In 500 Words or Less...The Girl From Rio (1969)

Dir: Jess Franco
Starring: Shirley Eaton, Richard Wyler, George Sanders, Maria Rohm
Runtime: 1hr 34 min
Country: Spain


Jess Franco...a name that is associated (if not synonymous) with cult and exploitative film-making. Thus, the fact that this film is hailed as his "most erotic", despite depicting a race of seductive females, is hard to believe. Franco made so many films that it will perhaps never be known the exact count or names of all his works. However, his most well-executed era had to be during his time with British producer Harry Allan Towers (and no, that's not because Franco's works during this time starred Towers' Austrian wife, Maria Rohm!). Despite noting that Towers had a "limited budget", "Rio" had to be one of Franco's most well spent films. Like many of his films, "Rio" is rather hard to explain...and one may be so baffled as to walk away from it after reading the plot summary. However, the combination of futuristic women and old culture was done quite well, and the acting and even execution of events made for an awesome cult watch!

Cheesy: 4/5
Sleazy: 4/5
Culty: 3.5/5

Overall: 2.5/5

In 500 Words or Less...Westworld (1973)

Dir: Michael Critchdon
Staring: Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin, & James Brolin
Runtime: 1hr 28 Minutes
Country: USA



Westworld is the perfect example of a "below-the-surface" cult film, because it enjoys moderate cult status, but is not so well known that one would immediately know of it if it came up in everyday conversation. Because of this, Westworld suffers from lack of viewership on either side of the movie going spectrum. As a fan of 1970s film-making, Westworld is an essential watch because it aims to not showcase it's budget. Whether an early 1970s film had a big or small budget, the filmmaker spent accordingly...and spread the wealth around. It's no doubt that Westworld was made on a big budget, and it's director is recognized today. However, Westworld still keeps a "low-budget" atmosphere, and the budget can be seen spent on action effects and costume/set design. Another reason why Westworld gained cult status is it's combination of two of the most cultish genres: science fiction, and westerns (who doesn't love a good robot/cowboy mashup?) Most of the goings on in the film is a mystery which keeps in tune with other 1970s films: it keeps you guessing.

Cheesy: 2.5/5
Sleazy: 1/5
Culty: 5/5

Overall: 3.5/5

Welcome!

Hello...ooo Times New Roman font? Me likey. Sorry, I'm a tad OCD with certain things, such as font for example which stems from my high school days. Which brings up a topc: they make you write with a certain font to prepare you for college. Honey, college isn't life. I bet half those kids who get out of college never use Times New Roman...except me. Anyway, back to welcoming you all. Most of you know me already, and those of you who don't probably have already gained a feel of my demeanor: random, sarcastic, and a tad pretentious in script. This blog is similar to my youtube videos in that I will be focusing more on culty films rather than "main-stream" ones. In essence, that really won't mean anything cos I'll be posting about every film I watch anyway. The way I log movies I view is by season, rather than month (like the normal viewer). I started logging films I watched last summer so I guess I'll post everything I've seen this year so far (which really isn't hard). I'll also be posting DVD updates after I make the corresponding videos for them, and any other movie news that I think is relevant. If you guys have any suggestions just post away cos I'm new to this whole thing...it took me hours to make the bloody template!
Thanks!
-Hannah