Reviews
What's So Bad About Feeling Good? (1968)
Silly but fun
This movie was very silly but fun and actually a little thought-provoking. Mary Tyler Moore and George Peppard play two hippies who live with several of their friends in a dingy New York apartment. Their only goal in life is to "tune in and drop out" of mainstream society. After a toucan carrying a "happy virus" infects them, however, they "clean up" their acts, and begin to dress and act like your typical 60's establishment types. Moore and Peppard begin to think about marriage and children. The virus spreads all over New York City and people begin to be nice to one another. This alarms the makers of such products as alcohol, tobacco and gambling since demand for these begins to plummet! I always liked the scenes where rude New Yorkers begin to treat each other with respect and kindness, and the "hippy pad" was intriguing to me as a little kid. It wasn't just the silliness of the movie, though, that I liked. It actually made me think about how just waving a wand and making everyone happy would have a lot of unintended consequences. It was an early introduction for me to the economic concept of opportunity costs.
The Omega Man (1971)
Disappointment....
It's amazing how a person's memory of a film can be severely jarred by watching it again 20 years later. Growing up in the late 60's and early 70's, I used to watch this film every year when it re-ran on TV. I loved it then and lamented for years the fact that it was no longer shown. As many know, this changed last year and now I see it showing up in the guide every few months on AMC(!) It still had the elements I found so unsettling as a teen but it was so dated in almost every respect that I ended up laughing at it more than anything else. Which begs the question, how do you know a movie is, if not a classic, at least worth preserving and keeping "in touch with" over the years? My own feeling on this is simple- a truly good movie, a classic, may have elements that "date" it, but that never interferes with your enjoyment of it. An example of an 80's flick I can see over and over again and still enjoy is "The Four Seasons" with Alan Alda. Another 80's film that does not hold up nearly as well is "The Big Chill."
A Boy and His Dog (1975)
Some middle ground?
I just read over the previous comments about this movie and it is pretty humorous how it seems to provoke strong emotions on both ends of the spectrum! Yes, it's a cheesy flick with bad production values and lame acting, and yes, it has a quality that makes it stick in my mind all these years later. I made my boyfriend watch it a few months ago with me and it armed him with a lot of ammunition with which to taunt me on my taste in movies (he prefers FILMS- LOL.) I felt sheepish and irritated at the same time. Maybe I should accept my enjoyment of the movie as a guilty pleasure and leave it at that. I kept an eye out for a copy to watch for years after seeing it in my teens. I couldn't really recall much of the film but a few things really stuck in my memory: the scary idea that women would be pretty vulnerable in an apocalyptic future, and those scenes underground with the pancake makeup on the citizens of Topeka and the ubiquitous voice on the PA system giving out recipes and tips for good living... it gave me chills back then and it still does, I'm a little embarrassed to admit :) So there.
The World of Henry Orient (1964)
The agony of a teenage crush!
This is not a great movie, by any means, and in fact was outdone by "The Trouble With Angels" three years later, but it's still enjoyable. Most women (I can't speak for men) remember having some kind of crush on an "older man"- mine was on my high school psychology teacher. In this movie, the crush is very innocent and completely unreciprocated by Peter Sellers (hilarious as a self-involved ladies man.) Actually, the film is an odd mix of innocence and cynicism, a familiar theme in many early 60's films. Gone is the naivete of the 50's- Valerie's mother is a cold selfish woman who cheats on Tom Bosley and Valerie's best friend lives alone with her divorced mother and a friend- but the idea that two young girls following a grown man around New York City might lead to disaster is not even hinted at in the film. I enjoy watching it from time to time and getting nostalgic for a sweet, innocent time that never actually existed! And I always tear up at the end - probably a fantasy of every "daddy's girl" who ever lived!
Blackadder the Third (1987)
Funniest comedy ever made
For people who don't like "Bean" it is difficult to imagine Rowan Atkinson as Blackadder, but I sometimes feel I am on a mission to get those people to watch this series. I simply don't think there has ever been a comedy series with more hilarious dialogue. I own copies of Blackadder III, parts 1 and 2. Even now, years later, I still put them in the VCR and laugh out loud at certain scenes. I can't recommend this show enough! I am interested in finding more episodes from the third season.
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973)
Incredibly scary.
I just joined the IMDb and I was so excited to see that other people remember this movie! I used to watch it every year when the 4:00 Channel 7 Movie re-ran it. I still think of those whispering voices coming from the corners of the room, and that scene at the end when Kim Darby is in bed and sees them out of the corner of her eye-shivers even now!! I would love to know how to buy a copy of the video if there is one.
The People (1972)
Silly but haunting in a weird way.
Okay, I admit, this is a pretty lame movie, and yet I still remember it and even bought the video several years ago for about $5. I made my boyfriend watch it with me and he laughed through the whole thing. I was offended! (Not really) The thing that always got me about this movie was the haunting quality of the people and their community. The music when the kids are floating in the glen, the pictures they draw of their home world. It just worked for me, but then I'm a sci-fi and fantasy nut, while my b/f is a business and computer guy!
The Trouble with Angels (1966)
One of my favorites
This is one of those movies I have seen about 50 times over the years (I taped it several years ago) I have always liked both Hayley Mills and Rosalind Russell. In this movie they present a harmless, idealized, benign Catholicism that reminds me of my relatives and their memories of Catholic school in the 50's. It seems people from that era either romanticize or demonize parochial school. This movie also does a nice job of showing the importance of same-sex bonding in the teen years. It is both hilarious and touching, with lots of nice moments between Mills and Russell.