Beyond The Poseidon Adventure - 1979 - USA

Beyond The Poseidon Adventure - 1979 - 4/10

 
The capsized liner from 1971 ain’t sunk yet!
Arrive, the jackals and hyenas … uh … salvage boats and profiteers.
The two sides, each declaring to help, soon help themselves.
Until greed takes over.
Inept, cheap sequel (more a remake) wastes a huge cast in boring disaster film.

The Butterfly Murders - 1979 - Hong Kong

The Butterfly Murders - 1979 - 6/10
AKA - Dip Bin //  蝶 變

 
Butterflies are seemingly behind mass killings, either from acid or bites.
Besieged Shuma Castle has sought help from the Tien Clan.
Who are soon drawn into a labyrinth of tunnels, secret rivalries and deadly insects.
Debut Tsui Hark actioner boasts wildly imaginative camerawork.
Plot is a bit scattered, but more or less easy to follow.
Story narrated by scholar Fong, who leaves the fighting to everyone else.

Mad Max - 1979 - Australia

Mad Max - 1979 - 6/10

 
Post-apocalyptic Australia, police ranks thinning while biker gangs terrorize survivors.
Patrolmen Max and Goose, face off against one of the deadlier gangs.
Initially, they have limited success, until the narrative darkens.
Cheap Ozploitation dystopian vengeance action mayhem, call it what you will.
Crude, yet mesmerizing … and addictive.
Later films have more craftsmanship; this gnarly opener seems more authentic.

The Brood - 1979 - Canada

The Brood - 1979 - 6/10

 
Mommy’s not well.  In fact, she is under restricted care by Dr. Raglan.
Specializing in a new treatment, psychoplasmics.
Husband Frank is unable to pry wife Nola from his care.
“She’s at a critical stage, don’t you know?”
Raglan role plays with Nola, permitting her to release her demons.
Psychological drama steadily descends into Horror.
Early gem from Cronenberg.  Patience, then hold on.

The Visitor - 1979 - Italy

The Visitor - 1979 - 5/10
AKA - Stridulum

 
Straight off, why is John Huston in this twaddle?
Because the actor who first agreed to take lead (John Wayne!?!) was too ill.
Anyhoo, forces of light and good have been in eternal conflict with Zatteen.
Who had spawned with countless females, each gestating his seed.
In this case, Barbara, whose daughter Katy already has the power and the malevolence.
A cabal of evil schemes to have Barbara procreate a son – for Katy to conjugate with down the line.
Who can save humanity?  An old, arthritic man who smiles and shuffles along?
Incredibly bad, yet so bizarre one watches stupefied.

Thirst - 1979 - Australia

Thirst - 1979 - 6/10

 
Kate is kidnapped from her home, whisked to a faraway retreat.
A farm of sorts, run by modern vampires, with lethargic meals lolling about.
Turns out Kate is long, long descendant of Elizabeth Bathory.
And the enclave wants to turn her taste from red wine to blood.
Film not quite horror, but a psychological thriller.
Shirley Cameron is the best thing here, as the sinister, malicious psychiatrist.
All others = sleepwalkers.

The Year Of The Plague - 1979 - Mexico

The Year Of The Plague - 1979 - 5/10
AKA - El Año de la Peste

 
It begins with a man sick on the subway, followed by doctors with suspicions.
Soon enough, medical types attempt to sound a public alert.
And are thwarted by politicians, the wealthy, and the ruling class who suppress.
Mexican contagion-fest takes way too long to ramp up, and is talky for too long.
Final half hour pretty good: public chaos, armed police, human sacrifice, mass graves, and bodies dropping like the city was sprayed with a can of Raid.
Despite script by Gabriel García Márquez, this ultimately disappoints.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3369232

Battlestar Galactica - 1978 - USA

Battlestar Galactica - 1978 - 5/10

 
Pilot for the juvenile series that followed, dubbed by Harlan Ellison, “Battlestar Ponderosa.”
Those crafty Cylons sue for peace, only it is a deception!
The colonies, all the battlestars destroyed, save for the Galactica.
Henceforth, ragtag survivors head toward the mythical planet called Earth.
SciFi adventure of the week followed, targeting teens, then grade schoolers, finally lobotomy patients.
After Star Wars, we were so ravenous for SciFi, even this rusted toaster had OK ratings.

Last Embrace - 1979 - USA

Last Embrace - 1979 - 5/10

 
After Harry’s wife is killed in a shootout, he spends a few months in a sanitarium.
Then he declares himself ready to return to work.  Harry is some kinda agent.
The agency, distrusting his sanity, orders him whacked.
Meanwhile, he’s received a death threat in Hebrew (Aramaic, actually).
Wait!  A doctoral student has sublet his New York apartment.
Complicated enough for you?  This will only grow more farfetched and preposterous.
A throwback thriller with an evocative Miklos Rosza score, and excellent settings.
The narrative, the plotting, the motivation, all farfetched, to say the least.

Salem’s Lot - 1979 - USA

Salem’s Lot - 1979 - 7/10

 
One of the few good adaptations of King, especially from this period.
The middling writer returns to his hometown, just about the same time as the mysterious arrivals.
Followed by the sickness.
David Soul was perhaps too glamorous originally, but OK now since he is less remembered.

 
James Mason excellent as the smooth, cultured Straker.
The chief menace is seen sparingly and effectively.
While bearing a TV look in the beginning, it grows more cinematic.
By all means, watch the longest version you can, avoid the movie condensation.
And yes, there are deeper layers and societal parallels in this, should you care to look.

Buck Rogers In The 25th Century - 1979 - USA

Buck Rogers In The 25th Century - 1979 - 5/10

 
Space shuttle pilot Buck gets into a stellar snafu and is deep frozen for 500 years!
Alien conquerors find him, then use him as a ploy to get through Earth defenses.
No sense going much more into this fairly crappy film, pilot for an even worse TV show.
Back in the day, fans were desperate for SciFi, so studios gave us garbage.
This is aimed at non-demanding children, with a clichéd and dull storyline.
Watch Star Wars instead.  Came out around the same time and is vastly superior.
Or – check the 1939 serial.  While not as good as Flash Gordon (1936), that Buck is better than this.

The Villain - 1979 - USA

The Villain - 1979 - 5/10

 
I have NEVER been in the proper mood to appreciate, let alone enjoy, this one.
Kirk Douglas is the meanest, baddest man in the West.
Ann Margaret the innocent daughter fetching a box of money for Pa.
Schwarzenegger the handsome here with the IQ of a tree stump.
A “comedy” based on Roadrunner cartoons, packed with cameos and comic relief.
Almost everyone tries too hard (Arnie actually seems to “get” his role).
Complete misfire across the board, save for Warner Brothers’ cartoon obsessives.

Being There - 1979 - USA

Being There - 1979 - 7/10

 
Chance, simpleton, is tossed onto the streets after his elderly benefactor dies.
By contrivance, he finds a home with another wealthy, influential family.
The satire expands as his vacuousness is mistaken for wisdom.
His naive comments are heard as thoughtful insight.
When much younger, I dismissed this film as sheer nonsense.
Nowadays, I realize humanity can and will believe all manner of tripe as gospel.
Relevant when it came out; relevant now in our era of “influencers”.
Chance, however, is an innocent, whereas most influencers range between self-serving and malicious.

Nosferatu The Vampyre - 1979 - Germany

Nosferatu The Vampyre - 1979 - 7/10
AKA - Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht

 
Mr, Harker travels to Transylvania to sell real estate to County Dracula.
The lifeless ship arrives, large rats sweep into the town.
As townsfolk die, the frightened whisper, “Plague”.
You know the tale as well as anyone.
Herzog has made this a mash of Stoker and Murnau.
A slow film, lacking the usual visceral thrills, focusing instead on the creeping malignance.
Kinski gives a layered, nuanced performance as the doomed, driven creature.

The Rose - 1979 - USA

The Rose - 1979 - 6/10

 
By any other name, this rose is a watered down version of Janis Joplin.
Sex, drugs and rock n roll, of a burned out singer, who needs a break, but loves adulation.
Some good music numbers amidst narcissistic and self destructive behavior.
Midler has real chops in this, and yet the film seems to wallow in the depressive business.
Speaking of business, Alan Bates terrific as the manager, smart, calculating, relentless.
Photography has a sleazy look, which seems completely appropriate.
Those familiar with Joplin’s story will see how much was lifted wholesale.
I cannot praise Midler enough in this, probably her finest role.

And Justice For All - 1979 - USA

And Justice For All - 1979 - 6/10

 
Defense attorney has issues with one of the court’s sterner judges.
In between trying to defend clients, and being thwarted, he looks in on his grandfather, dabbles in romance.
This is a cynical take on idealistic TV courtroom dramas of the ‘60’s and 70’s.
(Mind you, nothing beats the smiling cynicism of the black and white Perry Mason.)
The judge in question gets in trouble, and hires, you got it, his long time nemesis.
For me, this is one of his films where Al Pacino dropped his cool reserve, and began louder acting.
Served him well, although Michael Corleone’s intensity remains preferable to yelling marathons.
Jack Warden as half-cocked judge, unforgettable.

A Man On His Knees - 1979 - Italy

A Man On His Knees - 1979 - 6/10
AKA - Un Uomo in Ginocchio

 
Word on the street is that a hitman has been hired to whack Nino.
Why?  He is just a simple street vendor.  Small stall where he sells drinks, snacks and papers.
Bad luck.  Nino is in the wrong place, wrong time, and everyone assumes he is involved.
The police, battling gangs, assassins, shakedown artists.
No matter how hard he tries, luck lets him down, over and over.
Set in Palermo, and I imagine (having been there, and having been robbed there) things are still the same.
This is a drama, not Euro Crime, not Thriller.

Escape From Alcatraz - 1979 - USA

Escape From Alcatraz - 1979 - 7/10

 
Clint Eastwood as Frank Morris, one of the inmates who “may” have escaped from the island prison.
Not so much an action film as a slow boil procedural.
Planning, acquiring materials, clandestine operations.
Under the daily life of oppressive incarceration.
Patrick McGoohan memorable as the confident, no-nonsense warden.
Shot inside Alcatraz, the photography is all harsh light and hard angles.
Frank Morris = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_1962_Alcatraz_escape_attempt

Fascination - 1979 - France

Fascination - 1979 - 6/10

 
After a gold heist, Marc hides in an “empty” chateau.
Well, there are two maidservants who seem to be involved with each other, and interested in him.
He dallies, unaware that the chateau belongs to a countess, a vampire, who will soon arrive.
Stylized Jean Rollin film has a meandering plot drifting though a dreamlike setting.
While slow, especially by today’s standards, almost every scene is visually arresting.
Gothic, lesbian vampires, beautiful fashions, nudity, moody score, creeping dread.
Good intro to Rollin for the curious.

Dracula - 1979 - USA

Dracula - 1979 - 6/10

 
The roots are Stoker, yet this is based on the 1924 play, re-adapted for a 70’s Broadway run.
(I distinctly recall a Broadway TV commercial featuring “A Chorus Line” and “Dracula”.)
The count here accents the charm, the courtliness, as well as the sensual enjoyment of the female body.
Think Dracula cast as Bob Guccione.
Kate Nelligan, who I never fancied one way or another, is a fetching dish as Lucy
She and Langella spark terrific chemistry, as does he and Laurence Olivier.
I recall enjoyed this at the theater, especially the cinematography and rich colors.
The current version has been desaturated (much like the Coppola).
Please, give viewers all three:  bold color, desaturated, black and white.