What’s On Now?! Gene Hackman in Francis Ford Coppola’s “THE CONVERSATION” (1974)

Filmed In 1974 In-Between…

THE GODFATHER

…And…

THE GODFATHER Part II

…It Has Always Been Easy To Consider This Flick…

THE CONVERSATION

The Conversation (1974)

…As An Almost Totally Forgotten Classic.

It Was Written, Produced AND Directed By…

FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA

And I, Honestly, Don’t Know Too Many People Whom Have, Honestly, Seen It.

I Hadn’t Seen It In Many Years, Until Borrowing It From A BFF ((Whom I Sincerely Need To Be Hanging With More Often, Anyway)).

I Saw It There In His Movie Collection And Immediately Said To Him…

“I Need To Borrow THE CONVERSATION, Dude.”

To Which He Replied…

THE CONVERSATION?! Sure, Sure!! It’s A Good One!!”

And Ya Know What, My Peeps?

It Is.

It’s A Good One.

It’s A Very VERY Good One, Indeed.

GENE HACKMAN

…Is Generally Known For Playing…

…Hmm…

…Rather Volatile Characters?

(((I.E. "Popeye Doyle", "Reverend Scott", "Lex Luthor", "Little Bill Daggett", "Captain Ramsey", etc etc etc)))

But, In This Flick, He Gives One Of The Most Quiet, Understated Performances You’re Likely To Ever Find.

And It’s Brilliant.

Quiet, Understated Brilliance.

Period.

His Performance Is So Spot On Perfect, It’s Almost Tooo Good.

I’ve Known People Like “HARRY CAUL”, The Reserved Wire-Tapper Character He Portrays.

You See, “HARRY CAUL” Is A Professional Surveillance Expert.

He’s Been Hired To Bug A Conversation Between Two People; A Possibly Unfaithful Woman And Her Possible Lover.

Sounds Simple Enough, Right?!

But, Now Those Whom Hired Him Want The Tapes, And It Appears They’re Willing To Kill For Them.

Now “HARRY” Is Listlessly Lost Within A Web Of Deceit, Mystery, Paranoia And Murder.

This Is Very Honest Acting, Writing, AND Directing, My Peeps.

It’s Very Nearly Priceless.

In Short?

I Loved It.

I Still Love It.

I’ve Now Watched “THE CONVERSATION” TWICE This Week, Just To Be Sure I’m Sure Sure Of What I’m Saying.

And NOW…

…Well…

…I Suppose I Should Get Crackin’ On Viewing Number THREE.

I’ve Gotta Make Sure Sure Sure, Ya Know?!

Right?!

RIGHT!!!

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Random (Halloween’ish) Movie Mention: “MADHOUSE” (1974)

Since We’re Well Into October, Now…

…I Figure Throwing Out A Little Halloween’ish Cheer Is Totally Called For.

Sooo…

…Why Not Mention A Personal Favorite Of Mine…

MADHOUSE

…Starring…

MY Man

VINCENT PRICE

MY Other Man

PETER CUSHING

And MY Other Other Man

ROBERT QUARRY

!!! !!!! !!!

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So What’s The Gist?!

Well…

VINCENT PRICE Is “PAUL TOOMBES

…A Horror Film Star.

He’s Engaged To His Beautiful Co-Star…

…But The Night Of Their Big Announcement Party, The Fiancee Ends-Up DECAPITATED!

When “TOOMBES” Discovers Her, He Goes Insane And Has To Be Sent To An Asylum!

Some Years Later, He’s Declared Sane And Is Released.

His Career In Horror Films As “DR. DEATH” Is Long Over…

…But A Sleazy TV Producer (ROBERT QUARRY) Gives “TOOMBES” Another Shot At Stardom, Along Side His Former Writer Friend (PETER CUSHING).

And Then The Body Count Begins To Crank Away Again!!!

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Yes, My Peeps…

MADHOUSE

…Is Exactly As It Sounds…

…A HELLUVA LOT OF FUN!!!

I Mean, Come On!

When You Get THREE Of The Biggest Names In Horror To Come Together To Make One Little Ole Movie…

…Yeah…

…It’s Pretty Hard Not To Lap-It-Up!!!

I Think The Little Tagline For This Film Totally Sums It All Up.

LIGHTS… …CAMERA… …MURDER!”

Yeah…

…PERFECT, Eh?!

PERFECT, INDEED!!!

ENJOY, My Peeps!!!

Trust Me On This One…

…You’re Gonna Looooooooove It!!!

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What’s On Now?! “PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE” (1974)

Alright, My Peeps…

…If There’s Anything I Can Tell You About The Flick…

BRIAN DE PALMA‘s

PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE

…It’s That The Bulk Of You Have Never Ever Never Never Ever Heard Of It.

Period.

It’s Been A Part Of My Collection Since The Early 1990s…

…And It’s A Flick I Truly Truly Enjoy.

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Need A Quality Tagline?

I Got’Ya Covered!

("The Most Highly Acclaimed Horror Phantasy Of Our Time.")
(hehehe)

Yeah.

It’s Slightly Full Of Itself…

…But Sometimes That Can Be A Wonderful Thing.

๐Ÿ˜‰

PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE

…Is A Glam-Rock-Musical That Was Written AND Directed By…

BRIAN DE PALMA

(http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000361/)

…With The Music AND Lyrics Being Written AND Composed By…

PAUL WILLIAMS

(http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0931437/)

๐Ÿ™‚

I Actually Saw This One For The Very First Time On The ENCORE Channel Back In 1992 Or 1993.

I Even Had A Copy Of The Soundtrack.

Some Of The Songs Are VERY Memorable…

…At Least To Me.

It’s Totally A Heaping Ton Of Fun, Fo SHO, Kiddies.

Since Having Fun Is What FRIDAY’s Are All About…

…I Felt This One Was Perfect.

I Was Actually Listening To The Soundtrack In My Truck The Very Day I Signed My Name On The Dotted Line To Enter Into The Navy’s Delayed Entry Program.

I Was 17-Years-Old.

I Was Listening To It Because It Always Put Me In A Better Mood…

…And Helped Relax Me.

Not To Say It’s Boring…

…Nor Sleep Inducing…

…Nor Whatever…

…It Was Just Simply Soothing To Me.

I Love The Work Of…

PAUL WILLIAMS

…And The Score For…

PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE

…Is Him At His Very VERY Best.

The Film Itself Is Fun…

…But It’s Also Campy…

…Crazy…

…Oddly Strange…

…Andย Thoroughly Enjoyable!

The Major Selling Point For The Flick, However, Is THE MUSIC.

ย  Need A Lyrical Sample, Kiddies?

SURE THANGY THANG!

*** *** ***

THE HELL OF IT

Roll On Thunder…

…Shine On Lightening…

…The Days Are Long…

…And The Nights Are Frightening…

…Nothing Matters, Anyway…

…And That’s The Hell Of It. …

…Winter Comes…

…And The Winds Blew Colder…

…While Some Grew Wiser…

…You Just Grew Older…

…And You Never Listened, Anyway…

…And That’s The Hell Of It. …

*** *** ***

Yeah…

…T’Is A Bundle Of Fun, Kiddies.

The Film Actually Had A Rather Strong Cast.

It Had Quality Direction.

It Was Well Written.

And It Does Have That Power To Make You Smile And Relax.

If You’re Looking For Something A Bit Off-Beat…

…Or Something To Just Kill Some Time With…

…You Should Give…

PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE

…A Good Ole Once-Over.

It’s A Flick That’s Likely To Get Stuck In The Ole Brain-Bank If You Give It A Chance To Do So.

Musicals Aren’t Usually My Thing, Though I’ve Seen A Ton Of Them.

But This One…

…To ME…

…Stands Out.

It Stands WAY Out, Actually.

It’s A Musical I’ve Come To Greatly Appreciate AND Enjoy.

The Flick Is EASILY Worth Watching…

…But The Soundtrack Is TOTALLY Worth Listening To.

As I Said…

…Give It The Ole Once-Over, My Peeps.

You May Hate It…

…Or…

…You May Love It.

Most Folks I Know Whom Have Seen It Are Deeply Divided.

A Couple Think It’s The Bee’s Knees…

…Others Think It’s A Waste Of Film AND Time.

I’ll Leave You To Decided Which Outcome Is YOUR Outcome.

Love It…

…Hate It…

…Whatever.

Just Give It A Go.

No Risk, No Reward, Right???

RIGHT!!!

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A TRIPLE SHOT Of HORROR: PETER CUSHING As BARON FRANKENSTEIN!

Since Y’all Already Know I’m A Horror AND Sci-Fi Geek…

…I Figured I’d Make Mention Of A Classic Horror Actor…

…And His Three Best Turns Within The Horror Genera…

…Or At Least…

…His His Three Best Turns As His Most Famous/Infamous Character.

Today, We’re Discussing…

PETER CUSHING

…As…

BARON VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN

!!! !!! !!!

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

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We Begin With HIS Beginning In The Series…

THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN

(1957)

In The First Flick…

…They Set The Stage For Us.

We See A Very Young “Victor Frankenstein” As He Learns The Ropes Of SCIENCE…

…And Around His Personal Laboratory.

With The Assistance Of His Tutor AND Friend “Paul Krempe”…

…Played Here By Actor…

ROBERT URQUHART

…They Discover The Secret To The Re-Animation Of Life.

The Monster That Results From Their Experiments…

…Played Wonderfully By…

CHRISTOPHER LEE

…Is A Hideous…

…Evil Creature…

…That Has Already Shown Its Willingness To KILL.

CAN THEY STOP THE CREATURE BEFORE IT KILLS AGAIN?!?!?

AND SO BEGINS THE SAGA…

…Of…

PETER CUSHING

…As…

BARON VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN

!!! !!!

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

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Our Second Flick Is…

My FAVE-FAVE-FRANKENSTEIN-FLICK Of ALL-TIME

FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED

(1969)

BY FAR FAR FAR…

FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED

…Is…

…MY FAVORITE.

PETER CUSHING‘s

BARON VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN

…Is Not Only A Mad-Scientist…

…But He’s Also HARSH, CRUEL, EVIL, And TOTALLY INDIFFERENT To The Suffering Of Those Around Him.

.PERIOD.

I Like The Term “RUTHLESS” In This Case…

…And…

PETER CUSHING

…Plays The Part TO PERFECTION.

This Flick Is Mainly Centered Around The Baron’s Groundbreaking Work In The Field Of…

…BRAIN TRANSPLANTS!!!

I Shit You Not, My Peeps…

…It’s True.

Take The Brain Out Of A Living Body…

…And Then Re-Attach The Brain Within A DIFFERENT Living Body!

It’s A Pretty Wild Concept, Yes…

…And It Makes For Some SUPER QUALITY HORROR!!!

If You Only EVER Get The Chance To Watch ONE Film In This Series…

FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED

…SHOULD BE THE ONE, Fo SHO Fo SHO!!!

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

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As For My Third And Final Selection…

…It’s Another Classic Favorite…

…And (Possibly) The Most FUN Entry In The Series…

FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL

(1974)

In This Flick…

PETER CUSHING‘s

…Final Turn As…

BARON VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN

…You Can Very Much Tell It Was Done SPECIFICALLY For The FANS.

.Period.

It All Takes Place In A Mental-Institution…

…Where He Literally Has The Run Of The Place…

…And Can Snatch-Up People…

…Or Just Their Parts…

…As He Fancies.

His Latest Creation Is A Large, Hideous, Hairy, Psychotic Creature…

…Played By…

DAVID PROWSE

(aka The Man Behind DARTH VADER's Mask In The "Star Wars" Films)

…Who Has Been Given The Gift Of Life Again…

…Thanks To The Transplant Of Its Old, Useless Brain…

…With The Brain Of A Musical Genius.

HOWEVER…

…When Something Goes Wrong…

…And The Body, The Psychotic Begins To TAKE-OVER The Genius’ Brain It Now Carries…

…You Just KNOW W’re In For A WILD-GOOD-TIME!!!

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It Is Often Said, My Peeps…

…That They Just Don’t Make HORROR FLICKS Like They Used To.

And THAT Is Very VERY TRUE.

The Three I’ve Mentioned Here…

THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN

(1957)

&

FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED

(1969)

&

FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL

(1974)

…Are PRIME-EXAMPLES Of That Statement.

They Really DON’T Make’em Like These Anymore.

But These DO Continue To Live On…

…And They’re Just As Much Fun To Watch Now…

…As They Were Back In The Day…

…And Maybe Even MORE-SO!!!

Hope Y’all Have A Great Day, My Peeps!!!

I Smell A “FRANKENSTEIN MOVIE MARATHON” In The Air!!!

Don’t YOU?!?!

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