House Calls

That’s a very big face mask.

Yes, it’s another movie from the Hazel Flagg Collection.

These mainstream US 70s movies… I’ve watched so few of them, which was one of the attractions of Hazel Flagg’s list of movies. This is very amiable, very professional — the jokes keep coming, and the performances are totally on point.

But I can totally see that this is one of those lost movies — it’s not very high concept (i.e., no hook) and the actors seem mostly to be character actors. And so I’m watching this on DVD:

The director here does not have an extensive career, but I’ve seen Slither, at least…

It’s just so… well made. Matthau and Glenda Jackson have incredible chemistry, and that doesn’t hurt, of course, but the entire thing just feels so effortless and charming. The repartee keeps on being amusing, but without feeling forced.

*gasp* Shoes on on the bed!

I’ve been wondering what this reminds me of, and it dawned on me that this is giving me “superior 1980 TV episode”, in a way. I don’t mean that as an insult — it’s just that this puts me in a similar mood as to what I remember being when I was thirteen and watching Hill Street Blues or something. It’s just three years off, Google tells me.

Like one of those shows, only loads better, of course.

The interest here is (like in Hill Street Blues) the characters and the witty lines, and the plot is basically incidental. But watching this has made me want to re-watch Hill Street Blues! I wonder how that holds up…

Anyway, this was incredibly satisfying to watch.

House Calls. Howard Zieff. 1978. ⚅

Cat People

I’ve seen the 80s remake of this, but never this version. But I’m watching this because of Hazel Flagg recommendation.

This 2K restoration (from Criterion) looks very nice.

*gasp*

I’m really enjoying this… it’s building up nicely.

Psychoanalysis!

This movie is terrific. Very compact, very tense, and doesn’t quite go where you’re expecting it to. The only thing is that it seems a bit under-developed? It’s like… there could have been more? Some of the plot developments seem a bit abrupt? But I guess that’s part of the charm — it goes for atmosphere instead of character development.

Cat People. Jacques Tourneur. 1942. ⚄

9 To 5

I have seen this movie before — I was in my early teens and probably saw this on VHS? So I remember nothing about it, except the title track, which is a bit of an earworm. But while I don’t remember anything specific about it, I do feel like I enjoyed it?

I did think it was more of an 80s movie than it seems like it is — I mean, I was expecting bigger shoulders; like a mid-80s thing, but it’s from 1980! It’s literally a seventies movie!

But the reason I’m watching it now is because it’s part of the Hazel Flagg collection.

Is it being metaphorical already?

To watch it, I had to get this gorgeously designed British DVD — it doesn’t seem to be available on bluray? Which just seems absurd for a blockbuster like this.

It looks quite unrestored, too — quite grainy. Fortunately the DVD is anamorphic, at least, so that’s good. But it just looks really odd! It’s got that over-sharpened VHS look, complete with pre-echoes and all. It really looks like it’s been transferred from VHS.