BS: Worst of the 60's 'freak' movies....

Subject: RE: BS: Worst of the 60's 'freak' movies....
From: kendall
Date: 11 Jun 07 - 07:41 AM

The Man from planet X. Almost as bad as Lobsteroids.

Subject: RE: BS: Worst of the 60's 'freak' movies....
From: JJ
Date: 11 Jun 07 - 08:17 AM

The one mentioned WAY above about bikers and Vietnam is actually (IIRC) about bikers and Cambodia -- THE SAVAGE SEVEN. Theme song, "Anyone For Tennis?"

To return to the original theme of counterculture films:

ME, NATALIE
The unattractive Patty Duke (rejected early in the film in a cameo by the unknown Al Pacino) gets on her motor scooter and leaves Brooklyn for Greenwich Village.

THE MAGIC GARDEN OF STANLEY SWEETHEART
In which young Columbia student Don Johnson is seduced by a very young, very ample, very naked Holly Near.

GETTING STRAIGHT
Elliot Gould desperately attempts to get his masters degree as his car, his life and the campus disintegrate around him. I loved it.

Subject: RE: BS: Worst of the 60's 'freak' movies....
From: RangerSteve
Date: 11 Jun 07 - 10:17 AM

Mickey1191 - was that "Motel Hell"? Rory Calhoun and Phyllis Diller (I think) running a motel (Motel Hello with the "O" burnt out), and hapless tourists being kept in the yard and raised as food - it was done tongue in cheek, but still a bad movie.

Subject: RE: BS: Worst of the 60's 'freak' movies....
From: Desdemona
Date: 11 Jun 07 - 01:14 PM

What a timely thread; next up in our Netflix queue is a doubleheader of "Psych Out" and "The Trip"...far out, man!

~D

Subject: RE: BS: Worst of the 60's 'freak' movies....
From: JeremyC
Date: 11 Jun 07 - 02:49 PM

I haven't seen many of the counterculture films, since I grew up in the 80s, but I can comment on a few that were listed: Billy Jack, based on the 15 minutes I caught on cable, was horrible (though I kind of want to see the whole thing), Alice's Restaurant was good except for where it diverged from the song, and it was mainly good because Arlo Guthrie is one charming-ass hippie. A Boy and His Dog was great, although it's been a few years since I've seen it, so I could be wrong there. Worst, based on my limited experience, is probably "The Graduate," which struck me as awful and pointless. Mrs Robinson seemed decent enough, and I remember thinking that all the other characters were either horrible people or barely there.

Subject: RE: BS: Worst of the 60's 'freak' movies....
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 11 Jun 07 - 03:07 PM

Billy Jack is hard to beat for sheer sanctimonious bullshit, as witness the following:
1)The beautiful and innocent flower children who live a creative and fun life in a commune, and are humiliated by wealthy rednecks.
2)The mysterious and violent Billy Jack with his large mounty-style hat, who allows us to, while weeping over the victimization of the peaceful flower-children, root for Billy to go into a murderous frenzy.
3)Billy Jack's humorless and self-righteous girlfriend who epitomized the type of 60s woman who would brow-beat you for not bringing meatless hotdogs to a weinie roast.
4)Billy Jack, persecuted and arrested by The Man for indulging his medieval side on the aforementioned rednecks, walking out through a hoard of flower children with right-on fists in the air while "One Tin Soldier" pontificates in the background.

I saw Billy Jack on a double bill with Night of the Living Dead, which looked like Oscar caliber filmmaking next to it.

Subject: RE: BS: Worst of the 60's 'freak' movies....
From: JeremyC
Date: 11 Jun 07 - 03:44 PM

Lonesome -

Now don't diss "Night of the Living Dead" - that was a pretty good movie.

Based on your description, "Billy Jack" is going in my Netflix queue this very moment.

Subject: RE: BS: Worst of the 60's 'freak' movies....
From: RangerSteve
Date: 11 Jun 07 - 03:46 PM

Add to everything else said against "Billy Jack" the fact that the narrator seems to have been a barely literate person reading from a teleprompter while in a coma.

Subject: RE: BS: Worst of the 60's 'freak' movies....
From: JeremyC
Date: 11 Jun 07 - 04:19 PM

I don't remember whether it was Manos: The Hands of Fate or another hideously awful movie, but wasn't there one from this time period that featured a farmer whistling to himself while driving his pickup truck through the country--for something like ten straight minutes?

Subject: RE: BS: Worst of the 60's 'freak' movies....
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 11 Jun 07 - 05:31 PM

Against my better judgement, and remembering what Billy Jack and The Trial of Billy Jack were like, I rented a film called "Billy Jack Goes to Washington".   The film was never released to theaters, and with good reason.   At the time, around Watergate, the reasons given were that the film was too political.   The reality was, is was the worst piece of shit ever to be filmed.    Billy Jack, who was in prision is released and runs for the U.S. Senate and wins.   Okaaaay...
He then learns that the Senate is full of internal politics. Wow!!!! Shocking!!!!
There is one fight scene, thrown in just to give Lauglin a chance to take his boots off and kick the crap out of some bad guys.

The film was loosely based on Mr.Smith Goes to Washington. To watch Laughlin do the filibuster scene will bring tears to your eyes - you will be laughing that hard.

If you are ever given the choice between root canal without novacaine or watching this film, go for the root canal. It will be over sooner.

Subject: RE: BS: Worst of the 60's 'freak' movies....
From: Wesley S
Date: 11 Jun 07 - 06:02 PM

From what I've heard - THIS was the first Billy Jack movie - The Born Losers

Subject: RE: BS: Worst of the 60's 'freak' movies....
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 11 Jun 07 - 06:10 PM

"...when I see this beautiful and strong young native-american girl, with ice cream all over her head..."...Billy Jack

Subject: RE: BS: Worst of the 60's 'freak' movies....
From: Little Hawk
Date: 11 Jun 07 - 07:19 PM

That was a lovely summation of the salient points of Billy Jack, L.E.J.

I went to see it when it came out....and being very impressionable at the time, and feeling like an embattled and misunderstood member of the Woodstock Nation, persecuted by my parents, straights in general, and uniformed officials of all types, I was deeply moved. Within a few years, I began to see it differently, however, and I was deeply embarrassed. ;-)

The sanctimonious arrogance and the adopted mantle of "victimhood" (combined with absolute certainty of moral superiority) that young people were caught up in at that time was pretty seductive, if you were at just the right age. I was. Our heroes were all martyrs, outsiders, and noble losers. Nothing could beat a hero who was also a martial arts expert AND an "Indian".

By the way, I really can't stand "One Tin Soldier". I didn't even like it much back then.

Subject: RE: BS: Worst of the 60's 'freak' movies....
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 11 Jun 07 - 09:29 PM

Little Hawk - I am in complete agreement with you about seeing the first Billy Jack.   It was very impressive - at the time. It is an embarrassment to admit I even saw it.

One thing that the film did help - it gave a start to independent productions. Producers discovered that there were other ways to release movies.

Subject: RE: BS: Worst of the 60's 'freak' movies....
From: Little Hawk
Date: 11 Jun 07 - 09:33 PM

Yeah, seems to me it was not long after Kent State. Young people were feeling very defensive about establishment-sponsored violence and oppression. That movie tuned in perfectly to the angst of the time.

Subject: RE: BS: Worst of the 60's 'freak' movies....
From: Skivee
Date: 11 Jun 07 - 09:46 PM

Hair
Both the movie and the musical were dreadful...a tin-pan alley version of the anti-war hippy experience.
A series of stereotypes strung together by cliches
Many of the songs defined "stupid":

Gliddy glub gloopy
Nibby nabby noopy
La la la lo lo
Sabba sibby sabba
Nooby abba nabba
Le le lo lo
Tooby ooby walla
Nooby abba naba
Early morning singing song

Gloopy, indeed

Subject: RE: BS: Worst of the 60's 'freak' movies....
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 11 Jun 07 - 10:14 PM

Rapaire (and Skivee...) - absolutely agree about Hair - the guy who played Burger was at least 10 years too old (at least) and the movie just lacked all the charm of the show (which I did find charming).

I think I am one of the few people in the Western Universe who slept through Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids ( I also think I am of the few people in the world who hasn't seen 2001   - A Space Odyssey).

Subject: RE: BS: Worst of the 60's 'freak' movies....
From: PoppaGator
Date: 11 Jun 07 - 11:20 PM

Speaking of sleeping, I nodded out in the theater during the interminable "The Missouri Breaks." And I've never been one to fall asleep easily, especially not in public, and certainly not when sitting up. Since that time, I've tried to watch it on TV on a couple of occasions, and still haven't been able to stay awake. (I find it easier to nod off on my own couch, especially so as I get older.) What a stinker!

I agree that "The Sixties" didn't start until at least late 1963 (the Kennedy assassination on November 22 is a reasonable benchmark date), and lasted well into the early 1970s.

On the subject of "Best of" as opposed to "worsts":

Mention has been made of the cartoon "Yellow Submarine," but how 'bout those two great live-action Beatles movies? Especially the first one, the wonderful "Hard Day's Night." Not the only notable accomplishment of director Richard Lester.

Also from Swinging London, the first (and only?) English-language film by the quintessentially-60s Italian director Michaelangelo Antonioni: "Blow-Up." Saw it on TV just a few weeks ago ~ it holds up very well indeed. Among other things, it was wonderful to see a very young Vanessa Redgrave...

On the subject of music-documentaries like "Woodstock" and [sic] "Altamont" (actually entitled "Gimme Shelter"), I offer for your consideration "The Last Waltz," which may have been produced a little bit later than the period in question, but which serves as a nice retrospective upon that entire era, and may well be the single greatest concert film ever produced.

And finally, my favorite story about "Easy Rider." I know that I've posted this before, but I'm inspired to repeat myself for those of you who haven't already read it...

There are three elderly black gospel singers who appear on screen briefly toward the end of the film, after the characters arrive in New Orleans for Mardi Gras. They are seen only for a few fleeting seconds, but their singing is heard for quite a while, throughout the "acid-trip" sequence filmed in St. Louis Cemetery. It's a very spiritual and exceedingly strange and spooky sound.

I knew these folks personally, since I was singing on the same streetcorners during the same two- or three-year period. (I didn't know them at the time "Easy Rider" was being made, only shortly afterwards; I first arrived in New Orleans a few months after the film was shot.) These folks were nothing if not "authentic" ~ real churchgoers, real New Orleanians, and real old-fashioned, completely innocent of any "show-biz" consciousness.

I have often wondered how they might have been compensated for their contribution to that soundtrack. They were probably drastically underpaid, but maybe not. I hope I'm wrong in my suspicions.

Subject: RE: BS: Worst of the 60's 'freak' movies....
From: Little Hawk
Date: 12 Jun 07 - 12:07 AM

Cool story, Poppa Gator.

Brando was behaving more and more strangely in every film appearance by the time of Missouri Breaks. He would belch, fart, sneer, and indicate in every way possible his total ennui and disgust with himself, the movies, life, and other people. At least, that's how it seemed to me. Was this "the method"? Was it great acting? I sincerely hope not. Something was definitely bothering the man.

Subject: RE: BS: Worst of the 60's 'freak' movies....
From: Wesley S
Date: 12 Jun 07 - 10:22 AM

This just in:

Van Sant Tests Electric Kool-Aid Acid
Source: Variety June 11, 2007


Nearly 40 years after its original publication, Tom Wolfe's hallucinogenic novel The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test is headed for the big screen. Gus Van Sant is attached to direct, and Lance Black ("Big Love") will write the script.

The book told the story of a cross-country road trip that "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" author Ken Kesey orchestrated with a group called the Merry Pranksters. Driving in a psychedelically painted bus from California to visit the World's Fair in New York in 1964, Kesey and his band used the trip as a way to turn on those they met to the mind-expanding wonders of LSD.

Kesey ingested the drug while he wrote "Cuckoo's Nest," crediting the hallucinogen for many of the ideas in the book.

The film will focus on Kesey and include events that occurred after the road trip.

Subject: RE: BS: Worst of the 60's 'freak' movies....
From: Arne
Date: 13 Jun 07 - 10:06 AM

Willie-O:

Then there's the wildly misogynist "A Boy And His Dog", with a very young but nasty Don Johnson.

Based on the Harlen Ellison short story (which was pretty good). Yes, there is some misogyny in it, but IIRC, I don't think Ellison was expounding the virtues of such....

Cheers,

Subject: RE: BS: Worst of the 60's 'freak' movies....
From: PoppaGator
Date: 13 Jun 07 - 04:29 PM

Are they casting the Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test movie yet?

Who's gonna play Neal Cassady? Jerry Garcia?

Do they need any overaged-hippie extras?

Subject: RE: BS: Worst of the 60's 'freak' movies....
From: Elmer Fudd
Date: 14 Jun 07 - 02:24 AM

Anyone see "The Trip" with Jack Nicholson as a hippie in the Haight-Ashbury who takes in a deaf runaway chick and basically ruins her life? Man, was that weird! There's a bizarre reinactment of an acid trip with hokey special effects, a scene that takes place in "the ballroom," modeled after the Fillmore, Avalon and Winterland, and a young, pre-movie star Nicholson with a fake ponytail. Scary!

Elmer

Subject: RE: BS: Worst of the 60's 'freak' movies....
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 14 Jun 07 - 04:43 PM

That was Freak Out, Elmer. The Trip had Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper. It was a documentation of an acid trip and had no real plot. Not that Freak Out had much more of a plot.