Alan Love Movies
- 1984
One of the last gasps of the acclaimed Hammer Studios was a series of 13 minor horror and suspense films made for British television in cooperation with 20th Century-Fox. Known as Fox Mystery Theatre or Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense, the films failed to re-create the lush Gothic atmosphere of the studio's best films of the '50s and '60s. This one from director John Hough concerns a Satanic rock band called Black Carrion which disappeared without any explanation 20 years before. Now, a reporter tries to find out why, only to be confronted with some remarkably un-Satanic music and weak chills. Norman Bird co-stars with Season Hubley and Hardware's William Hootkins. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
Unleashed just as the disco phenomenon had peaked and was slipping out of public favor, this one-of-a-kind pop musical is set in 1994, when a Mephistophelean entrepreneur named Mr. Boogalow (Vladek Sheybal) controls the international recording industry through the Worldvision Song Contest. Boogalow's wildly theatrical protégés, a decedent dance-pop group called Bim, seem a sure bet to walk off with the grand prize and worldwide fame, but at the last minute Alphie (George Gilmour) and Bibi (Catherine Mary Stewart), a folk duo from Canada, nearly steal their thunder with their song "Love, the Universal Melody." While Boogalow rigs a victory for Bim, he sees moneymaking potential in Alphie and Bibi and offers to sign them to a contract. Alphie, suspicious of Boogalow, declines, but Bibi leaps at the chance, and is soon remodeled into a stylish pop star while heart-broken Alphie throws in his lot with a gang of hippies living in the park. Bibi comes to regard fame and wealth as hollow and empty, but discovers walking away from Boogalow is easier said than done. Featuring an inarguably remarkable finale, The Apple was shot primarily in Germany, despite being set in the United States; while George Clinton is credited with writing lyrics for several of the original tunes, be advised it's not the same George Clinton who led Parliament and Funkadelic in the 1970s and '80s. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Catherine Stewart, George Gilmour, (more)
The sophomore film of Scottish director Bill Forsyth was his first international hit, a typically quirky comedy set amongst colorful Scottish teenagers. Gregory (John Gordon Sinclair) is a normal, gangly, hormonally-challenged student who, like his pals, has begun to discover the charms of the opposite sex, particularly those of Dorothy (Dee Hepburn), the new girl in school and a talented soccer player. Dorothy joins the team, and Gregory instantly becomes smitten with her. Gregory's affections are a given in spite of the fact that Dorothy is a better player than most of the boys on the hapless team, and her presence inspires a great deal of angst and embarrassment. Gregory is prepared to go to humiliating lengths in order to win Dorothy's attention, but it doesn't quite work out as he anticipates. The winner of a BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay, Gregory's Girl was followed 18 years later by a sequel, Gregory's Two Girls (1999). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Gordon Sinclair, Dee Hepburn, (more)
- 1979
- PG
Bill Forsyth displays some of the fey quirkiness that would distinguish his later, better-known directorial efforts in 1979's That Sinking Feeling. The film details the misadventures of four aimless Scottish youths, who impulsively steal a shipment of stainless-steel sinks. Once they've made off with their booty, the boys have quite a time unloading it on prospective buyers. Much of the humor is verbal, which can be a trial for viewers unwilling to decipher the cast's thick Glasgow accents. That Sinking Feeling was released in the U.S. only after the success of Forsyth's 1980s efforts Gregory's Girl and Local Hero. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Buchanan, John Hughes, (more)
