to lick your frigid fingers for the rest of your frigid life.

[thehefner]

I still haven't busted out the 30-year-old bottle of cognac yet. I thought to do it to celebrate THE HEFNER MONOLOGUES, but really, I'd kinda like to drink it with someone who knows what they're tasting, rather than alone with my plebeian tongue.

So as I was thinking up a good excuse to splurge and treat myself, look what just came out on DVD.



YES. YES. YESYESYES.

Chances are you've never heard of this film. They used to air it on Bravo... until Columbine happened. This scathing satire on that very special Hell known as the British boarding school was Malcolm McDowell's first major role, and you can so perfectly imagine Stanley Kubrick watching this and thinking, "That's Alex DeLarge."

This damn film was incredibly hard to find for years, with video stories carrying ass-old VHS copies. The DVD is being released through the Criterion Collection, which means it's a film of note, the presentation and extras will be top-notch, and it's fucking expensive. But it's worth it. Hell, while I'm splurging, I might as well go for this:



The lost brother of that classic genre of 80's funny-kids-in-very-real-peril films like GREMLINS, THE GOONIES, STAND BY ME, THE LOST BOYS, and FRIGHT NIGHT (and last year's underrated MONSTER HOUSE), finally brought back to DVD. I didn't see this until last year, but it hit me with a glorious wave of retroactive nostalgia that I fell in love with it instantly.

If you're not into the spirit of those aforementioned 80's films, it won't do a damn thing for you. If you don't, hey, no worries, not for everyone.

But for everyone else... oh holy hell, people: WOLFMAN. NARDS. BOGUS. HORACE. DRACULA+DYNAMITE=OTP. Need I say more?

Between these two films and HOT FUZZ on DVD, yes, I think I shall indeed reward myself for a first show well done. And now I shall eat ramen noodles to make up for the cost.

Now get me O LUCKY MAN! and NIGHT OF THE CREEPS on DVD, stat!

Comments

[leiacat.livejournal.com]

I'd like to offer you the use of my companionable and highly discriminating taste buds. (I'll happily watch a movie of your choice with you, too.)

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

In which case, I'll happily suggest IF... but unless you already go for those kinds of 80's movies I mentioned earlier, and also have a healthy appreciation for the classic Universal Studios Monsters, I'd hold off showing you MONSTER SQUAD.

[slaversbane.livejournal.com]

I LOVE 'IF'! and Monster Squad. That is it, If, Clockwork, Caligula...more more we need a Malcolm Macdowell movie madness night. just not the Star Trek Drek...

I am only hearing overwhelmingly positive things about how the show went, I am bummed I couldn't make it!

But then again, I watched you build it.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Dude, awesome! Have you seen O LUCKY MAN! and/or NIGHT OF THE CREEPS? Man, they need to come out on DVD right bloody now, man.

What else would really be on that Malcolm McDowell movie night that's WORTH watching? TIME AFTER TIME is a must, yes. I hear Altman's THE COMPANY is awesome. Um... well, some people love TANK GIRL...?

But then again, I watched you build it.

Aye, aye, that you did! Which is more than can be said for some other folks who didn't show up. It's all good, pally. It went damn well, and I partially have you to thank for that. The notes are starting to come in, and so I'm still gonna be tinkering with the show a bit before I take it on the road, methinks.

[leiacat.livejournal.com]

I'm utterly oblivious as to the 80s movies - at the time I was Quite Elsewhere, so I've not seen'em, and I'd definitely like to catch up on what I've missed. As to the monsters... I am all in favor of arbitrarily large amounts of bizzarre, but I'm not into blood-and-guts, even of cartoonish realisticity levels. Horror is generally not quite my cuppa.

[adaptor.livejournal.com]

I did film studies for a semester in London, fark yeah I know IF!

The Crack!erian Collection is really rolling out the goodies lately.

revolution is the opiate of the intellectuals

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Oh huzzah! But have you seen O LUCKY MAN! ?

[kali921.livejournal.com]

...who hasn't heard of the film IF?

The same ignorant fools that have never heard the word "miscegenation"?

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

A LOT of people haven't heard of IF...

I'm still learning that, by and large, when I ask someone "Have you ever seen ______" the answer is no.

[kali921.livejournal.com]

I just find that utterly lamentable. How can contemporary Americans be so fucking culturally illiterate? I mean, I'd seen IF by the time I was TEN.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I chalk it up to, in equal parts, 1.) that film is more about distracting entertainment than *art* to your average American, and 2.) we're big flaming geeks who dedicate WAY more time to watching offbeat and awesome films than people who have better things to do and/or a life.

Now we just need a date and time, a pile of women and a vat of martini.

[slaversbane.livejournal.com]

I could honestly put If, Caligula, and Clockwork on rotation, with a pile of sexy women and a vat of martini and call it a night.

hmmm. Why haven't we thought of this before?

Oh Lucky Man I have not seen, but Time After Time is a damned hoot. The Raging Moon and Figures in a Landscape are on my need to see list as well. I just think that his team ups with Lindsey Anderson showcase his freakin skills.

Stephans. Whatever you're doing now... don't.

[droidboy010101.livejournal.com]

Oh big kudos for nailing the Coca-Cola line. Somewhere buried in my cassettes is a recording off of a friend's vinyl recording of Missa Luba (Santcus: the chief choral piece at the end of If.)

Little If.... Trivia: A young Peter Gabriel was rumored to play one of the boys in If... but this Genesis thing got in the way.

Great to see Criterion putting this one out. O Lucky Man can't be far behind

Re: Stephans. Whatever you're doing now... don't.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Oh man, I wonder which one Peter Gabriel would have played? I'm a huge fan.

Man, fingers so crossed for O LUCKY MAN.