Out, 1982, Eli Hollander (dir.), Peter Coyote, O-Lan Jones, Jim Haynie, Scott Beach, Danny Glover, Grandfather Semu Haute. Title “Deadly Drifter†appears before title sequence. 1:23.
What’s this movie about? It’s about 83 minutes: An old joke, but the most applicable one in this case. After a bewildering viewing experience, a bit less so because the “experimental†nature of the film became fairly obvious, a visit to IMDB was a bit helpful. This is probably misplaced in the megapack: It’s certainly not a standard “TV movie†(particularly not with certain key language early on that isn’t acceptable on network TV, but perfectly appropriate to the flick). It’s an indie—a little indie: IMDB says the total budget was $25,000, including blowup to 35mm, and that most actors worked for free. Great cast, pretty much incomprehensible plot, having something to do with underground conspiracies and ESP. I think. “Deadly Drifter†was apparently added by a distributor; the director hates it, as it’s misleading. The jacket blurb calls this a comedy, but that doesn’t work either (particularly with at least one implied murder). Read the outraged rave reviews at Amazon: Maybe you have to have eyes to hear and ears to see what this picture’s really about. Or, to put it in a timely fashion: Far out, man. $0.75.
Good Against Evil, 1977, color, Paul Wendkos (dir.), Dack Rambo, Elyssa Davalos, Richard Lynch, Dan O’Herlihy, Kim Cattrall. 1:24.
Start: A mother gives birth and is somehow frightened into falling down stairs and dying. A shadowy figure notes that the baby is Theirs. Next: Baby all grown up, independent young woman, meets guy, they fall in love…but, oops, she’s supposed to marry Satan. Things get really confusing—and she winds up disappearing, while the guy finds another Satan-bound child and a priest exorcises that one, sound effects and all. Meanwhile, the woman’s gone, and the sometimes-interesting movie trails off in a cloud of talk. Why? It was a pilot for a TV series, presumably chasing the woman and her evil captors. Fortunately, the series never got made. Decent cast, mediocre acting, no ending. Arrggh… $0.75.
Congratulations, It’s a Boy, 1971, color, William A. Graham (dir.), Bill Bixby, Diane Baker, Karen Jensen, Jack Albertson, Ann Sothern, Darrell Larson, Tom Bosley. 1:13.
Bill Bixby as swingin’ bachelor as they were supposed to be in the early ‘70s—until a young man turns up who he fathered in a one-night stand. Various melodramatic hijinks ensue. But look at the cast: This crew wouldn’t make a really bad movie, and it’s mostly pleasant enough fluff. $1.00.
Snowbeast, 1977, color, Herb Wallerstein (dir.), Bo Svenson, Yvette Mimieux, Robert Logan, Clint Walker, Sylvia Sidney. 1:26.
Set in a ski resort town (Sylvia Sidney as the matriarch of the principal resort) starting the annual festival that keeps things working—when a young woman disappears and the matriarch’s son (and manager of the resort) finds a bloody jacket. As the plot progresses, it’s clear that there’s a “snowbeast†on the loose—maybe not a Sasquatch, because everyone knows they’re all gentle creatures, and this one’s a semi-intelligent killer. Great scenery, lots of ski and snow scenes, and the picture’s better than it has any right to be. $1.25, mostly for the scenery.
But wait, there’s more! If any of you have been following this series of posts, you may notice that–unlike all the other megapack reviews–every single disc in this collection has had exactly four movies. Not one of them has squeezed in an extra short flick.
So how do they get to call it “50-Movie All Stars Collection”? Simple. This time, there’s a 13th disc in the twelve-disc pack, one-sided, with the last two movies. The first of which is universally beloved by American football fans of a certain age; extra credit to whoever names the TV movie before I post the reviews toward the end of next week!
Oops: The movie I was thinking of–which actually has nothing at all to do with football, but will always be associated with football–isn’t the movie I’m watching. The one I’m thinking of had a one-word title and dates from 1968. The one I’m watching adds “The new adventures of” and dates from 1978. Never mind.
Would that be Brian’s Song? Ah, to be a Canadian & American football fan of a certain age…
John, Excellent answer–but wrong in this case. A trick question: I meant \”universally beloved\” in the sense of \”universally loathed.\”
Not that Brian\’s Song wouldn\’t make an excellent addition–but I wouldn\’t be surprised if the makers of the 2001 version have made sure that the 1971 version isn\’t available for cheap licensing.
In any case, I should clarify the question: The film doesn\’t actually have anything to do with football, but there\’s a distinct association.
Oops: This is what happens when you post something after the trick-or-treaters have finished their rounds (I cheated on the time; the post was actually finished at 9:45 last night). As noted in the post, not only is it a trick question, the 1978 TV movie I\’m actually watching-while-walking is not the 1968 TV movie that isn\’t about football but will always be associated with football. Never mind.
I’m glad a computer glitch kept me from posting Brian’s Song earlier this morning before you updated the post.
So, at a brief moment of downtime (well, actually a brief moment while only firefox worked) I decided to use your clue of 1968, remembered by football fans, and 1978 as a sequel to tell you what the movie could be.
Heidi.
As bizarre as it sounds.
Right?
Jon: Right you are. I’d send you our leftover Halloween candy, but there wasn’t any. (Left over, that is: I don’t know where all these “kids” came from, but we wound up turning off the porch light by 8:15, well after the last kids with single-digit ages had shown up. After assuming we’d over-purchased.)
Heidi it is (was).
Too bad the question’s sort-of meaningless.
For those who weren’t around at the time (or, like me, really weren’t football fans–I picked it up in the newspaper next day), the story’s told at the IMDB entry for Heidi. The 1968 TV-movie, that is.
As for The New Adventures of Heidi…the first 25 minutes are pretty saccharine (and I’m one of those who loves romantic comedies and the like). I’m hoping it will improve, but not counting on it.