(1981)
Dir - Desmond Davis
Overall: GOOD
Notable as the last film that famed stop-motion maverick Ray Harryhausen worked on, Clash of the Titans is an exemplary culmination of the man's abilities. As is often the case with such fantasy films, Harryhausen's involvement is the main attraction. This means that everything from Beverly Cross' script, to Desmond Davis' direction, to the Shakespearean performances by a mix of both lesser known and renowned thespians all play second fiddle to the spectacle of Medusa, the Kraken, Calibos, (also performed in close-up by character actor Neil McCarthy), the two-headed demon dog Dioskilos, a giant vulture, Bubo the R2-D2-esque owl, and Pegasus. The film is thankfully light on story and even sparse on dialog for long portions as it throws in one special effects showcase after the other, appeasing any and everyone coming to such a movie in the first place. As a big-budget retelling of the Greek myth Perseus, (played blandly enough by Harry Hamlin), it is faithful to a point and tells a proper tale of jealousy, revenge, heroic triumph, and true love winning the day. Throw in Laurence Olivier, Claire Bloom, Ursula Andress, and Burgess Meredith in togas, (plus some excellent location shooting in Italy), and this proves to be a cromulent epic.
(1982)
Dir - Slava Tsukerman
Overall: MEH
Like most seminal midnight movies, Liquid Sky exists in its own universe. The theatrical debut from Russian filmmaker Slava Tsukerman, (who had a lengthy career making documentaries and short films both in his homeland and Israel before moving to New York where this movie is set), it is a puzzling if not maddening watch that takes a singular look into the seedier aspects of Manhattan's New Wave culture. It also does so via UFO voyeurism, as a toy-sized space ship lands on top of the Empire State Building and zaps anyone who reaches an orgasm. There is a lot of goofiness to be found in the script, which is a combination of one from Tsukerman and another from his wife Nina V. Kerova and lead actor Anne Carlisle, the latter who portrays two different androgynous characters. The dialog is hilariously vile and delivered with sterile matter of factness at times, plus the costume and set design is all German Expressionism by-way-of neon, drugged-out night life. Sadly though, the presentation grows more aloof than fascinating and the excessive running time feels its length as unlikable characters persistently doom each other in their quest to get laid, get high, and reject the conformity of both vanilla-flavored society and their own anti-establishment clique.
(1984)
Dir - Thom Eberhardt
Overall: MEH
The full-length debut from director Thom Ederhardt, (whose Night of the Comet was released the same year), Sole Survivor wins points for adding some bizarre touches and atmosphere to a quasi-slasher framework, but its story is too flat. Featuring no notable actors sans Brinke Stevens who shows up just to take her top off in a strip poker game, it has some Carnival of Souls/Messiah of Evil energy in fits in starts. When Anita Skinner encounters motionless strangers who stare at her from a distance and David F. Anthony's musical score emits an ominous low-end hum, the film creates a creepy aura that is unfortunately unmatched by most of everything else that happens. There is an unstable actor who gets premonitions and starts behaving erratically, a budding romance that goes nowhere, and people do not believe any of the mysterious tales that Skinner tells because A) she just underwent a trauma where she was the only one to walk away from a plane crash unscathed and B) she is a woman. This is a shame since a handful of moments are chilling and the care was taken to give it a sinister and schlock-free mood, but the approach deserves a more engaging narrative.
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