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Malky
09-20-09, 10:53 AM
I've went through a phase of watching movie documentaries such as Not Quite Hollywood, Midnight Movies and Going to Pieces: The Rise and The fall of The Slasher Film.

Not Quite Hollywood is concerned with Australian B Movies and it is really funny a bunch of talking heads most notably Quentin Tarintino wax lyrical about Australian cinema of mid to late 70's. I found this to be highly entertaining as I was completely unaware the movies discussed even existed.
I'd love to see the films discussed but trying to find them on region 2 dvd seems like an exercise in futility.

Midnight Movies is a documentary about 6 films which became midnight movie phenomenons. I really enjoyed this I had seen parts of the movies in discussion but after watching this I felt I missed the point. Either I was too young or not in the right frame of mind. Perhaps watching The Rocky Horror Picture show on my own two days after Christmas was not the right the time. I will however never attempt to watch Eraserhead again.

This documentary made me feel as if I missed out on something specifically the counter culture of the 60's and 70's. Maybe its because I am too weird for today's mainstream culture but not freaky enough for today's counter culture or perhaps because today's counter culture is rather sad ie goth, ned/chav or god forbid emo.

I thoroughly recommend finding Midnight Movies it is definitely worth a watch, as it shows non mainstream film reaching the cinema and finding an audience. Something that would not happen today with focus groups market share and the proliferation of straight to VHS/DVD movies that simply were not an option in the 70's due to lack of technology.

Going to Pieces: The Rise and The Fall of The Slasher Film was concerned with, well you read the title. I found it to be very informative but it lacked the humour of the other two I mentioned. I enjoy a good slasher flick but this was rather dry, however was intersting ot hear from a who's who of the genre such as John Carpenter, Wes Craven and Tom Savini

Iroquois
09-20-09, 10:58 AM
Midnight Movies was quite a good film (and yet another reminder that I still haven't seen The Harder They Come). It's a bugger that I still haven't seen Not Quite Hollywood - sounds like it'd be right up my alley, so to speak. Both of those are films that also make me feel like I'm missing out on 1970s counterculture, but that's nostalgia for you.

I haven't heard of Going to Pieces before, though.

Malky
09-20-09, 11:05 AM
Midnight Movies was quite a good film (and yet another reminder that I still haven't seen The Harder They Come). It's a bugger that I still haven't seen Not Quite Hollywood - sounds like it'd be right up my alley, so to speak. Both of those are films that also make me feel like I'm missing out on 1970s counterculture, but that's nostalgia for you.

I haven't heard of Going to Pieces before, though.

I'd totally recommend Not Quite Hollywood it is so funny. You hear about these films made on a budget of fresh air with kamikaze stunt men just dreaming stuff up and doing it there and then with no thought of their safety.

Going to Pieces starts off with Halloween for obvious reasons and takes us pretty much through to Scream 1&2 and I Know What You Did Last Summer. I'm glad I saw it mainly for Tom Savini talking about how he did the special effects, I saw it through my Lovefilm account (UK's version of Netflix).

Iroquois
09-20-09, 11:12 AM
Starts off with Halloween, huh? No mention of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre?

Malky
09-20-09, 11:16 AM
Starts off with Halloween, huh? No mention of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre?

Yeah it does mention it but it presents Halloween as the genesis as it spawns numerous imitations with the holiday title etc.

beelzebubbles
09-20-09, 11:34 AM
May I tempt you with ...

American Movie

http://heim.etherweave.com/weblog/archives/american%20movie.jpg

An entertaining documentary about some regular guys who know nothing about film except that they love horror movies and want to make one.

A competent documentary filmmaker follows their amateur struggles to make their horror movie Coven and live their --now I use this term with love as they are my people--white trash lives. Ah the irony!

Golgot
09-20-09, 11:35 AM
I enjoyed Midnight Movies (and that reminds me, I still need to see El Topo, Eraserhead... and possibly Pink Flamingos ;))

Talking of docs on the 70s, I remember catching A Decade Under the Influence and finding it an enjoyable ride through that 'golden' mainstream period, not knowing a huge amount about it going in.

Malky
09-20-09, 02:33 PM
May I tempt you with ...


An entertaining documentary about some regular guys who know nothing about film except that they love horror movies and want to make one.

A competent documentary filmmaker follows their amateur struggles to make their horror movie Coven and live their --now I use this term with love as they are my people--white trash lives. Ah the irony!


What is the name of the documentary?


I enjoyed Midnight Movies (and that reminds me, I still need to see El Topo, Eraserhead... and possibly Pink Flamingos ;))

Talking of docs on the 70s, I remember catching A Decade Under the Influence and finding it an enjoyable ride through that 'golden' mainstream period, not knowing a huge amount about it going in. that is on my list as is El Topo I could not hack Eraserhead when i was younger and I have no intention trying again, Pink Flamingo is way to out there for me as well.

beelzebubbles
09-20-09, 02:35 PM
Ummm...it's called American Movie.

Malky
09-20-09, 02:44 PM
Ummm...it's called American Movie.


thanks did you put a link in your original post? because I can not see it

beelzebubbles
09-20-09, 04:54 PM
That's odd. I posted a picture of the poster.

jrs
09-20-09, 07:39 PM
That's odd. I posted a picture of the poster.

You mean this?


http://i34.tinypic.com/zuqjyt.jpg

beelzebubbles
09-20-09, 09:55 PM
That's the one.

Iroquois
09-20-09, 10:37 PM
I considered mentioning American Movie early, but I thought it was a different kind of movie documentary altogether (Malky's examples were about cinematic history whereas American Movie is more a "making-of" documentary). Watched it recently, thought it was alright.

honeykid
09-21-09, 09:52 AM
In keeping with the horror/slasher documentaries you mentioned, I'd recommend taking a look at The American Nightmare.

Although not exactly movie documantaries, may I suggest both The Kid Stays In The Picture (about the life and career of Robert Evans, who narrates as well) and Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession a bit of an oddity as it's not only about the LA based pay channel, but also the programmer who chose all the films. Very interesting stuff.