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kellyjt
Reviews
Friday the 13th (1980)
THIS became a movie franchise and a horror legend? *SPOILERS*
Granted, this movie is almost 25 years old, and a lot can change in 25 years. By now, there have been numerous parodies and copycats of the genre, and at this point, if you've seen one slasher flick, you've pretty much seen them all. But how anyone who's seen 'Halloween' can deny that this movie is a total rip-off of it is beyond me. The makers took superficial elements from 'Halloween' (and one bit from 'Carrie') and ratcheted them up -- more victims, more gore to make some quick cash. And they succeeded beyond their wildest expectations, I'm sure. Good for them; bad for the viewers.
You have a group of teens gathered together. You have the sexually active couple getting killed post coitus. You have the innocent, shy virgin, Alice, being terrorized by the killer, finding dead bodies every which way she turns. Shoot, Steve's body comes swinging upside down at our heroine, just as Bob's did in 'Halloween'. You also have a scene similar to the one in the closet in 'Halloween,' only this one is done in the kitchen pantry. And, of course, there are also the scenes where the killer just can't be stopped, in this case despite being hit in the head with a frying pan.
What wasn't taken from 'Halloween' was any type of character development, suspense, a likable heroine, believability, or even a decent denouement.
Who are these kids getting killed? I don't remember their names or much of note about their personalities or relationships with each other. What little suspense that exists is not in whether or not they get killed but in when and how they get killed.
With all due respect to Adrienne King, her Alice is not a great character or heroine. Her 'acting' ain't so hot neither. I found her insipid and too girly. Who's to say how I would react if something like in the movie happened to me, but I don't think I would be so squeamish around dead bodies if someone was coming at me with every sharp object they could get their hands on. Screw the dead body in the jeep! Get in and drive off! Don't dawdle in the kitchen trying to avoid getting near the dead body. Get to steppin' and get outta there! And after you clean yourself up and pull yourself together, go take some acting classes. Your acting in the last scene in this movie is atrocious.
What was so unbelievable was that the killer would quickly and rather quietly dispatch all the victims except for Alice. For some reason, Alice gets an introduction, even a hug, a full explanation of motive, many chances to escape and fight back, and gets chased and terrorized all over creation. Why did Alice merit all that when none of the other victims did? It doesn't seem to me that Alice was any smarter than the rest of them or that the killer didn't lack the opportunity to quickly kill her. Of course, I realize that it's a movie and that a degree of suspension of disbelief is necessary to enjoy it, but this is ridiculous.
It's also ridiculous that the identity of the killer comes out of left field. Of course, it's explained near the beginning about the little boy's drowning, but wouldn't it have been better to have the killer be a character throughout the movie? To construct the story so that there were a few suspects or that the killer was the least likely suspect, a minor character?
How about showing the killer as a patron at the diner when the hitchhiker shows up for directions to the camp? How about having the locals who say that the camp is cursed tell outlandish stories about how the drowned boy haunts the place, leading us to wonder if he's the killer this time around? How about having the killer be the caretaker of the camp's owner, who went crazy or turned to the bottle after the drowning and the murders the following year? This would introduce us to the killer and to a possible suspect in the killings. Or have the owner's son reluctantly, bitterly, and/or insanely opening the camp back up, leading us to suspect that he's doing the killings in order to once and for all close or sell the place. The way the story is put together is sloppy and fuels the rip-off fire.
To think that I begged my older sister to take me to see this when I was a kid (I was refused admission.). To think that this spawned 10 sequels. To think that this is considered a horror classic by some. Perhaps it played better when it was first released, but I honestly wasn't entertained or affected by this movie, other than to feel disdain for it. I have seen 'Halloween' a zillion times, and it still gets under my skin. This didn't do it the first time, and it won't ever.
There were so many bad slasher films and rip offs released around the same time. Most are barely remembered if they are remembered at all. 'Friday the 13th' was not an unlucky day for the makers of the film. They were in the right place at the right time, and they reaped the rewards, but the movie is still wrong.
Petey Wheatstraw (1977)
Lord, have mercy. *SPOILERS*
This was my first Rudy Ray Moore movie, and it may be my last. I read all of the comments and reviews and figured this would be a fun bad movie, and it has its moments. Overall, however, it's a dud. The 90+ minutes to view it seemed to last forever, and it's really ludicrous.
How could the cane given by Satan to Petey be more powerful than Satan himself? And why would Petey break the powerful cane since it was what had saved him time and time again? And how could merely breaking the cane in two render it useless? Why would Petey get into a limo, thinking it's one of his posse's car? There's only so much suspension of disbelief I'm willing to grant.
As I mentioned, the film has its moments, like when Petey combs the nappy-headed boy's hair, and the little boy's t-shirt that said 'I'm a little devil' was a nice touch. I also give credit for putting in politically incorrect stuff like watermelon and fat jokes. I did laughed when Petey's mom delivered a watermelon, when the bomb blew up a truck full of watermelons, and when the heavy chick struggled to fit into a lawn chair.
The biggest laugh for me came when the club singer's wig flew off. Wig's coming off are always good for a laugh with me. And there are a few hot brothers in polyester suits that show off their fine butts. Props for that.
But the parts are much greater than the sum.
Rudy Ray seems to have done alright for himself, being ambitious and being in the right place at the right time. I'm happy for him, but I'm just not a fan of this movie.
Foul Play (1978)
I Couldn't Suspend Disbelief Enough
I wanted to like this movie more than I actually did, but I found that the contrivances in it were too much for me to totally suspend my disbelief and go along for the ride.
Goldie's character, Gloria, was told by Scottie (Bruce Solomon) to beware the dwarf, and an aggressive dwarf, spouting things that sound threatening, just happens to show up at her door a few days later. Gloria's friend Stella (Marilyn Sokol) just happens to give Gloria her stash of masher-stopping devices on the day Gloria gets kidnapped. Too many things that happened in the movie seemed to be set-ups for the "funny" bits.
Also, I don't care if nobody believed that people were out to kill me, I wouldn't stay by myself in my apartment, go to work, and do my usual routine like Gloria does. For cryin' out loud, the bad guys know what kind of car she drives, where she lives, where she works, etc. I'd be staying with Stella. If you're her friend, you'll be fine; if you're her foe, watch out.
In addition, Gloria may have been naive and innocent, and she may have just had a traumatic experience, but would anyone be so naive as to not consider that going into a bar and asking someone there to take you home could be construed as a come one?
I didn't find the comedy in the movie all that funny, and I didn't find the thriller in it all that scary or suspenseful. And, instead of the scenes from the movie playing during the closing credits, I would have liked to see a quick recap on what happened to the characters. But I didn't feel that the movie was a total waste of time.
Goldie Hawn is always delightful. I don't think I could ever not like (if not love) her. I find so many of her movies mediocre, but she always enchants me. She seems so sweet and has chemistry with just about everyone.
Marilyn Sokol is a hoot. These two ladies make a good team. It would have been cool to see them do more or to see them in a sort of Lucy/Ethel pairing.
Dudley Moore is fun, but he was playing what he seems to always play, a bumbling fool. Bruce Solomon was sexy. I've always found myself way attracted to him and wish I could see him in "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman".
The Barry Manilow theme song, "Ready to Take a Chance" again is one of Bar's better tunes and fits the movie and the character of Gloria. I'm a sucker for lush, string-filled ballads.
But the biggest, most pleasant surprise for me was Chevy Chase. As with his costar, Mr. Moore, I am more used to seeing him as a bumbling fool. I was taken off guard by how well he played the leading man. I was totally charmed by him, particularly in the scenes on the houseboat. Very sexy.
So, even though the sum and some of the parts aren't so hot, this movie does have its merits and is worth seeing if you are a fan of any of the actors in it.