Poe X 3

 

 (imdb)

SPIRITS OF THE DEAD-1968-3 tales loosely based on stories by the legendary Edgar Allen Poe by 3 different directors. 

The first is "Metzengerstein" by Roger Vadim, about a cruel countess (Jane Fonda) whose life of debauchery is changed by the death of her mysterious cousin (Peter Fonda) and a wild horse he owned. "William Wilson" by Louis Malle is about a psychotic man (Alain Delon) plagued by another man who has the same name. He plays cards with a woman (Bridgitte Bardot) and wins by cheating. To pay her debt, he whips her but the other Wilson exposes him. They have a duel; both end up dying. "Toby Dammit" by Federico Fellini is about a burnout film star (Terence Stamp) who agrees to be in an Italian movie because the producers promise to give him a Ferrari in lieu of payment. It seems to be a plot by the devil, in the guise of a sinister little girl, to get his head. 

Strange trilogy that could have been better. Despite the three directors, it's missing something. Originally, Orson Welles and/or Luis Bunel were supposed to direct a segment. When AIP released it in the US it had opening narration by Vincent Price.

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Demme's Third

 

 (imdb)

FIGHTING MAD-1976-Tom (Peter Fonda), a divorced dad returns to his rural Arkansas horse farm with his young son Dylan (Gino Franco) to help run the place with his dad (John Douchette) and brother Charlie (Scott Glenn). Meanwhile a contractor Pierre Crabtree (Phillip Carey) and a senator (Noble Willingham) plot to take over the town and close down the farm to make way for a strip-mining factory and stuff. Tom almost immediately hooks up with former flame Lorene (Lynn Lowry). Corporate thugs beat up Charlie and his wife (Kathleen Miller), then kill them in a car crash and make it look like they were drunk. 

When workers try to come in and bulldoze the farm, Tom stops them. He even drives several trucks off the road while riding a motorcycle with Dylan. When some company goons beat him up, Loraine attacks them with a hammer. After Tom blows up some equipment, the storm trooper like police throw everyone in jail. Then a judge, who might have ruled in favor of the farmers, is killed. This allows the corporation to really take over and burn down Tom's farm and causing the death of his father. Tom invades Crabtree's citadel and blows everyone away. He gets shot up but the stupid sheriff (Harry Northup) finally comes through and covers up Tom's involvement. 

This low budget action revenge drama was future Academy Award winning director Jonathan Demme's third feature after CAGED HEAT (1974) and CRAZY MAMA (1975).

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In The Future

 

 (imdb)

IDAHO TRANSFER-1973-At facility in Idaho, a secret project plans to send young people 56 years into the future to start a new civilization. Two sisters (who's father heads the project) go into the future and talk endlessly. One is injured in a fall and dies (?). Later some "young people" go to live in the future without the project knowing and are stranded there. 

Occasionally interesting it's undone by bad acting and characters talking and walking too much. Director Peter Fonda financed the film himself (said to be around $500,000) and with the exception of Keith Carradine in a small role all the other characters are non-professionals.

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Ghost Rider

GHOST RIDER-2007-This adaptation of the Marvel comic isn't very good. It takes forever to get started and when it finally does it's pretty incoherent. 

Nicolas Cage (who I've been told took his last name from comic book hero Luke Cage) is Johnny Blaze, a daredevil motorcycle stuntman who sells his soul to the devil (Peter Fonda, sounding a lot like David Carradine) to save his father who dies anyway. Eventually his head turns into flaming skull and he fights crime and three evil riders. Not learning from the mistakes of Ang Lee's THE HULK, some genius thought it would be good to bring in Sam Elliot to growl out the legend. Eva Mendes is equally unfortunate as Blaze's reporter/long lost love. 

This was not director/screenwriter Mark Steven Johnson's first encounter with a Marvel superhero. He'd previously messed up...I mean made DAREDEVIL with Ben Affleck. Still the movie did well enough to spawn a sequel in 2011, GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE.

The real deal!

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Tripping With Corman

THE TRIP-1967-This Roger Corman directed psychedelic drama is the first and best of ‘60’s “drug culture” films. Although it’s sparse on storylines and character development Corman manages to keep it all together in a low budget miasma of lights, sex scenes and various weird scene changes. Peter Fonda is a director of TV commercials who’s going through a divorce with his wife (Susan Strasberg). Bruce Dern convinces him to try LSD. The remainder of the story has him wandering the city “tripping”. Corman uses a lot of quick editing and weird lighting to achieve this and basically succeeds but there’s not much of a plot.

Two years later Fonda and Dennis Hopper would team up to make EASY RIDER.

THE TRIP also features appearances by Barboura Morris, Dick Miller, Luana Anders, Michael Blodgett and Angelo Rosetti.

Screenwriter Jack Nicolson had an un-billed role in Corman’s THE ST. VALENTINE’S MASSACRE and co-starred in HELLS ANGELS ON WHEELS and THE SHOOTING the same year.

"Perhaps it’s a mutation. There’s a lot of that going around"-Patrick O’Neal in “Fear of Spiders” (NIGHT GALLERY TV episode)

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