Summertime shenanigans aplenty in this rather obscure pre-Porky's teen sex comedy with a dark edge to it.
It's guys versus girls, vans versus pick-up trucks, summertime partying, pranks, a nerdy guy (who resembles a young Harold Ramis) who desperately wants to hang out with the cool crowd, and of course a bit of T&A.
Presumably inspired by the succes of The Pom Pom Girls (1976) in the drive-in theatres around that time, Mag Wheels stars John Laughlin (who would go on to do Footloose and Crimes Of Passion a few years later) amongst a cast of mostly unknowns.
George Barris, creator of many famous vehicles in movie history (including the original Batmobile) is credited as executive producer, which explains the abundance of customized vans and pick-up trucks, and can be seen in a cameo appearance as well (as a garage owner, what else?).
Mag Wheels was directed by Bethel Buckalew, who did a bunch of sexploitation films for Harry Novak's company Boxoffice International, in the early 1970s. For unknown reasons he quit making movies before the 70s came to a close, with Mag Wheels and a film called My Boys Are Good Boys as his last directorial efforts in 1978.
For those interested, Mag Wheels was released on dvd in 2013 under its alternate Summer School title through VCI Entertainment. It's a bare-bones disc, with the sleeve incorrectly claiming it to be a fullframe presentation, while in fact it is anamorphic widescreen (albeit interlaced).
posted
Looks like a stupid and fun film, just how i like them Never heard of this one before. I own one film directed by Bethel Buckalew, the sexploitation romp The Pig Keeper´s Daughter (1972) which i enjoyed surprisingly much Posts: 7054 | From: Finland | Registered: Feb 2008 | Site Updates: 7
| IP: Logged |
posted
The Pig Keeper's Daughter is one of those Harry Novak Boxoffice International productions, and indeed it's rather entertaining for what it is. Buckalew was actually quite good at doing these sexploitation quickies, most of which were released on dvd through the Something Weird label in the earlier days of the format.. not sure if they're still available though, but they're certainly worth a look, especially the so called "hillbilly" series :
On a side note, The Imdb claims Buckalew was born on January 11th 1929, but there's no mentioning a date of death, so i assume he's still with us, and that would make him 91 years old.. Cheers Bethel ! Posts: 2176 | From: The Netherlands | Registered: Jun 2011 | Site Updates: 0
| IP: Logged |
aTomiK
.... has green eyes as well....
Member # 6575
The Pigkeeper´s Daughter was released here on dvd during the wild Another World Entertainment days. Every major chain had these in shelves and how can you not pick it up with a teasing cover art like this?
Posts: 7054 | From: Finland | Registered: Feb 2008 | Site Updates: 7
| IP: Logged |
I vaguely remember they released The Dirty Mind Of Young Sally (1973), another Novak/ Buckalew sexploitaion effort, on dvd here in Holland. I highly doubt they sold more than 50 copies of it though. There's just no market for these type of films here. The people that are actually familiar with these titles most likely preferred to pick up one of the import discs instead, as the Dutch disc wasn't really that good anyway.
Posts: 2176 | From: The Netherlands | Registered: Jun 2011 | Site Updates: 0
| IP: Logged |
aTomiK
.... has green eyes as well....
Member # 6575
posted
The Town That Dreaded Sundown - That empty feeling when you've waited decades to see a film and then are counting down the minutes for it to end 5/10
Posts: 4057 | From: uk | Registered: May 2007 | Site Updates: 0
| IP: Logged |
Helen_S
Hiding behind the shower curtain.....
Member # 5804
posted
A Night To Remember (1958) - I've seen some adequate Titanic films/miniseries in the past but this one here directed by one of my faves, Roy Ward Baker, was on another level. Slayed me. There were definitely some people I had preference over on getting a boat. I might watch that little '97 film one day. 9/10
Posts: 4057 | From: uk | Registered: May 2007 | Site Updates: 0
| IP: Logged |
Helen_S
Hiding behind the shower curtain.....
Member # 5804
posted
Burnt Offerings - I love this really moody horror. It's just under 2 hours and every minute of it is needed I feel as it just builds and builds until you can't take anymore of that haunted house under your skin feeling. The beautiful house used here was later the Phantasm funeral home, so everytime the creepy undertaker guy showed up it was very surreal. I am so grateful that I had forgotten the ending cos it was a beaut! I love the seriously lacking in subtlety music as well. There is one part that shouldn't but does make me laugh hard, that pool scene ahaha! Good stuff. 8/10
Posts: 4057 | From: uk | Registered: May 2007 | Site Updates: 0
| IP: Logged |
Helen_S
Hiding behind the shower curtain.....
Member # 5804
posted
The Bat (1926) - Well what a brilliant good humoured thriller. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend this to a Silent film virgin or somebody who just hasn't been able to gel with any as it just doesn't let up from the off. Probably the plain old funnest one I've seen so far. The story is great, it looks great. That house and the miniatures beautiful. I loved the music through the whole thing with one part in particular making me think of the music in Eyes Wide Shut. The characters, especially knitting Auntie were super. A Batman film with this mask please! 8/10
Posts: 4057 | From: uk | Registered: May 2007 | Site Updates: 0
| IP: Logged |
Helen_S
Hiding behind the shower curtain.....
Member # 5804
posted
Creatues The World Forgot - Typical fun prehistoric romp from Hammer with tanned 6 packed fitties. The doll babies were the stuff of nightmares and my favourite part was when a guy broke a bears neck with his bare hands. 7/10
Posts: 4057 | From: uk | Registered: May 2007 | Site Updates: 0
| IP: Logged |
Helen_S
Hiding behind the shower curtain.....
Member # 5804
posted
Yoy Can't Cheat An Honest Man (1939) - This was utterly bonkers!! Majority of the film is set in a circus with a manager who gets a shower off an elephant, a croc who has a doll it swallowed pulled out of its mouth, a lying little cow crying that her dog was stood on and killed by an elephant to swindle money out of the owner and a ventriloquist who interacts with his dummies all of the time even when up in a hot air balloon and in jail. A great laugh. 7/10
Posts: 4057 | From: uk | Registered: May 2007 | Site Updates: 0
| IP: Logged |
Helen_S
Hiding behind the shower curtain.....
Member # 5804
posted
Dracula (1958) - Crazily I haven't watched this mostly fantastic Hammer series through since 2014!! This one has never quite broke into my top 3 of the set and for a bit there I was worried that it wasn't quite as good as I remembered but as soon as King Peter Cushing arrives it flows beautifully from then on. As with most Hammers it looks delicious and has atmosphere for days. I loved the small humourous moments thrown in a couple of places too. I like Michael Gough but I just have no idea what he was thinking here. His poses and voice is so OTT, it really stands out as not in fitting with the rest of the cast and film in general. He does tone it down in the last third and is much better. Just wished he'd been like that for the rest. The score is simply sensational whether that's in its big booming moments or the quieter times. Can't wait to see Brides again tomorrow! 9/10
Posts: 4057 | From: uk | Registered: May 2007 | Site Updates: 0
| IP: Logged |
Helen_S
Hiding behind the shower curtain.....
Member # 5804
posted
The Brides Of Dracula (1960) - This one just takes my breath away from start to finish and easily surpasses the first for me. What a feast for the eyes, I worship every inch of those sets. If I lived in that chateau I would just spend all the minutes walking around admiring. The music is beautiful and that balcony matte painting, just, wow, be still my heart!! Used to really annoy me how this one seemed to get dismissed a lot as there is no actual Dracula character or Christopher Lee, but we still have Peter Cushing and David Peel is really great as Vampire Baron Meinster. My other fave in the film is Martita Hunt who plays his Mother who chains him up and feeds him. Nice to see lots of much deserved appreciation for it these days though. The ending is so exciting and bats, we have bats!! It only gets better as the next one tomorrow is my all time favourite horror!! 10/10
Posts: 4057 | From: uk | Registered: May 2007 | Site Updates: 0
| IP: Logged |
Helen_S
Hiding behind the shower curtain.....
Member # 5804
posted
Dracula: Prince Of Darkness (1966) - So this is it!! My all time favourite horror film. It's hard for me to put into words just how much I love this film. Every single thing about it. There are bits and pieces of all of my favourite things that I love about a horror in lots of other films but they are all combined in this. I have chills through this whole picture to this day. And the section from when the two brothers and their wives are taken to the castle, on one of a few glorious horse and carriage rides, till when they leave has my heart racing and I find it truly frightening as our moaning but sensible Helen who nobody listens to says in this. Much of those parts are like a ghost/murder mystery film with the wind howling a gale outside, curtains blowing, Klove arriving from the shadows cue fantastic shriek. Barbara Shelley is fantastic in this. Her "There'll be no morning for us" line is one of my favourites, really chilling right up there with Bela Lugosi's 'We understand each other better now" from White Zombie and The Invisible Man's reign of terror speech.
Dracula is my favourite horror character and for me this is the most menacing portrayal. I am glad that Christopher Lee didn't like the lines he was given and refused to speak as it made him downright scary in this animalistic, hissing viper way. This also has my favourite resurrection scene ever. It is so disturbing, so dramatical and just wow, it really blows me away everytime.
I think the music is used better here than in any of the others. Perfect placement. Andrew Keir is brilliant as the Father. As much as I like Van Helsing and adore Peter Cushing this was not the type of film for Helsing. I'm glad they went this route. I loved his entrance as the hysterical villagers are about to stake a girl who hasn't even been bitten and then to the inn warming his backside at the fire haha. I also like the Renfield type character. And of course I can not leave this without mentioning the beautiful castle and my dream, four poster beds with red velvet curtains <3 Aww, I am tingling all over after this watch. 10/10
Posts: 4057 | From: uk | Registered: May 2007 | Site Updates: 0
| IP: Logged |
Helen_S
Hiding behind the shower curtain.....
Member # 5804
posted
Dracula Has Risen From The Grave (1968) - While this 4th film has a bit of a dip in quality it's still a hell of a great time. The way Dracula is brought back is a bit crap but then anything woulda looked inferior after the glorious resurrection in Prince Of Darkness. This one predominantly takes place in the village. Mostly in the priests house and the inn, cellars, dingy corridors and much of the travelling between buildings takes place uniquely via the rooftops. It's stunning, as is the lighting in this one, so Bavaesque. Dracula's death is ten times better than his resurrection and the final shot of castle, cross and cape is divine! 8/10
Posts: 4057 | From: uk | Registered: May 2007 | Site Updates: 0
| IP: Logged |
posted
Suspiria. I couldn’t find a separate thread for this movie (I could’ve sworn it had its own thread). It was okay. I think it’s a bit dated. It didn’t really scare me like I thought it would. I did enjoy the costumes, hairstyles and background music.
Posts: 2289 | From: Pittsburgh | Registered: Nov 2008 | Site Updates: 0
| IP: Logged |
Helen_S
Hiding behind the shower curtain.....
Member # 5804
posted
I think I need to watch it at night for the full effect lol. I’m at home sick, so I decided to watch a movie in the afternoon. I forgot to add, I really loved the sets too. The entire atmosphere was great. I think if I watch it at night, it will be scarier.
Posts: 2289 | From: Pittsburgh | Registered: Nov 2008 | Site Updates: 0
| IP: Logged |
Helen_S
Hiding behind the shower curtain.....
Member # 5804
posted
Taste The Blood Of Dracula (1970) - I think this 5th entry is probably just the plain old funnest one of them. The plot is pretty threadbare, just Dracula getting revenge on a few guys basically. I love the twisted way in which he does it though, using their own kids to end them for him. That spade to the head was pretty great I have to applaud the opening, how it continues on from the last film. Simple but clever. As much as I enjoyed mingling in the village in the last film and the beautiful derelict church and graveyard in this one, I cannot wait to get back into that castle with one of my faves of the series next! 8/10
Posts: 4057 | From: uk | Registered: May 2007 | Site Updates: 0
| IP: Logged |
Helen_S
Hiding behind the shower curtain.....
Member # 5804
posted
Scars Of Dracula (1970) - Oh, I gave this top marks last time. Afraid I didn't love it quite as much tonight. Just some minor issues. I kinda couldn't get over the sets, especially the castle and its effects. They looked more like shops own brand than the glory that we're used to. Also I still am unsure if Klove is just another servant with the same name or if he is the guy from Prince Of Darkness. If the latter, as much as I like Patrick Troughton, why make him so different in looks and character. Also I just thought it lacked a bit of oomph to begin with.
Anyway enough of those minor grievances and to all the good stuff. Dracula was brought back by the most adorable bat who goes on to do a lot of carnage. There's one scene in particular that stands out with a prolonged quite disturbing attack. I think this one on the whole is the most savage. Dracula manically stabbing somebody to death and slicing Klove's back up with a red hot knife as punishment, eyeballs protruding. It's pretty gross! I absolutely love how he has his little sleeping room that people can only get to by crawling down the castle via rope through the window or for him just scale the wall, brill. The painting looking down to the bottom of the castle was excellent. I also think this was Christopher's best look as the Count, looked very dashing and he spoke quite a bit but it was all very charming not the silliness of "The first', "The second' "The third" of the prior film. The end is a bit daft and the mask on the stunt guy is quite bad but I just still like it. The noises he makes are ugh. So yeah, it's gone down a little bit in my estimation but I still had a great time with it. I'm not looking forward to the next one. 8/10
Posts: 4057 | From: uk | Registered: May 2007 | Site Updates: 0
| IP: Logged |
Helen_S
Hiding behind the shower curtain.....
Member # 5804
posted
Dracula A.D. 1972 - I know this one has its oddball fans But it's always been the dud of the series for me. I don't despise it in the way that I do the dud of the Frankenstein series (Evil Of Frankenstein) but yeah, there's not much I like. Today I enjoyed the opening couple of minutes and the last 25 minutes but that is basically because Peter Cushing, who is strikingly handsome here, is so good and all over it. It's that hour in between that's the problem. It bores me rigid. I couldn't stop yawning through that hour even though there are people I like in it like obviously Lee, and Caroline Munro and Stephanie Beacham. The music is so godawful, really embarrassing, makes me cringe. And that party after the opening credits, geez. If this had been a silly 70s comedy I probably woulda liked that scene but in a Hammer Dracula, it sucks. And it's not a case of me just not liking it in a modern setting cos I love the next film. Ugh, I just wish I had it in me to skip this one but I cannot. Anyway to end positively, the end is fabulously gruesome. 5/10
Posts: 4057 | From: uk | Registered: May 2007 | Site Updates: 0
| IP: Logged |
Helen_S
Hiding behind the shower curtain.....
Member # 5804
posted
The Satanic Rites Of Dracula (1973) - I love this much maligned entry to the series. This is how you do modern day Dracula right! The cellar chained vampires terrified me when I was a kid and I love the kills down there. This is like Hammer Dracula/dingy 70s crime TV film/show all mixed up. Love Dracula having fun in this one just wanting to f everybody up with a bit of plague, you know, passes the time. Love the music. The meeting between Van Helsing and Dracula in the office is my favourite scene with Dracula and his disguised accent and Helsing with his tiny gun. Love the brilliant looong effects at the end. Great stuff. Sad that I only have one more to go now 8/10
Posts: 4057 | From: uk | Registered: May 2007 | Site Updates: 0
| IP: Logged |
posted
Passport to Pimlico (1949) starring Stanley Holloway, Margaret Rutherford, Hermione Baddeley, Paul Dupuis, Charles Hawtrey, Raymond Huntley, and a raft of other staunch thespians.
The plot – as if I need to remind anyone – begins with the unplanned detonation of a WW2 bomb. The explosion uncovers a whole heap of treasure, along with documents that prove that the area around a few streets in Pimlico is actually sovereign territory of Burgundy, after it was ceded to the then Duke by King Edward IV.
The locals realise they are rich, and also no longer subject to rationing, licensing laws, and other restrictions. However, the area quickly becomes a beacon for spivs and black marketeers, and to stop this, the British close the border.
Solving the problem of what to do with the locals becomes harder, as the representatives of the various Government officials and the new Burgundians become intransigent. The arrival of the current Duke of Burgundy just adds to the locals’ sense of freedom and privilege.
Cue water and food shortages, and tube trains being stopped at the border. Something needs to be done…
There’s such a charm and an innocence about this endearing comedy, with some very funny moments, and some sparkling dialogue, such as when the local copper declares “Blimey! I’m a foreigner!”, and possibly the best quote ever:
" We always were English, and we'll always be English, and it's just because we are English that we're sticking up for our rights to be Burgundians! "
Literally strewn with images of post-war London in the process of rebuilding, there is a timeless value as a history piece here. It’s a reminder of the boundless (and sometimes mindless) optimism that carried Britons through the early post-war years and through some very hard times. Most of all, though, it’s hilarious.
One of Ealing’s finest.
Posts: 3646 | From: Shermer, IL - where else? | Registered: Mar 2001 | Site Updates: 37
| IP: Logged |
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Never heard of this one before.![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
5/10
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
9/10
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
8/10
