Hi there and welcome to June! Let’s get this month started off on a good note with another edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse and Exploitation Film Trailers!
1) 2019: After The Fall of New York (1985)
Let’s start things out on a happy note with … the end of the entire freakin’ world. Apparently, this film came at out the same time as a film called 2020: Texas Gladiators. I guess what that all means is that we’ve got about 7 years until everyone starts dressing like they live in Vermont…
2) Looker (1981)
“I waaaaaaaaaant it…” Next time somebody asks me a question at work, I’m going to reply with, “I’m the perfect female type…” just to see what type of reaction I get. (Actually, it better a positive reaction or else I’ll start crying…)
3) Funeral Home (1980)
This is actually a pretty effective trailer. I think it’s atmospheric and creepy and, if nothing else, you won’t forget the title of the film.
4) Three The Hard Way (1974)
Though the trailer doesn’t mention it, the villain in Three The Hard Way is played by Jay Robinson who, two decades before, played Caligula in The Robe.
5) Savage! (1973)
I like this trailer because it rhymes. “Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee’s SAAAAAAAVAGE!”
6) Dragons Die Hard (1974)
Since we opened with a short trailer, why not close with an even shorter one? As I type this, I’m watching an old movie from the 70s called Aaron Loves Angela. There’s a scene where two characters are walking down 42nd street and they pass a grindhouse theater that has two films listed on the marquee — Three The Hard Way and Dragons Die Hard. Since I had already included Three The Hard Way in this post, I decided that this is the Grindhouse God’s way of telling me to close with Dragons Die Hard. Though this trailer is short, be sure to listen to it carefully and, after you’ve watched the whole thing, ask yourself what this film is rated.
I’m the proud owner of a “Looker” DVD. It’s really a great film. If you’re into 1970s/1980s science-fiction, I say that it’s a must-see. It has more than a hint of “The Stepford Wives” about it, a pinch of “Network”, and it’s written and directed by Michael Crichton, the man behind “Westworld” (very high up on my list of favourite films) and “Coma”.
A rather imaginative techno-paranoia flick, augmented by a brilliant eletronic score from Barry DeVorzon, “Looker” is also an effective satire of the Madison Avenue mentality that encourages people to take absurd measures in the pursuit of bodily perfection. It also has fun with the ridiculously obsessive way that women scrutinise themselves–note the part in the trailer where Terri Welles takes her negative self-appraisal of her facial features down to the millimetre–and the film is fully aware that it’s often the women with the most sought-after brand of physical beauty who feel the most insecure.
Speaking of Ms Welles, I’ve long admired her appearance, and it was a pleasant surprise to see her in this film. There is also a very quick glimpse in the trailer of the one-time Playmate of the Year without her make-up–absolutely stunning. It was no surprise to me that Ms Welles would look even more attractive minus her lipstick, foundation and eyeshadow. Natural beauty–that’s something that’s highly undervalued, and never more has it been the case as today, little more than 30 years since “Looker” first hit theatres. This film received general poor reviews from the mainstream press. Perhaps now is the time for those same critics to watch “Looker” again and appreciate it not only for its entertainment value, but also for its prophetic qualities. It’s certainly a very memorable film, for all the right reasons.
Lisa Marie, if you were to tell someone “I’m the perfect female type”, I suspect that the person would simply nod in humble agreement. There would be no disputing that fact.