite pupils that they have killed John’s Predecessor after he gave them detention. Disbelieving this, Ebony slowly comes to realize that the boys may in fact be telling …

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A Tale of Two Sisters – Rediscovering ‘Cruel Passion’ – (UK 1977 – 99 mins)

Rediscover ‐ ‐ June 04, 2017
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A Tale of Two Sisters – Rediscovering ‘Cruel Passion’ – (UK 1977 – 99 mins)

Better than its reputation suggests, the atmospheric ‘Cruel Passion’ is a pretty good period drama which mixed eroticism with human suffering, creating an interesting, if rather depressing, tale of two rather different sisters.

18th Century England, and orphaned teenage sisters Justine (Koo Stark) and Juliette (Lydia Lisle) are expelled from their strict orphanage and thrown into the murky world of prostitution, which Juliette enthusiastically accepts. Justine however, wants no part of this sordid world and decides to run away and find her own virtuous way of living. Unfortunately for her though, this decision leads to a series of misadventures, and ultimately, …

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Road Trip – Rediscovering ‘The Last Detail’ (US 1973 – 105 mins)

Rediscover ‐ ‐ April 30, 2017
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Road Trip – Rediscovering ‘The Last Detail’ (US 1973 – 105 mins)

A funny and sometimes touching movie; the naval comedy-drama ‘The Last Detail’ took a while to get noticed, but has since become an endearing favourite for many, and features one of Jack Nicholson’s greatest performances. Released in a year of crowd-pleasers such as ‘The Sting’, ‘American Graffiti’ and ‘Paper Moon’, it stood alone as a gritty and bleak-looking character piece. Sadly, to this day it still remains a somewhat forgotten picture.

Navy officers, Billy “Badass” Buddusky (Jack Nicholson) and Richard “Mule” Mulhall (Otis Young) are tasked with bringing a young offender (Randy Quaid) to a naval prison in New Hampshire, for …

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Sometimes a Great Actor – Remembering Richard Jaeckel (1926 – 1997)

Remember ‐ ‐ April 17, 2017
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Sometimes a Great Actor – Remembering Richard Jaeckel (1926 – 1997)

A favourite of Robert Aldrich, the short, blond and stocky Richard Jaeckel seemed to spend most of his long screen career carrying a gun. He played in many westerns and war movies, and even though he sometimes disappeared into the background, his tough-guy persona was always a welcome presence, even in the most trashy of pictures.

Born in New York on October 10th 1926, Jaeckel was discovered while working at 20th Century-Fox as a mailboy. After debuting in the 1943 war flick ‘Guadalcanal Diary’, Richard’s first role of note came in the powerful John Wayne picture ‘Sands of Iwo Jima’ …

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Electrickery! – Rediscovering ‘House of Mystery’ (UK 1961 – 54 mins)

Rediscover ‐ ‐ April 02, 2017
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Electrickery! – Rediscovering ‘House of Mystery’ (UK 1961 – 54 mins)

I remember catching the eerie little chiller ‘House of Mystery’ many years ago on television, and being very creeped out by it by the very end. With a short running time that crams in a lot of plot and a few surprises, it’s a memorable addition to the ‘cosy old house at a bargain price’ genre.

After finding the home of their dreams in the country, a pair of newlyweds (Ronald Hines and Colette Wilde) are told by the mysterious housekeeper, stories of haunting’s and tragedy that occurred to the home’s previous owners.

While it’s a rather talky supernatural tale, ‘House …

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Fatal Distraction – Rediscovering ‘Craving Desire’ (Italy 1993 – 97 mins)

Rediscover ‐ ‐ March 19, 2017
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Fatal Distraction – Rediscovering ‘Craving Desire’ (Italy 1993 – 97 mins)

A trashy but enjoyable psychological thriller from Italy; ‘Craving Desire’ is a twisty tale of infatuation, jealousy and murder, notable for featuring an impressive turn by its lovely female star; Vittoria Belvedere.

After the unexpected arrival of his beautiful cousin Sonia, young Luigi’s personal and professional life is rapidly turned upside down, after an intimate relationship begins between the two. Cancelling his engagement, Sonia assures Luigi that they are not blood relatives due to infidelity in their family. But Sonia appears to have a dangerous side too, and soon both she and Luigi are engaging in evermore daring adventures, including a …

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