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Gyrofrog
Reviews
Beginning Responsibility: Lunchroom Manners (1959)
Mr. Bungle!
As seen on the original "Pee-Wee Herman Show" (which predates the more well-known "Pee-Wee's Playhouse"). Typical 16mm film for classroom use, teaching good manners and hygiene. Most notable for using the name "Mister Bungle" to identify transgressors. I remember having to watch films like this (especially on rainy days) 20 to 25 years ago, and even back these were old!
Plutonium Circus (1994)
I never laughed so hard
I remember watching this film when it first came out in 1995. In spite of the serious subject matter, the film has many hilarious moments. I was laughing to the point of tears and had never laughed so much in my life!
Stanley Marsh 3 (of Cadillac Ranch fame) sort of steals the show, along with another wealthy Amarillian(?) whose name escapes me (the latter was actually the funniest person in the film, I thought).
The film does discuss what could potentially happen with all that weapon-grade plutonium sitting in bunkers. I suppose Stanley Marsh 3's antics are not so out-of-place, when one considers how to cope with all that stuff sitting almost underneath a fair-sized city.
I guess the film never made it onto commercially-available video, which is too bad. I never heard any more about it after its initial run at the Dobie Theater here in Austin TX. I vaguely remember hearing about Stanley Marsh 3's shenanigans landing him in trouble, and the film's release was tied up in the process.
The Store (1983)
Entertaining documentary about everyone's favorite overpriced dept. store
I saw this for a film class way back in 1990. This is a fun documentary about the famous Neiman-Marcus department store in Dallas, TX. Among the memorable moments: Stanley Marcus sings "My Way," and a Park Cities-type matron tries on a hopelessly dated, metallic formal gown in a private fitting room.
The Cutting Edge (1983)
A sorely missed music program
Back in the '80s, I always looked forward to the last Sunday of each month, when M-TV would air "The Cutting Edge." IRS Records produced the program, which certainly had its share of IRS recording artists. But the show is like a "Who's Who" of the music that had been known as new wave and would later be called alternative. Jonathan Richman, X, and The Smithereens were but a few of the bands who performed on the show. Iggy Pop, Susanne Vega, and Tom Waits were interviewees. Harry Shearer, Lydia Lunch, Henry Rollins, and Merle Kessler's "Ian Shoales" character all did comedy/spoken word pieces. And host Peter Zaremba would sometimes work a theme into the various episodes, such as dressing up as a mad scientist or conducting man-on-the-street interviews about how to combat boredom.
In between all of this were a few music videos by new wave/alternative/slightly off-beat artists. In 1986, M-TV began to feature similar videos on "120 Minutes" every Sunday. I suppose this might have overshadowed "The Cutting Edge" and contributed to its demise (as all that was required for "120 Minutes" was the video dee-jay to introduce the videos, pretty much the same M.O. as the rest of M-TV).
Space Is the Place (1974)
Part science fiction, part music documentary
I can't help but think that Vxf111 is either joking, or (unfortunately) did not know who Sun Ra was before viewing the film. Yes, the film was certainly produced with a low budget, and it might not be of much interest to those who aren't fans of, or at least interested in, Sun Ra.
Sun Ra maintained that he was from Saturn, although historical documents note that he was born Herman Blount (or Poole) in Birmingham, AL. Sun Ra was a first-rate pianist, arranger, and composer, and worked with Fletcher Henderson's orchestra. He formed his own big band, the Arkestra, during the 1950s in Chicago. This ensemble was completely unlike any other big band, as it incorporated elements of Egyptian mythology, science fiction, and other exotica and esoterica (those familiar with Earth, Wind, and Fire and Parliament-Funkadelic should take note). Sun Ra was also an early proponent of electronic instruments in jazz.
The film "Space Is The Place" is part science fiction and part musical documentary. A comparison could also be made to the "blaxploitation" films of the 1970s. The story centers around Sun Ra's return to Earth after an extended absence, and focuses on his concern for the fate of humanity and African-Americans in particular. All of this is infused with his mythological outlook. This certainly makes Sun Ra an "interesting character" but he was very serious about what he did and what he said. If any of this makes you the least bit curious about Sun Ra then I would recommend the film, which is available on videocassette.
Conviene far bene l'amore (1975)
Worth staying awake for.
I thought this was a pretty good film, although I was 13 years old when I saw it. So chalk it up to gushing hormones. This was the type of movie, along with "Black Emanuelle," etc. that would appear on Showtime at about 2 A.M.
"The Sex Machine" is an Italian sex comedy. The film taks place during an energy crisis; all the oil and electricity are gone. A scientist invents some kind of transducer which converts orgasms into electricity, thus providing a new source of energy.
I remember that I really enjoyed watching the nurse character.
Worth staying awake for, if it ever comes on again!