Category Archives: Independent

The Gore, Gore Girls-1972

The Gore, Gore Girls-1972

Director H.G. Lewis

Starring Frank Kress, Amy Farrell

Scott’s Review #12

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Reviewed May 14, 2014

Grade: B+

The Gore Gore Girls (1972) is a fun, late-night, campy horror film by the “Godfather of Gore”, H.G. Lewis.

An unknown assailant is hacking strippers to bits using very unusual methods. An investigator is hired to find out whodunit.

It’s an entertaining experience, and I love the way the whodunit is mixed with horror. I enjoyed the reveal of the killer.

Influenced by John Waters (even the music seems identical!), it’s a hearty viewing of wildness, merriment, and debauchery.

Comedian Henny Youngman appears, though he later denied being in the film.

The strippers are over-the-top and unique, and the investigator (sort of a Sherlock Holmes type) is wonderful to watch.

Quite a low budget, with the audio tough to hear at times and the video fuzzy, but this only enhances the fun.

Continuity errors for miles, but it hardly matters.

Girly-1970

Girly-1970

Director Freddie Francis

Starring Vanessa Howard, Michael Bryant

Scott’s Review #11

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Reviewed June 14, 2014

Grade: B-

Girly (1970) is an unusual British horror film about an affluent, clearly deranged family who kidnaps victims and forces them to become “members” of the family by participating in game-playing escapades for their delight.

The premise of the film is appealing and intriguing, and it’s unclear how it will play out. The family members (Mumsy, Nanny, Girly, and Sonny) are played with gusto by the cast but are never over the top.

My favorite is “Mumsy”, wickedly played by British actress Ursula Howells.

The film itself has a fairy-tale quality, with the sets of the house they share. The primary victim (a male gigolo) is a miscast (too old, not sexy enough). It begins a cat-and-mouse game of trickery, plotting the family against one another until the inevitable bodies pile up.

The film loses steam midway through, and its ending is unsatisfying.

Why are the victims not able to escape the vast property, which is weak (a 7-foot-tall flimsy fence??)?

“Curious” film that becomes a tad boring towards the conclusion.

All is Lost-2013

All is Lost-2013

Director J.C. Chandor

Starring Robert Redford

Scott’s Review #4

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Reviewed June 16, 2014

Grade: D

The accolades heaped on All is Lost from 2013 escape me.

Some felt that this was Robert Redford’s late-in-life masterpiece. I’ve never found him to be a great talent as an actor, and while not horrible in this film, it is not the Oscar-worthy performance being bandied about.

Many actors would play this role better- Tom Hanks and Sean Penn come to mind.

Beyond the performance, facets of the film remain unexplained. How did he become shipwrecked? Why did ships pass by not noticing him? Who is he?

Much of the movie drags and a feeling of having seen this film many times before kept gnawing at me. I do give the film credit for containing only one cast member.

But castaway and shipwreck movies have been around since the beginning. They all have the standard plot developments- broken equipment, sharks, and storms, which makes it quite contrived.

Fail.

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Feature, Best Director-J.C. Chandor, Best Male Lead-Robert Redford, Best Cinematography