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Steve Gunn recommended Two-Lane Blacktop (1971) in Movies (curated)

 
Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)
Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)
1971 | Classics, Drama
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"First of all, how can you go wrong with a cast that includes Dennis Wilson, James Taylor, Harry Dean Stanton, Warren Oates, and of course Laurie Bird? I often imagine how great it would be to go back in time and see this film in some half-empty cinema when it opened. I discovered this film while working at the video store, when there was renewed interest in it in the late nineties. I even went so far as to reach into my video-store earnings and buy the deluxe edition, which came in a tin can with a comprehensive book. Well worth it for the unseen photos. The beginning scene, with its utter lack of dialogue, has to be one of my favorite pieces of cinema. Much of the acting feels improvised, which adds to the lost, directionless quality."

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Awix (3310 KP) rated Jabberwocky (1977) in Movies

Feb 10, 2018 (Updated Feb 10, 2018)  
Jabberwocky (1977)
Jabberwocky (1977)
1977 | Action, Comedy
Little bit Slithy, little bit Frabjous
Oddball comedy-drama that sets the tone for much of Terry Gilliam's career by being visually ravishing but a bit all-over-the-place story-wise. Gilliam's background at the time was in TV comedy, which may explain why so many well-known TV comics turn up in the film - apart from Michael Palin, there's Warren Clarke, Harry H Corbett, John le Mesurier, and so on.

The thing is that this isn't actually very funny - there are the seeds of some good jokes here, but the fact the movie has been filmed and edited in the style of an art-house historical drama kills most of them dead. Still, the medieval period has seldom been brought to the screen with such an authentic sense of filth, squalour, and misery, and the monster suit is pretty good. That said, if you're not into absurd comedy, Dragonslayer (1981) tells a very similar story in a more accessible style.

(And I have to say I'm astounded a film so focused on gore and bodily functions has only got a PG certificate. Caveat emptor.)