012.- AIRPORT 1975 (1974, KINO LORBER BLU-RAY). Also streaming on NETFLIX.
The second most popular movie Linda Blair appeared in after "The Exorcist," "Airport 1975" (which was actually released in 1974) made bank with $103 million worldwide box office on a $3 million budget. Linda plays Janice, the little girl who desperately needs an organ transplant or is certain to die. She befriends a singing nun (singer Helen Reddy) who serenades Janice with a guitar. 99% of movie viewers don't remember this because the parody versions of these characters in 1980's "Airplane!" overshadowed the genuine articles. But for as little as Linda Blair has to do in her own disaster movie (look pretty, tired and/or despondent) she left an impression, enough for the Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker comedy trio to single out her character in their spoof flick.
To say the cast of "Airport '75" is stacked is like saying June is a beloved month for F This Movie. Some old-timers (Sid Caesar, Jerry Stiller, Norman Fell, Gloria Swanson, etc.) mug a little too aggressively, but the actors playing their dramatic roles straight (Chuck Heston, Karen Black, George Kennedy, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Susan Clark, etc.) don't embarrass themselves. The plot/production values feel a slight step above made-for-TV (widescreen cinematography, a real airplane filmed flying through mountains and crash-landing), and the make-believe tension is only matched by the now-gone appeal of the 747 plane being a technological/transportation marvel. As entertainingly inoffensive as 70's disaster movies get. 3.15 MIRNA LOY'S BOILERMAKER DRINKS (out of five).
013 & 014.- EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC (ORIGINAL THEATRICAL & HOME VIDEO VERSIONS, 1977, SHOUT! FACTORY BLU-RAY). Also streaming on TUBI.
In a 2018 interview with Linda Blair included in this Shout! Factory Blu-ray set, she says she can't fathom anybody finding any fun watching "Exorcist II: The Heretic," but that she and her fellow actors gave it their best shot regardless. Linda says she gets it if people don't like the final product, but that she also gets it if some people find enjoyment here where others find none. I'm firmly in the camp that has learned to enjoy its silly moments (anytime anybody says 'Pazuzu!' with a straight face), appreciate the ambition behind its choices (filming African locations in impressively-designed indoor sets), and admire the best aspects (Richard Burton playing it straight, imaginative on-camera special effects, Ennio Morricone going for broke with a memorable score, etc.) of this John Boorman-helmed sequel to "The Exorcist." It's a deeply flawed picture at its core, particularly the lack of scary scenes or even atmospheric horror (there is none). If watched third behind the first "Exorcist" and 1990's "Exorcist III" (William Peter Blatty's true sequel to the events/characters left dangling at the conclusion of the '73 movie), "Exorcist II" stands a better chance of making a stronger first impression.
As has become my unofficial tradition, whenever "The Exorcist II" Shout! BD comes out both versions are watched back-to-back. The original 117 min. theatrical cut is allowed to breathe and feels nicely paced, leading to a bittersweet ending that gives all characters (even Kitty Winn's Sharon) a proper ending and the full version of Morricone's 'Regan's Theme' (so good! 😍🥰) during the closing credits. The home video cut (102 min.) chops key scenes here and there (no Regan learning to tap dance) and has an abrupt ending with a more acid rock version of the end song. Neither version makes Louise Fletcher look great, but both cuts highlight how good Richard Burton, Max Von Sydow and young Linda Blair hold their own against the troubled production surrounding them. 4 YOUNG DANA PLATO CAMEOS (out of five, THEATRICAL) & 3.25 BLOODY CAB DRIVERS PINNED UNDER STEERING WHEEL (out of five, HOME VIDEO).
015.- SAVAGE ISLAND (1985, AMAZON PRIME). Also streaming on MGM+, FAWESOME.
I was duped! 🥵 Linda Blair gets near-top billing for appearing in this Ted Nicolaou flick about women being exploited as slave labor in an emerald mine in the South American jungle by cruel, ugly and r@pey foreign men. But Linda isn't in any of the footage from two Edoardo Mulargia movies (1980's "Escape From Hell" and "Hotel Paradise") cobbled together by Nicolaou. She's in the beginning and ending (about 5-7 min. total) shooting Penn Jillete's brains off (not a spoiler, happens near the start) and sharing the main movie's plot with crooked banker Luker (Leon Askin) via ADR VO. "Savage Island" is literally and figuratively a shit sandwich, with Linda Blair the bread holding together an unpleasant, not-that-entertaining, women-in-peril jungle meat treat. It's only day three and I've already failed spectacularly at my June job. 😢😭1.35 LAREDO'S UNREWARDED ACTS OF KINDNESS (out of five).
BONUS: 30 DAYS OF PINK PANTHER & FRIENDS, DAY 3! 016.- THE PINK PANTHER: THE PINK PHINK (12/18/64, DVD). Available to stream on YOUTUBE.
The very first theatrical cartoon starring The Pink Panther, "The Pink Phink" has the distinction of being the only "PP" media to have received an Academy Award (Best Animated Short). With Friz Freleng at the helm, William Lava rearranging the Henry Mancini-composed score to a more jazzy beat, and John Dunn penning the first of dozens of scripts, "Pink Phink" also introduces 'The Little Man' (though he looks rather tall in this debut) as the perennial antagonist to the Panther's "Tom and Jerry"-inspired antics. Simple premise: Little Man's a painter who wants to paint a house blue, the Pink Panther wants it painted pink. Hilarity ensues for a little over six minutes, which debuted on December of '64 in theaters before moving to endless reruns on TV and, of course, YouTube and streaming. 4 ROTATING LAWN SPRINKLERS PAINTING A BLUE ROOM PINK (out of five).
Tough as flaming nails high schooler Linda Blair is avenging the savage defilement of her sweet and innocent, deaf-mute little sister played by Linnea Quigley. A sleazy and lurid portrait of 1980s Hollywood Blvd. haters and punk trash. Plus a supporting turn by a foul mouthed Dean Wormer. The Golden Raspberry people can go fork themselves. This rips!
An exploitation classic for sure. One thing I will say is that It is a little hard to buy Blair and the cast as teenagers. And bear traps being sold in L.A. stores? I am thinking about it too much.
I really enjoy the soundtrack for Savage Streets. Very catchy and very '80s.
Linda Blair is the new prisoner trying to figure out a complicated environment in this sleazy slice of women-in-prison cinema. Around her is an excellent cast with John Vernon, Stella Stevens, Henry Silva, and a bunch of faces who would find a place in 1980s genre cinema. This hits most of the WIP tropes with a large dose of nudity, but it also does prison drama well. Blair and company give it their all, sometimes succeeding in covering up the exploitative nature of the story. Also, the quality of the filmmaking is high, adding a little class to the crassness.
This will probably be the longest watch in the making for this Junesploitation. The DVD has been in my collection for at least seven years and a candidate for a June watch most of that time.
Get it? Because her name is Blair and she's a... you get it. This is a 20-minute ZAZ-style parody of the Blair Witch Project with Linda playing the Heather part. If any of the below make you laugh check it out: - Burkisttsville, MD has been renamed to Jerkittsville. - Instead of arguing about a map, Heather, Josh and Mike argue over a globe (she brought a globe into the woods to navigate). - At one point Linda Blair tells Josh to stop chucking rocks because his mother chucks rocks in hell. - During the "I'm so scared" monologue: "I'm scared to close my eyes. I'm scared to open them. I'm scared to cross them" (crosses eyes) - The end credits song is a parody song in the style of Sinatra's "Witchcraft"... You guessed it... "B*tchcraft". I'm totally ashamed for laughing as much as I did.
Wynorski joint. Linda Blair is a lawyer's wife who uses dark magic to get her husband better situated in his firm. But she faces tough opposition from fellow sorceress Julie Strain - who is not afraid to use her full-bodied softcore witchcraft in her own little power games, even after she technically dies in the opening scene. I'm a sucker for tawdry witch stories where men are just clueless puppets in the hands of wicked ladies, so I was thoroughly entertained.
012.- AIRPORT 1975 (1974, KINO LORBER BLU-RAY). Also streaming on NETFLIX.
ReplyDeleteThe second most popular movie Linda Blair appeared in after "The Exorcist," "Airport 1975" (which was actually released in 1974) made bank with $103 million worldwide box office on a $3 million budget. Linda plays Janice, the little girl who desperately needs an organ transplant or is certain to die. She befriends a singing nun (singer Helen Reddy) who serenades Janice with a guitar. 99% of movie viewers don't remember this because the parody versions of these characters in 1980's "Airplane!" overshadowed the genuine articles. But for as little as Linda Blair has to do in her own disaster movie (look pretty, tired and/or despondent) she left an impression, enough for the Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker comedy trio to single out her character in their spoof flick.
To say the cast of "Airport '75" is stacked is like saying June is a beloved month for F This Movie. Some old-timers (Sid Caesar, Jerry Stiller, Norman Fell, Gloria Swanson, etc.) mug a little too aggressively, but the actors playing their dramatic roles straight (Chuck Heston, Karen Black, George Kennedy, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Susan Clark, etc.) don't embarrass themselves. The plot/production values feel a slight step above made-for-TV (widescreen cinematography, a real airplane filmed flying through mountains and crash-landing), and the make-believe tension is only matched by the now-gone appeal of the 747 plane being a technological/transportation marvel. As entertainingly inoffensive as 70's disaster movies get. 3.15 MIRNA LOY'S BOILERMAKER DRINKS (out of five).
013 & 014.- EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC (ORIGINAL THEATRICAL & HOME VIDEO VERSIONS, 1977, SHOUT! FACTORY BLU-RAY). Also streaming on TUBI.
ReplyDeleteIn a 2018 interview with Linda Blair included in this Shout! Factory Blu-ray set, she says she can't fathom anybody finding any fun watching "Exorcist II: The Heretic," but that she and her fellow actors gave it their best shot regardless. Linda says she gets it if people don't like the final product, but that she also gets it if some people find enjoyment here where others find none. I'm firmly in the camp that has learned to enjoy its silly moments (anytime anybody says 'Pazuzu!' with a straight face), appreciate the ambition behind its choices (filming African locations in impressively-designed indoor sets), and admire the best aspects (Richard Burton playing it straight, imaginative on-camera special effects, Ennio Morricone going for broke with a memorable score, etc.) of this John Boorman-helmed sequel to "The Exorcist." It's a deeply flawed picture at its core, particularly the lack of scary scenes or even atmospheric horror (there is none). If watched third behind the first "Exorcist" and 1990's "Exorcist III" (William Peter Blatty's true sequel to the events/characters left dangling at the conclusion of the '73 movie), "Exorcist II" stands a better chance of making a stronger first impression.
As has become my unofficial tradition, whenever "The Exorcist II" Shout! BD comes out both versions are watched back-to-back. The original 117 min. theatrical cut is allowed to breathe and feels nicely paced, leading to a bittersweet ending that gives all characters (even Kitty Winn's Sharon) a proper ending and the full version of Morricone's 'Regan's Theme' (so good! 😍🥰) during the closing credits. The home video cut (102 min.) chops key scenes here and there (no Regan learning to tap dance) and has an abrupt ending with a more acid rock version of the end song. Neither version makes Louise Fletcher look great, but both cuts highlight how good Richard Burton, Max Von Sydow and young Linda Blair hold their own against the troubled production surrounding them. 4 YOUNG DANA PLATO CAMEOS (out of five, THEATRICAL) & 3.25 BLOODY CAB DRIVERS PINNED UNDER STEERING WHEEL (out of five, HOME VIDEO).
015.- SAVAGE ISLAND (1985, AMAZON PRIME). Also streaming on MGM+, FAWESOME.
ReplyDeleteI was duped! 🥵 Linda Blair gets near-top billing for appearing in this Ted Nicolaou flick about women being exploited as slave labor in an emerald mine in the South American jungle by cruel, ugly and r@pey foreign men. But Linda isn't in any of the footage from two Edoardo Mulargia movies (1980's "Escape From Hell" and "Hotel Paradise") cobbled together by Nicolaou. She's in the beginning and ending (about 5-7 min. total) shooting Penn Jillete's brains off (not a spoiler, happens near the start) and sharing the main movie's plot with crooked banker Luker (Leon Askin) via ADR VO. "Savage Island" is literally and figuratively a shit sandwich, with Linda Blair the bread holding together an unpleasant, not-that-entertaining, women-in-peril jungle meat treat. It's only day three and I've already failed spectacularly at my June job. 😢😭1.35 LAREDO'S UNREWARDED ACTS OF KINDNESS (out of five).
Years ago I started to watch Savage Island and ended up stopping it very quickly. It's terrible and usually sourced from a crappy VHS version.
DeleteThat's the version streaming on Prime: VHS soft, 4x3 and ugly as sin. 🥵😳
DeleteBONUS: 30 DAYS OF PINK PANTHER & FRIENDS, DAY 3!
ReplyDelete016.- THE PINK PANTHER: THE PINK PHINK (12/18/64, DVD). Available to stream on YOUTUBE.
The very first theatrical cartoon starring The Pink Panther, "The Pink Phink" has the distinction of being the only "PP" media to have received an Academy Award (Best Animated Short). With Friz Freleng at the helm, William Lava rearranging the Henry Mancini-composed score to a more jazzy beat, and John Dunn penning the first of dozens of scripts, "Pink Phink" also introduces 'The Little Man' (though he looks rather tall in this debut) as the perennial antagonist to the Panther's "Tom and Jerry"-inspired antics. Simple premise: Little Man's a painter who wants to paint a house blue, the Pink Panther wants it painted pink. Hilarity ensues for a little over six minutes, which debuted on December of '64 in theaters before moving to endless reruns on TV and, of course, YouTube and streaming. 4 ROTATING LAWN SPRINKLERS PAINTING A BLUE ROOM PINK (out of five).
SAVAGE STREETS (1984) dir. Danny Steinmann
ReplyDeleteTough as flaming nails high schooler Linda Blair is avenging the savage defilement of her sweet and innocent, deaf-mute little sister played by Linnea Quigley. A sleazy and lurid portrait of 1980s Hollywood Blvd. haters and punk trash. Plus a supporting turn by a foul mouthed Dean Wormer.
The Golden Raspberry people can go fork themselves. This rips!
An exploitation classic for sure. One thing I will say is that It is a little hard to buy Blair and the cast as teenagers. And bear traps being sold in L.A. stores? I am thinking about it too much.
DeleteI really enjoy the soundtrack for Savage Streets. Very catchy and very '80s.
CHAINED HEAT (1983, dir. Paul Nicolas)
ReplyDeleteLinda Blair is the new prisoner trying to figure out a complicated environment in this sleazy slice of women-in-prison cinema. Around her is an excellent cast with John Vernon, Stella Stevens, Henry Silva, and a bunch of faces who would find a place in 1980s genre cinema. This hits most of the WIP tropes with a large dose of nudity, but it also does prison drama well. Blair and company give it their all, sometimes succeeding in covering up the exploitative nature of the story. Also, the quality of the filmmaking is high, adding a little class to the crassness.
This will probably be the longest watch in the making for this Junesploitation. The DVD has been in my collection for at least seven years and a candidate for a June watch most of that time.
SCREAM (1996):
ReplyDeletePerfect movie. Glad they never made any sequels!
OMG, I forgot Linda cameos as a reporter in OG "Scream." 😮😓
DeleteExorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
ReplyDeleteCould absolutely see myself super into this another day...but today is not that day...
😳🥺😭
DeleteThe Blair B*tch Project (2000, dir. Scott LaRose)
ReplyDeleteGet it? Because her name is Blair and she's a... you get it. This is a 20-minute ZAZ-style parody of the Blair Witch Project with Linda playing the Heather part. If any of the below make you laugh check it out:
- Burkisttsville, MD has been renamed to Jerkittsville.
- Instead of arguing about a map, Heather, Josh and Mike argue over a globe (she brought a globe into the woods to navigate).
- At one point Linda Blair tells Josh to stop chucking rocks because his mother chucks rocks in hell.
- During the "I'm so scared" monologue: "I'm scared to close my eyes. I'm scared to open them. I'm scared to cross them" (crosses eyes)
- The end credits song is a parody song in the style of Sinatra's "Witchcraft"... You guessed it... "B*tchcraft".
I'm totally ashamed for laughing as much as I did.
The part about chucking rocks made me laugh. Guess I'll have to check this out.
DeleteSorceress a.k.a. Temptress (1995)
ReplyDeleteWynorski joint. Linda Blair is a lawyer's wife who uses dark magic to get her husband better situated in his firm. But she faces tough opposition from fellow sorceress Julie Strain - who is not afraid to use her full-bodied softcore witchcraft in her own little power games, even after she technically dies in the opening scene. I'm a sucker for tawdry witch stories where men are just clueless puppets in the hands of wicked ladies, so I was thoroughly entertained.