Successive Slidings Of Pleasure - 1974 - France

Successive Slidings Of Pleasure - 1974 - 6/10 
AKA - Glissements Progressifs du Plaisir

 
Alice may have murdered her roommate, Nora.
She confessed she did.  Or was she imagining it?  Or fabricating?
Awaiting the reenactment, she is held in the convent prison with nuns as wardens.

 
Slow pace (typical of this director), steeped in French Catholicism.
Nudity aplenty, along with body paint and sharp instruments.
Extraordinary cast for this contorted arthouse from Robbe-Grillet
Anicée Alvina eerily evokes depraved innocence. 

Axe - 1974 - USA

Axe - 1974 - 5/10
AKA - Lisa, Lisa

After a bloody whack job, three criminals hide out in rural North Carolina.
The house seems deserted, yet within are a strange teenage girl and her paralyzed grandfather.
Our criminals aren’t the most observant, as the house is fairly empty, and there is blood.
The girl, Lisa, well, she’s a female, isn’t she?
And men have needs, even criminals. Like I said, none are exactly observant.
Lisa drifts around, eyes glazed like a somnambulist, drawn to the household axe.

Lady Snowblood: Love Song Of Vengeance - 1974 - Japan

Lady Snowblood: Love Song Of Vengeance - 1974 - 6/10
AKA - Shurayuki-hime; Urami Renka // 修羅雪姫 怨み恋歌

 
Continuation to Lady Snowblood (1973).
Yuki, arrested, sentenced to death, is approached by the Secret Police.
The offer: Infiltrate a subversive group, report, and receive amnesty.
Set later than the first installment, Japan is heading into militarism.
Right-wrong, heroes-villains, are murkier this outing.
Politics distract from the narrative, and this feels unfinished, as if there should have been a part three.

Centerfold Girls - 1974 - USA

Centerfold Girls - 1974 - 5/10

 
Our lad here has a problem with nudity.  Female nudity.
The kind one finds inside magazines, the kind of magazines men like.
He starts targeting centerfold girls, going month by month.
The only characters dumber than the cops here (pattern, clues?) are the victims.
#1, despite knowing she has a stalker, parks her convertible all day with the top down.
She picks up a tramp, then with intruders in the house, sleeps nude.
#2, occurs on an island during an adult photo shoot with plenty of meals – er, models.
#3, in her Firebird muscle car cannot escape a junky Falcon station wagon.
Fragrant mid-70’s throughout, this is the SoCal I staggered across, so fondly enjoyed.

Shoot First, Die Later - 1974 - Italy

Shoot First, Die Later - 1974 - 6/10
AKA - Il Poliziotto è Marcio

 
Yes, they are celebrated heroes.  Stopped a heist, chased down the wheelman.
They are also on the take.
Domenico has an expensive girlfriend, Garrito likes fast cars.  Porsches.
When their crime lords want a case closed, a file retrieved, Domenico drags his feet.
The wheels of villainy are impatient, however, their methods cruel and obvious.
Italian Poliziotteschi opens in a fury, simmers down as the later conflict builds.
This one is fairly sadistic.  Caveat emptor.

The Girl On The Late, Late Show - 1974 - USA

The Girl On The Late, Late Show - 1974 - 6/10

 
So whatever happened to Carolyn Parker?
Big star a few decades earlier, now disappeared.
So wonders the producer of a New York morning show, who flies out to Los Angeles.
Mixed concoction of Noir, TV formula and laziness.
The premise is solid, but the plotting, the writing, lacks edge.
Stars in cameos include Van Johnson, Walter Pidgeon, Yvonne De Carlo.
Noir heavyweights John Ireland and Gloria Graham are given mere moments.
While a failed attempt, this is worth tracking down by Noir fans.

Abigail Leslie Is Back In Town - 1974 - USA

Abigail Leslie Is Back In Town - 1974 - 5/10

 
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Abigail is back in backwater fishing village, Baypoint.
If she had a wanton reputation before, now she’s raunchy with a mission.
Boink and dive all her friends, frenemies, boyfriends, girlfriends, whoever and whenever.
Softcore exploitation (look hard and specifics are soft) has an awful lot of walking and talking.
Sad to say, this is Dullsville.
Attractive cast includes Sonny Landham, who would regret these choices when he ran for governor.

Street Law - 1974 - Italy

Street Law - 1974 - 6/10
AKA - Il Cittadino si Ribella

 
Wrong place, wrong time.  Carlo is in a bank during an armed holdup.
He tires to retain his own money, but is kidnapped and beaten for interfering.
Manly pride wounded, he vows revenge.  Murder.
Trying to infiltrate the Underworld gives him nothing but more danger.
Euro-Crime is bookended with adrenaline and violence.
Mid-section more leisurely as Carlo plans, fails, inches closer to retribution.
Franco Nero connects as the highly strung vigilante, Barbara Bach underutilized.

The Night Porter - 1974 - Italy

The Night Porter - 1974 - 6/10  
AKA - Il Portiere di Notte

 
Ex SS officer Max has been incognito, working in the Vienna hotel.
Until camp victim / lover Lucia stumbles across him.
They renew their “relationship”, best described as toxic and obsessive.
Less taboo today (especially as nations nudge toward fascism again) this still provokes.
The SS imagery, the dangers to themselves and other hiding Nazis, songs, attire.
Tone gradually gets saturated in claustrophobia and paranoia.
Enjoyment / appreciation might hinge on how ruinous were your sexual relationships.

Sorceress - 1974 - USA

Sorceress - 1974 - 3/10

 
A couple decide to fleece his poker friends.
She pretends to be a fortune teller, then helps the men enact fantasies.
After filming various stuff-the-muffin encounters, extortion time.
Andrea (♪ More, More, More ♪) True rassles in one section. Sonny Landham another.
Dreary, boring, with nary a whiff of magic.

Regan - 1974 - UK

Regan - 1974 - 6/10

 
An undercover cop is in the wrong place, wrong time.
Local pub, hangout of a rough gang.  Unfortunately, he is tagged as a copper.
After his murder, DI Regan of the Flying Squad starts investigating.
On his own – almost – since the various branches are being reorganized for better efficiency.
Almost, as he brings in an ex-colleague, Carter, to help suss out South London.
Decent procedural, convoluted plot with an intelligent narrative.
A year later, the duo would be rebooted into The Sweeney, a violent cop series.
“Get yer trousers on, you're nicked.”

Candy Stripe Nurses - 1974 - USA

Candy Stripe Nurses - 1974 - 5/10

 
“Oh, you mean the Sex Clinic.  To your left.”
The girls are not nurses, they are volunteers who seem to specialize in pleasing select patients.
One deals with a college jock taking amphetamines.
One tries to bag a has-been rock star.
The third plays a dangerous game of detective, trying to clear a patient’s name.
Roger Corman production exposes lots of skin, and adds plots akin to TV of the day.
This ain’t much, although the ladies are attractive.
Interesting moment during the basketball game when I recognized the Matadors.
My, God, my alma mater, I realized.  Odd moment.

Truck Turner - 1974 - USA

Truck Turner - 1974 - 6/10

 
♫ There's some dudes in a bar, with busted heads and broken jaws ♪
Yeah, and who did it?  Truck Turner, fool!
Isaac Hayes is a lotta fun in this roaring Blaxploitation fest.
He and his buddy are skip tracers, bounty hunters.
After an especially deadly track, the pimp daddy union puts out the hit.
Violent film, punctuated with car chases and shootouts (nary a cop in sight).
A hospital sequence might seem to inform Hard Boiled decades later.
Funny throughout, as well, especially head pimpette Dorinda, a potty mouthed Nichelle Nicols.

The Groove Tube - 1974 - USA

The Groove Tube - 1974 - 5/10

 
Hit and miss sketch comedy, with far more swishes than hits.
An opening spoof of 2001 is funny, but quality varies thereafter.
Many of the skits are of TV commercials, products now lost to history and almost meaningless.
Some of the players appear in brownface and in blackface.
2 stars if you can guess what a story on planet Uranus will focus on.
Early roles for Chevy Chase and Richard Belzer.

Death Wish - 1974 - USA

Death Wish - 1974 - 6/10

 
Probably one on those films that “started things”.
After his family home suffers an invasion, family raped and murdered, Paul turns vigilante.
We watch Paul (Charles Bronson in a career-making role) morph from pacifist to avenger.
Risks increase, though consequences seem slight.
Emotionally manipulative film steps into propaganda at times.
Self-righteous murder seems not only appropriate, but justified.
US fascination with guns assured this was a massive hit with mainstream audiences.

Female Trouble - 1974 - USA

Female Trouble - 1974 - 6/10

 
Bad girl Dawn (Divine) wrecks her family’s home when Christmas proves disappointing.
She runs away, bangs commando, burgles homes, becomes a hooker, seeks fame.
In other words, a corruption of the American Dream.
Or, for many, the American reality without the lipgloss.  
Biting satire by John Waters remains mercilessly funny.
Most early fans rally round Pink Flamingos, but I’ve always thought this better constructed and a darker journey.
Euro print (97”) recommended, especially with Waters’ commentary.

Emergency Squad - 1974 - Italy

Emergency Squad - 1974 - 6/10
AKA - Squadra Volante

 
The heist goes off.  Disguising themselves as a film crew fools pedestrians and onlookers into assuming they are watching a crime movie.
Unfortunately, there was one death, reminding one detective of a similar robbery five years earlier, where another innocent was similarly slain.  The detective’s wife.
Acting on his own, Interpol agent Ravelli goes unorthodox to track the crew.
Meanwhile, the crew, holed up, excitable, volatile, begin to feud.
Acceptable Euro-Crime outing hurtles along, without giving viewers a chance to second guess or consider the unlikely probabilities.
Fans of this sub-genre should enjoy.

Flesh Gordon - 1974 - USA

Flesh Gordon - 1974 - 6/10

 
Earth is under attack from deadly sex-rays, turning the populace into rutting (meaning non-working) sybarites.
Bankers, factory owners, corporate bosses want laborers outta bed and back to the grind.
Football star Flesh, Professor Jerkoff, and Dale Ardor journey into deep space, heading for planet Porno.
Campy spoof of 1930’s Flash Gordon seems to lift scenes and sets in toto.
Well, not totally, as there is a tremendous amount of nudity and bouncing in this.
Gems include Jerkoff’s ship and power pasties, Prince Precious and the monster (voiced by Craig Nelson).
Special effects are good for their time.  Star Wars was still three years away, yet a lot of SW techs cut their teeth on this one.
Avoid the sequel, avoid the censored version.  If you have qualms, don’t watch, the tone will upset you.
Literally a XXX film, this was a popular date film.
Informative audio commentary by producer Howard Ziehm is dryer than an infirmed lecturing professor.

Phase IV - 1974 - UK

Phase IV - 1974 - 6/10

 
In the Arizona desert, a colony of ants is rapidly evolving.
They have built large towers, similar to termite structures in Africa.
Moreover, they are breeding themselves immunity to pesticides.
The local human population has fled, leaving a trio of researchers.
For those who predict the meek shall inherit the earth, this is a good one.
For those prefer picnics and backyards ant free, this will be a nightmare.
Numerous closeups of invading insects, for those who suffer ant-phobia.

The Switch, Or How To Alter Your Ego - 1974 - USA

The Switch, Or How To Alter Your Ego - 1974 - 5/10

 
Mousy Professor Shirley Jekyll works as chemist in a pharmaceutical lab.
Socially awkward, shy, repressed, but her latest concoction – which she tests on herself – unleashes the predatory vixen within.
Immediately, albeit temporarily, her needs are rampant.  Orgies, threesomes, eggplant.
Soft core comedy romp of Jekyll & Hyde offers more skin than laughs.
The plot is trite, look for a young Sonny Landreth.