Drive-In Cult Classics 3 Review
In Drive-In Cult Classics Volume 1, the viewer got a collection of trashy but fun dramas which focused on illicit sex and death. I have not watched Volume 2, which is a set of low-budget horror movies, some of which have even made it to Mystery Science Theater. Volume 3, however, is a true mish-mash of movies, but are overall pretty fun. All come from Crown International Pictures, a distributor of cheesy exploitation flicks (with a definite inclination towards gratuitous nudity).
Volume 3 has eight movies on four discs. On the first disc is The Babysitter and Weekend with the Babysitter, a pair of generally unrelated but similar movies. Each involves a middle-aged man (played by the same actor in both movies) having a fling with his child's babysitter and in the process getting entangled with crime. The Babysitter is the only black-and-white movie in the set.
Disc 2 has The Pink Angels and Blood Mania. Blood Mania is basically a suspense story with a lot of sex and a bit of trippiness. The Pink Angels is nominally a comedy, but it lacks any real laughs. It's the story of a gang of gay bikers. They don't actually do anything with each other, but instead are just an over-the-top collection of gay stereotypes. Even for those who find this movie likeable will be put off by the ending where things take an abrupt turn.
Things get both better and worse on Disc 3. Single Room Furnished is a rare Crown attempt to be arty, with an adaptation of a play about the tragic love life of a young woman. Unfortunately, the movie is too stagy and the acting and writing are subpar, led by Jayne Mansfield in her final role before her death in a car accident.
On the other side of Disc 3 is the first of a threesome of similar movies that continue on Disc 4. All three are late-`70s teen sex comedies. Van Nuys Blvd. (on Disc 3) romanticizes the era of cruising down the boulevard every Wednesday night. The Pom Pom Girls focus on some high school football players and their attempts to woo the title characters. Malibu Beach takes place mostly on Malibu Beach. All three are reasonably interchangeable: I enjoyed Van Nuys Blvd. the best (it seemed to have the most likeable characters), but they're all decent and pieces of cinematic greatness compared to some of the other Crown fare.
Overall, this is another collection of trashy fun; I enjoyed all these films with the exception of Single Room Furnished (more boring than bad) and to a lesser extent, Pink Angels. There are even a couple extras: a commentary and a couple movie trailers. For what these movies are - cheap entertainment - this is a good set to pick up.
Drive-In Cult Classics 3 Overview
Studio: Bci Eclipse Comp Llc Release Date: 10/14/2008
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