Tuesday, 29 June 2010

Amicus fatigue, Early Burt & a Bundy Biopic

I think Vault of Horror will be my last of the Amicus portmanteau films, not that it's terrible it's a quite enjoyable 90 mins I just think I need some genuine scares from a proper horror movie and soon - these half amusing/creepy 70's anthologies are beginning to get tiresome. Anyways this one is framed by the tale of 5 men being delivered to a sub-basement dining room by an uncooperative lift & after their meal they each confess to being hounded by awful, vivid nightmares. I liked Tom Baker's Voodoo painter, the Indian rope trick one and Terry Thomas' tale of a fastidious newly wed but the others were pretty weak. I think someone at the Beeb should try and make a genuinely scary anthology thing and I don't mean a homage like Mark Gatiss' Crooked House (though that was quite good).

Customers don't always exhibit the best taste in films yet I keep getting suckered in and giving their recommendations a go, well after sitting through White Lightnin' I think I may just start ignoring them. According to the customer it's Burt Reynolds' only good film after Deliverance and I agree he shows a modicum of acting ability, certainly more than in later years but it's hardly a challenge. Playing a Southern convict turned snitch looking to even the score with a murderous Sheriff turned moonshine baron Reynolds employs a modest array of acting faces, moody, happy scared blah blah blah but none of it convincing and he's still got that irritating chuckle. Anyways this potboiler thriller has a paper thin story so they've padded it out with comedy rednecks & car chases. Must have been a success at the time as there's a sequel called Gator but I won't be watching it.

The Deliberate Stranger is a tv-movie from the 80's about the life and crimes of Ted Bundy. It's ok I suppose. Bundy is certainly a fascinating character and I learnt a fair bit bout the case, I'd no idea he'd escaped from prison twice & defended himself in court like a loon but I'm sure a documentary would have sufficed for me, worst of all, apart from the guy playing Bundy, this has some of the worst acting I've seen in ages. Hopefully the Gacy one with Brian Dennehey stands the test of time better.

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