| QT:Last Night at the Alamo Grindhouse (05.10.07 - 05.13.07, 7 movies) |
| Date Viewed | Movie | Director | Notes |
| 05.10.07 | Sex on the Run | Franz Antel | Here we go for another QT mini-fest, this one held in honor of the original downtown location closing in a month. It's a sad time but also a happy time... QT screenings are great because a lot of friends show up and it's fun to talk in the lobby in between shows. Unfortunately it's also Mother's Day weekend and my parents will be in town this weekend so I'll have to miss some movies tomorrow night and sunday night... hopefully not too many though. But since I'm gonna be up half the night then have to adhere to my parents' "normal" sleep schedule, these notes are gonna suffer. Sorry, I need sleep. Anyway, this first one previously showed during QT4 as part of a Sex Night double feature with Jess Franco's Sucubus. It's a sex comedy starring Tony Curtis as both Casanova and a random guy who looks just like Casanova. It's period so there are tons of corsets and bustiers and stockings all over the place... which is good. Unfortunately, the movie felt really long to me like a sluggish rhino that's just woken up from a nap and trying to trot down to the trough to get his dinner but he's not really hungry... he's really still half-asleep and it's hot out and he doesn't want to run so he takes his time lumbering to where you know he's going. Lots of hot women here. LOTS. In his intro, QT targetted on how many hot euro babes were on display tonight and he's right. it's a Rosalba Neri shy of being all of my faves. He also mentioned that Harry noted this was a low point in Tony Curtis' career and that we should be so lucky to have a low point like that: namely jetting off to Venice to ham it up with a cadre of hot young naked flesh... yeah, that's tough. As usual, a series of trailers play before each feature. No notebook this time around so those are lost too. Sorry, jealous reader. my attention to detail is slipping! I do know that at one point they played a trailer for How to Seduce a Woman and in my head I thanked Micah because it was like the only movie I'd seen before. UPDATE: Big thanks to Lars who sent me a complete list of trailers for this fest. I know this will come even more in handy a few years from now when I think back to the event and re-read this stuff. QT-owned trailers are noted: BEFORE SEX ON THE RUN Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones 9 Lives Of Fritz The Cat (QT) How To Seduce A Woman War Goddess |
| 05.10.07 | Sex with a Smile | Sergio Martino | Next up is an omnibus sex comedy directed by Sergio "Torso" Martino, starring like a dozen more hot euro babes. Actually this one and the next one were vignette-structered movies so by the end of the night it felt like I'd just seen 12 movies. They also kind of meld together. Let's see if I can remember these... I think my favorite was the story with Barbara Bouchet where this guy pays her 20 million lire to have sex with him and she protests for a while then gives in... then he comes back with another 20 million, then he eets her at the airport with another 20 million and ends up getting to bone hot Barbara three times... but then her husband arrives on a flight and it's revealed that the horny guy was hired by the hubby to deliver 60 million lire to him so ha ha, joke's on you, hot girl! It was funny though. Actually all the stories were funny. Each one was kind of a duet with a hot chick and an Italian comic. Another highlight was The Bodyguard where Marty Feldman (known mostly to me as Igor in Young Frankenstein (the guy with the lazy bugeyes)) is sworn to protect some mob doll. The segment is a tour de force in his massive physical comedy skills. At one point he's coated in concrete and trying to crack his body parts out so he can move, and he goes through this whole routine with carefully molding his fingers into a closed position like he's about to judo chop something, but then he does this minute move and it suddenly becomes him trying to listen by cupping his ear. hilarious. He acheives really super broad comedy with really subtle stuff... quite remarkable (and now that I think of it, Mr. Bean-esque). Really funny but populated wiht ultra-hot women. I love the hot euro women because they actually get naked in their movies. You're sitting there watching and marvelling at how beautiful Barbara Bouchet is and then a few scenes later you get to see her breasts. Awesome stuff. trailers played beforehand (thanks to Lars). QT-owned are noted: BEFORE SEX WITH A SMILE Birds Do It, Bees Do It Chatter-Box Boob Tube Beach Girls (QT) |
| 05.10.07 | The Oldest Profession | Various | One last sex comedy to fill out the bill. This one is an omnibus where different directors handle the history of prostitution, starring with prehistoric times and going up through the ages. Franco Indovina directs the prehistoric one where a woman discovers make-up and gets a guy to give her all his jewelry to sleep with her, Mauro Belognini directs the roman times where Caesar goes to a brothel and finds his wife working there, Philippe de Broca directs the French Revolution one where Jeanne Moreau plays a prostitute duped by a john pretending that the guy who's just been executed outside her window is his aristocratic uncle and he's just come into an inheritance, Michael Pfleghar directs one called The Gay Nineties where Raquel Welch discovers that a john is a Hanover (as in Bank of Hanover) and plays her way into marrying him, Claude Autant-Lara directs the modern-day one where a girl uses an ambulance as her bedroom, and the distinguished director Jean-Luc Godard directs the final sketch called Anticipation, a futuristic sci-fi piece where a guy from another galaxy orders a prostitute and teaches her to kiss. All of them were amusing. I think I liked Godard's the most though just because it was so strange. Maybe Raquel Welch's one was more enjoyable but Godard's was just so... Godardian. But it was short so it worked for me. There's a bit where they feed each other this water from a spray can and each one laps it up as it's being atomized onto their mouth and chin. plus he also shifts color overlays... it's so pretentious it's hilarious in a movie about prostitution. I dunno... just so strange. Really fun and funny movie though. tommorrow night is Redneck Night and I'll probably be missing the first movie but Micah lent e a copy of it so I watched it today! But just for the record, the first movie tomorrow night is Hot Summer in Barefoot County, followed by two other movies that I really want to see. Hopefully, I'll get to! trailers played beforehand (thanks to Lars). QT-owned are noted: BEFORE OLDEST PROFESSION Madam Kitty (QT) Camille 2000 Two Faces Of Love |
| 05.11.07 | Redneck Miller | John Clayton | Tonight's triple feature was regional hillbillies. I guess the night started really really late which worked out for me because I got there around 9:45 and the first film hadn't ended yet. That movie, Hot Summer in Barefoot County, I didn't really care for at all but bet I would've had a better time seeing it with the crowd. It's just really slow and not funny or absurd enough to carry me. So, this paragraph has to be about how nice Karen the manager is. She not only didn't give my seat away by selling a stand-by ticket but she also had an idea where an empty seat was when I got there, double-checked with me after the first movie ended to make sure i got a seat, and did some totally gross dirty work that no one should ever have to do. She's always on her game and persists in being the glue that holds the theater workings together and makes being an Alamo regular such an enjoyable experience. So... that said, I saw Micah on one of the side seats and thought it'd be ok to sit there for the night. The old wooden seats were hard but I found them tolerable. I've never spent a whole movie on the newer side seats, which for those that aren't familiar with them are higher more like barstools with a small layer of vinyl padding on the seat. Well, for whatever reason, I had a total reaction to it that made my ass sweat. It was not cool. Luckily some more seats opened up for the last film so I value this experience as knowledge gained and lesson learned. get there early! But that really should be "the way" though. I'm so glad they whole reserved/assigned seat thing is out. Getting there early and waiting in line is part of the moviegoing experience that never really bugs me. If you're late for the movie, a bad seat is just what you get. it's been that way since the beginning and shouldn't stop now. This isn't opera. wow how bloggy! ok! So Redneck Miller was one of QT's first prints and he saw it 10 years ago and kinda remembers liking it. I think it's because of this that he totally undersold the movie. This is really great, and it's not just because the main dude is pretty badass and is named Miller. He's a DJ so people call him that, or maybe his name is DJ too and it's just a coincidence? whatever. The movie's really really solid. It's pretty funny, it's really really cheap, it's earnest and bursting with authentic regional heart, and it never really drags like a lot of movies with severe limitations end up doing. This dude steals Miller's uniquely painted bike and rips off a drug drop so the dudes who were supposed to get the drugs target Miller instead. The turn comes about after they kind of accost him and force him to meet with the big boss man when Miller tolerates their jive for like 30 seconds then says "to hell with this" and takes their gun and kicks their ass and leaves. The this trio of black drug dealers becoes... comic relief sounds shallow but they are constantly funny. But they still bring a black favor to the movie that I really appreciate. But there's also the music which is great both when its supposed to be (like chase sequences or whatever) and in random cornball cues like whenever Miller signs off or a little slide whistle whenever appropriate. It's so goofy but it worked on me full throttle. I loved every note played. And oh man, Miller's on-air rap is so great. Something about soggy sandwiches and another day of paying your dues... just great stuff. So I wouldn't really call this movie a comedy even though it's funny nor would I say it's a serious drama because there's that tinge of non-professional actorness whenever things get heavy... but it's just a hell of a good time and its own brand of movie that just is what it is. Really great. And for anyone that knows me, it's ok to call me redneck or DJ or just yell MILLER! whenever you see me. I'll respond. Again though, no notebook means no notes means no trailer listing. They were great as usual though so maybe I'm hoping I can coerce Lars into sending me a listing again just to keep things complete, even though these notes are by no means complete on these movies. I already feel like I've forgotten about a hundred great little details... but oh well. moving on. trailers played beforehand (thanks to Lars). QT-owned are noted: Before HOT SUMMER IN BAREFOOT COUNTY Small Town In Texas (QT) Texas Detour (QT) Gator (QT) Truck Stop Women (QT) Ride In A Pink Car (QT) Moonrunners (QT) Before REDNECK MILLER Hillbilly Jamboree (QT) God's Little Acre (QT) Road To Nashville (QT) I Walk The Line (QT) Thunder In Carolina (QT) Fireball 500 (QT) Fast Company (QT) |
| 05.11.07 | In Hot Pursuit | Jim West | The last movie of the night (which started at like 1:30a) has always been referred to me as Polk County Pot Plane. It's kind of an adventure story starring these two dudes named Oosh and Doosh. As QT describes them, they're kinda like 70s versions of the Barbarian brothers but not as smart. Another regional film reeking of Georgia about these two guys helping to smuggle pot... somewhere. It's not really an adventure movie but the plot structure is kinda odd in that you just follow these guys for no reason... so they do a job and they kinda get away with it but then another job comes up and that one doesn't go so well but then stuff happens and another job comes up and so forth, so the last half hour has almost nothing to do with the first half hour and as you watch you get two feelings: 1. I have no idea where this is going. 2. I have no idea when this is ending. And yet some things are telescoped to an extreme. There's a stunt involving a house that's set up for like a half-hour. Like suuuuuper long and it's so obvious that you know immediately, but it kind of goes around the bend (like the chase in Psycho from Texas) from funny to tedious and back to funny. So for some things you know exactly where it's going but in terms of big picture grand scheme type stuff, you're just along for the ride. So I think maybe the thing about this movie that impressed me the most are the stunts. QT talked about this in his intro as well, saying there sure as hell weren't any stunt coordinators or anything like that so that they did these stunts at all is just huge. And that kind of psychotic lack of fear or planning or common sense shows in most of the stunts. Like, it's incredibly clear that the scene with the guys hanging from the helicopter was just those guys hanging onto the helicopter. One guy's like yeah! and gives a thumbs up while he's hanging like 70 feet above the city. All the car stuff was great because it's also pretty clear that they didn't have any back up vehicles... so the continuity's great because all that stuff was just went-out-and-done... I think the biggest "whoa" moment was when this prop plane (like the biggest plane ever for smuggling weed btw) has to land in this cut-out runway and shears the tops of the trees off. that's crazy! those guys were crazy! That's damned entertaining! So... you know, this one had a few slow spots. I won't say i liked it as much as Redneck Miller, but I did enjoy myself quite a bit. I thought it was good and the highs definitely outweighed the lows. I'm sure there are tons of things I'm forgetting to mention but hopefully I'll see it again someday and get another chance to go on about it. trailers played beforehand (thanks to Lars). QT-owned are noted: Before IN HOT PURSUIT McCullochs (QT) Outlaw Blues (QT) Moving Violations (QT) Black Oak Conspiracy (QT) Convoy (QT) High Ballin' (QT) Breaker Breaker (QT) Road Games (QT) 09/24/07 UPDATE!!!: The best unforseen byproduct of starting this site is occasionally having the right person type in the right google search terms and find their way here. After posting this I got a few short comments from folks somehow related to this film and that was a real thrill but when I got home tonight (this is during Fantastic Fest 2007), I had this waiting for me in my inbox: You have no idea how much fun it was making that movie. There are many things you got wrong in the review. First, I was a State Rep. for 72 District of Clayton County Georgia, not Polk County. I was Flying Governor Busby over that mt. in my Helicopter where the plane was sitting. That was the first time I saw that plane. It was surrounded by ATF and FBI etc... We landed and were met at gunpoint until they all knew who we were. I told the Governor I was going to buy that plane. I bought the mountain, the plane, and the rights to the story that was told to me by one of the felons and the pilot. No one else had any money invested except me. No one in the house but myself and on my own time had anything to do with the movie. The actors are friends and family and people who wanted to be a part of the movie. The only part of the movie that was filmed in Polk County was around the plane and when it flew off the Mt... The rest of the movie was filmed in Jonesboro Georgia, and in my house and back yard. I guess what I am trying to say is the best part of the movie was the making of the movie. The movie did appear on the big Screen many times. I am not sure how the movie made it to your screen, but I am honored, no matter what you may think of it. I wrote it all the way down to the last line, I furnished the cars, Helicopter, plane, the Truck that Plowed thru the House, I furnished the house as well. I found the actors (as they may be) the jail scene was really in the Jonesboro Ga. jail, the jail men were real. All of the movie equipment was purchased, I still have it as a matter of fact. I directed it, and even was in the movie. Every penny came from my pocket. As I have always told people that thought it a bad movie, "You make one by yourself, and let's see how it turns out"! This is one you need to know the behind the scenes story that really would make you laugh. Respectfully Yours, Jim West PS The plane was real, the idea was based on a true story, yes, that plane really did fly in pot, but in real life, it did not get away. I flew it to Fla after that scean and sold it. I wish I had kept it. Crazy!! With many of these old movies that the Alamo shows during Weird Wednesday or part of QTfest, I wonder what the story and circumstances were back then to create such an... interesting film. Well in this case, now I know! So, my apologies to Mr. West for the inaccuracies in my first review and a big big thanks to him for writing to talk about making it! It sure sounds like a hell of a good time and I really think that carried over to the film because as I think back to seeing this months and months ago, I remember really liking its homegrown humor (even if it is unintentional every once in a while) and crazy-ass stunts. Aint it cool? Oops, I guess I can't say that. Hmm.... Isn't that awesome!? |
| 05.13.07 | The Swinging Pussycats | Alexis Neve | So I took my parents to Chuy's and fed them till they passed out and managed to make it back downtown in time to catch the last half hour or so of tonight's first movie in the Swinging triple feature: The Swinging Barmaids. This played before in the midst of an all-night exploitation marathon during QT2 under the alternate title Eager Beavers (Bucktown, Gates of Hell, Swinging Barmaids, Police Women, Wonder Women, Ghetto Freaks, and Girl on a Chain Gang). I guess in his intro QT mentioned that the killer in this was only in a few movies but I wasn't there so I don't know if he remembered playing Bucktown (where he plays a bagman) that same night or not. Anyway, from what I saw it really wasn't a sexploity movie at all but more of a serial killer picture that just happens to have some women working at a bar. When I came in there was a pretty groovy fight scene going on in a pool and it was pretty good from then on but afterward a few people told me I saw all the best parts. By far, the biggest line of the night and probably the whole festival happens in this movie where a group of them are talking about the killer and the killer is in the group because of course he's one of the circly of friends and one of the girls says the killer must have a "crazy calculating faggot mind," then it cuts to him looking upset and later he makes sure to say "faggot" a couple more times like it just burns him so much... like "then we'll catch the faggot." He also makes several asides like "well whoever the killer is, he sure is smart." and "if I were the killer, I'd be running for the boondocks right now," and seems to take personal offence at anyone who has anything bad to say about this guy who's killing off his friends. I love the idea of a serial killer only killing people who don't think he's cool. so like if someone said "man that killer's so groovy" they'd get crossed off the to-kill list. So overall I'm sad that I had to miss the intro and first batch of trailers but happy that I saw what I saw and that what I saw was good. So next up is Swinging Pussycats, which Tim got up to say he was hesitant about since it was German and he's not the hugest fan of lederhosen films. QT loves it though and says the beginning is great but he loves the whole thing and the main girl is quite cute. Well, the beginning was pretty cool. It starts with the main girl in white lace undies talking to the camera in a weirdly-translated monologue about what to expect with the movie and then she says are you ready or something like that and the screen goes black and she counts down for the movie to start. Except she starts from 20 so it goes on for a while. And there was a scratch that seemed to move back and forth about every second or so to almost correspond with the numbers she's counting down. She is quite cute. Other than that, the movie was pretty rough. Lots of talking about meaningless stuff... some butler who's old... almost no nudity or sex on screen at all... did I mention the talking? and that's about all that happens until it ends, which took a while. I can't really remember any specific parts because it was all the same... women talking about how they like sex or something and something to do with the water... then there's a little plot about some Italian guy trying to get money out of marrying someone or something? I really can't remember. Funny how I have no problem recalling the feeling of extreme boredom though... oh well. trailers played beforehand (thanks to Lars). QT-owned are noted: BEFORE SWINGING BARMAIDS Ginger(QT) Police Women (QT) Night Call Nurses (QT) Private Duty Nurses (QT) BEFORE SWINGING PUSSYCATS Dagmars Hot Pants (QT) Helga Candy (QT) Teenage Tramp (QT) |
| 05.13.07 | The Swinging Cheerleaders | Jack Hill | so the night, the mini-fest, and Quentin's programming at the original downtown Alamo ends with Jack Hill's Swinging Cheerleaders. I'd never seen this before, and am actually pretty lacking in my Jack Hill quota, but of course I'd heard it was good so I was confident that I'd overcome the fatigue that the last movie unleashed and end the weekend on a good note. QT gets up and talks about how great Jack Hill's dialogue is and that he sometimes builds the rythms up then says the exact wrong thing, like he's on the beat then off the beat then back on again. Having only seen a couple Hill films, I had no idea what he was talking about and didn't notice anything of the sort while watching this. But oh well. QT ended his intro by saying he'd be back at the Ritz at some point then great trailers played (again, no notes... so just trust me or maybe I can get them from Lars) and the movie started. It's good. Not as funny as I expected... more like a straight drama. Like a prime example of an exploitation movie that's actually a good movie and not just a joke. I do have to say that I wasn't watching it loving every second, but the overriding word in my head is "good." It's just good. Nothing to complain about... not dissapointing at all, but not something I feel a need to yell to the heavens about or talk to friends trading quotes with either. I guess that means I'm not sure what I have to say about it other than I thought it was good. seriously inferior notes this weekend. It deserved more time and attention to detail but unfortunately I was doing other things during that time so it came out this way. Trust me when I say it was a fun weekend though, filled somewhat with the flavor of a QTfest but also kinda casual and not a big deal. I think a lot of that was timing, a lot was how quickly it popped up on the radar, and other factors as well. Standing in the lobby afterward I was actually pretty bummed out. the "Last..." procession has now started. It's actually happening. This place will soon be gone forever. Sigh. trailers played beforehand (thanks to Lars). QT-owned are noted: BEFORE SWINGING CHEERLEADERS Pom Pom Girls The Teacher (QT) Pretty Maids All In A Row (QT) Cheerleader Beach Party (QT) |
