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Marlo Manners (Mae West), a legendary Hollywood actress, is in London on her honeymoon, having married Sir Michael Barrington (Timothy Dalton), husband number 6. The farce develops as Marlo has to keep ducking out to meet with various ex husbands, and whilest she's at it, solve world peace! All the while also trying to track down a tape of her memoirs that could cause a scandal if heard.
A truly bizarre film, with an 84 year old Mae West still trying to play the sex symbol, which is at once creepy and also compulsive viewing, like a car crash! Whilst mayhem and chaos revolves around her, she seems to be acting in treacle! Every line and move is at half speed. Various actors and musicians pop up in cameo's such as Ringo Starr, George Hamilton, Keith Moon, Tony Curtis, George Raft and Alice Cooper. Watch it as the full on camp delight that it is. Full of unintential laughs. Otherwise you'd sadly be watching a truly awful film on every level, and you wouldn't want to do that would you?
An indispencible concierge (Frankie Howerd), at a large London hotel, inherits some money and upon being told he cannot resign, due to signing a 10 year contract, decides to get himself sacked. He satisfies his life long ambition to live on the French riviera, but finds its not all its cracked up to be and longs to return to London and the hotel. Upon his return he finds the hotel has gone out of business and the only way to get his old job back it to persuade some northern businessmen to invest in the hotel.
A run of the mill comedy, that has its moments. It features a low key performance by Frankie Howerd, (with none of his usual characteristics), surrounded by the great and the good of British comedy, from Alfie Bass to Denis Price and features some acting and a couple of songs by Ruby Murray.
Two struggling song writers (George Cole and Terence Morgan) meet a struggling French singer (Mylene Nicole). They try and flog songs to and she auditions for Ted Heath, they sell nothing, but she gets a job after singing one of their songs. Meanwhile Cole, having been constantly told that his songs need a gimmick, comes up with the idea of playing songs backwards and passing them off as new pieces by an avant garde jazz musician. Morgan reluctantly goes along with the scam and the 'composition' become hugely popular, in an emperors new clothes way. Whilst this is happening Nicole is also making a name for herself as a big band singer. Can they keep up the scam and will Nicole catch on?
Not the greatest film of it's type, but still a bright and breezy British musical in glorious technicolour, that documents a pre rock n roll Britain, obsessed by big bands and crooners.
Johnny Mansell (George Baker) a gambler, turns up at his brother Dave's (Terence Morgan), in order to lay low to avoid some bad lads in London. First he meets his brother's girlfriend Calico (Diana Dors) and finds out his brother is in trouble himself, having dipped into the factory wages to keep his girlfriend in the manner she has become accustomed to. Dave has eight days to replace the money, Calico suggests they steal the wages instead. Johnny is against the idea, prefering to gamble to get the funds. But which way is Dave going to go, and now johnny is here, which brother is Calico going to go for? This is a good atmospheric crime thriller, set "up north" and with suitably blunt northern vowels! George Baker is the cool and calm big brother, with charm to spare. Whilst his brother is all nerves and prone to cracking up at the slightest thing. Then there's Diana Dors, all smoldering sex kitten vamp, very much a diamond in the rough, sparkling in the grim northern industrialness.
A film following the last months surrounding the life of Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender), IRA member convicted on firearms offenses who died after 66 days on hunger strike in 1981.
A very stark and striking film, that is not without its beauty. Mostly filmed in what is made to look like natural light and often in long static shots that make you concentrate on the mundane aspects of prison life. This is a true horror film, one that focuses on the horrors man inflicts on man, and on themselves. The harrowing shots of Bobby Sands emaciated and covered in sores, wracked with pain, but still determined to see it through. At times beautiful, mundane, thought provoking and horrific, this is a film that divides people for so many reasons, whether along political grounds, the inability to take the violence or the long static shots of the tedious side of prison life. All these things make this a fascinating film.
aka Mud Honey. Rope. Rope of Flesh. Rope of Love.
Depression era Missouri and Calif (John Furlong) is trying to get to California. On his way he is decides to take a job at the Wade farm, despite being warned not to. He soon wishes he had heeded the warnings as he gets entangled in the domestic disputes of the family. Things get worse when a local preacher begins a smear campaign about Calif, and his attraction to the bosses sister, who is married to the local nogoodnick Sydney.
This early Meyer effort is a Southern Melodrama, packed full with bad men and women willing to make them feel better! This plays out with little of the Meyer trademarks, though he has packed out the female parts by his usual buxom beauties including Lorna Maitland as a deaf mute who likes men and isn't afraid to show it.
aka Il cieco. Il pistolero cieco.
A blind gunman (Tony Anthony) has been double crossed. He was given the job of escorting fifty mail order brides to a mine, where their husbands to be are waiting. But his partner decided to sell them to the Mexican bandit Domingo instead. Once Blindman finds out what has happened and has dealt with his by now very ex partner, he tracks Domingo down and asks for them back, but Domingo is disinclined to do so. After all, what can a blindman do?
This is a spaghetti western version of the Japanese Zatoichi character, and once you get over the inherent daftness of a blind gunman it plays out rather well, if in a surreal and incoherent way. Watch out for a guest starring role from Ringo Starr (who is surprisingly good).
Marlo Manners (Mae West), a legendary Hollywood actress, is in London on her honeymoon, having married Sir Michael Barrington (Timothy Dalton), husband number 6. The farce develops as Marlo has to keep ducking out to meet with various ex husbands, and whilest she's at it, solve world peace! All the while also trying to track down a tape of her memoirs that could cause a scandal if heard.
