I really enjoyed Peter's commentary for the movie.
The stuff where he says: "We were NOT suppossed to
film on the freeways, let alone stage shootings. But
I had worked with Roger Corman and he said just do it
anyway"....funny stuff. Indie film makers could learn
a lot from that statement.
Pretty cool that Samuel Fuller worked on this film,
uncredited though.
Anyone else like it too?
Cheers.
Dear moviefiend69,
Targets is a classic with an excellent performance by the Great Boris Karloff
and Tim O'Kelly.
I like this film and own it.
To Better Days,
BRAD
Yes, I agree Targets is excellent. I was so impressed
the first time I saw it. Do you own the DVD? I do and it
is great-letterboxed and good special features.
Karloff is very good, also Tim O'Kelly. Tim didn't do
a lot of film work after this.....wonder why?
Favourite moment is the ending at the drive-in.
Allright.
Dear moviefiend69,
I own the VHS of Targets.Karloff's dialogue is written for him and his delivery
of it is excellent.I really was moved when his character says in the hotel suite to Peter Bogdanovich,"I feel like a dinosaur ....everybody's dead!"
It's a great film to see and how underappreciated it truly is!
Next to the Frankenstein Monster this maybe Mr.Karloff's 2nd best performance.
The drive-in scene brings back memories as well as creating some great scenes of suspense.
To Better Days,
BRAD
Hey Brad,
Good to hear you own this on VHS. I own it on VHS and
DVD. I am a big fan. Yeah this has lot's of suspense at
the end. I was pretty scared when I saw the sniper
shooting people through the movie screen.
My favourite lines are "What an ugly town this has
become" when he sees all the used car lots.....and
when they read the front page of the newspaper-"This
is real terror nowdays".
Rockin'.
Dear moviefiend69,
I would not like this film so much if Boris Karloff wasn't in it.However,it's
a superb film whether Karloff's in it or not.For this writer it shows an America
of the sixties and shows also the signs of mental problems of this killer who
knew he was having problems in the film,but when he reaches out for help to his Dad and wife neither is smart enough to realize that Tim O'Kelly's character is almost begging for help without actually saying please help me.
It's a very memorable observation from a weary sounding Byron Orlock who makes that observation about Hollywood when he says ,"...what an ugly town this
has become."This movie is fictious but it is made with such a real edge to it
that one can appreciate or hate the real scenes in California at that time in the world's existence....for me it's amazing to have this past captured.
Also to witness Mr.Karloff's Great performance because he glides through this film dialogue that's very deep in it's observations and it's conclusions.Also we get to see a character that's supposedly very close to this actor's real being and not as a villian.What do you think about those observations?
I do treasure this movie, moviefiend69.
To Better Days,
BRAD
Hey Brad,
I do agree with the idea that here is this killer (Played by
Tim O'Kelly) that is basically pleading for help and no one
is listening to him. His Dad, and especially his wife.
Another good line is when they ask the killer what he is
hunting and he says "Gonna shoot some pigs!" That was a very
good line.
And yes Karloff is excellent in this film. This is probably his
best performance. I must admit I have not seen a lot of his work.
I liked all the scenes with him and Sammy (played by director Peter
Bogdanovich).
This is also a big wake up call to gun owners. It was scary that
everyone at the drive in had guns too. I do not own one.
Those are my observations.
ALlright.
[deleted]
Hello moviefiend69,
You say some amazing things about this film.
One of the earliest scenes that was a real eyeopener to me was the scene when
Bobby(Tim O'Kelly) and his Father are out in a deserted area target practicing by
shooting tincans.Bobby's Father misses a can or two so he goes and sets them up.
As he sets the cans for another round of target practice,his son gets him in
his gunsite and comes very close to pulling the trigger!
Fortunately,his Father turns around,sees Bobby pointing the gun at him and
hollers at him for this.
As I write this,I wonder what would've happened if Bobby had shot and killed his Father?
Certainly the film would've taken an unexpected turn and the viewers may never have gotten such a clear picture of Bobby and his homelife.I also think that the sympathy that I partly feel for the character may not have been there thru the rest of the film.
It's funny though....Bobby cowers in front of his Father and really seems to respect him throughout this film as he refers to him as "Sir".
A scene that has an interesting message is when the family's all at the dinner table and they are almost ready to start eating or have just begun.
During this scene,Bobby tells his Mother,Father and Wife how he'd scene
Boris Karloff's character of Byron Orlock that day.
I think it's his Father who asks him,"did he scare you?"
Replies Bobby to his Dad,"yes!"Then he quickly turns to his Wife and Mother on his left and quickly says to them,"no."
Did that scene leave an impression on you and if so what did it say to you?There seemed to me to say that Bobby respected his Father and saw him as having the upper hand in the family while the women to him required a different reaction from him psychologically...what do you think?
At the drive-in, I don't recall everyone having a gun .This writer remembers a small group of men scrambling for their guns.
A scene that really shocked me was when Orlock's female assistant is suddenly shot out of the blue!
I read and heard Karloff's character was originally supposed to be killed at his drive-in movie appearance.
I prefer Karloff's character not having been killed....I liked him in this role too much because it presented such a unique character that was so close to this Great actor.
To Better Days,
BRAD
Hey Brad,
I think that it was very important in the movie that Tim
did NOT kill his father. If you watch the movie again you
will notice that the killer is afraid of his father.....
even though he points a gun at him. It makes perfect sense
that he didn't kill him. He was scared of him.
That was also a neat thing that you picked up on the dinner
converstion. I had forgot about that. What I like about that
scene is the overlapping dialogue which is very realistic.
People do talk over each other...or have different discussions,
especially at a dinner table.
One last thing, your end statement is To Better Days. Is it
from a movie? Or is your own personal ideal?
Nice.
Dear moviefiend69,
Psychologically speaking there are alot big moments and little moments in Targets that are just so beautifully written ,acted and directed in that film
that make this gem of a classic such a memorable viewing expierence.
Especially how both Bobby and Byron act or react to those around them.This is a film that is not perfect,however the way the events take place in this a motion picture can cause anyone who cares about these two characters not to soon forget about them or any of the events that happen in this film.As I write this reply,I'm thinking about how we see Bobby's dealings with his world degenerate until he becomes a mass murderer while Byron Orlock's world starts out chaotic and something that he wants to retire from by giving up movies and going back to England,however his world seems to be satisfactorily resolved and regenerated after he faces Bobby at the Drive-In,slaps him across the face and then takes the gun from him.
Regarding my closing wishes to all...that's something that Dr.Frasier Crane said to his brother Niles and Niles's longtime love Daphne when the pair have just gotten together after they finally admit that they love each other.
Before Frasier happily drinks a subtle toast to them in this episode he raises his glass and says that phrase to them both because Daphne had just left her husband to be at the altar as Niles had just left his new shrew of a wife to be with the girl of his dreams.I'm unhappy with the state of the nation nowadays so I stole that single line to bring some philisophical relief to myself and maybe others.Thank you for noticing.It's a request that I hold dearly.
To Better Days,
BRAD
Hey Brad,
I like what you wrote about To Better Days.
Interesting story and a good ideal for today.
I hardly watch that show Frasier, I've seen
maybe 10 episodes. And it seems the movie
Targets is one of your favourites. I like it
too.....but it is not my favourite.
I love a movie called Midnight Run. Check it
out if you can....DeNiro and Grodin are in it.
I love it because it is a film with
very human characters. The best developed in
any action film. What are some of yours?
I noticed you like Slumber Party Massacre
which is a minor cult classic.
Nice.
Dear moviefiend69,
I can't say enough good about Slumber Party Massacre which I consider to be one of the best of the mad slasher films ever made.It has it's faults but so do
all films.Ironically,I avoided this chiller for a long time due to it's title
which I never thought I would find in it such a cornucopia of excellently made
low budget thrills and chills.It just goes to show you that a movie doesn't
need to have a budget that would pay for a flight to and from the moon.
The makers of this film really knew how to make the most out of a film with a small budget.I think I could write about Slumber Party Massacre(1982)
for quite awhile...but I'll end this piece right now by asking what do you think?
To Better Days,
BRAD
Slumber Party Massacre was a different kind of film.
An all female crew....yes! And the screenwriter is a
big time feminist. Which I guess was the women saying
"2 can play at that game!"
Now my review. I liked it. But not
a lot. It had so many red herrings that after the 4th
one, it got annoying.
But still, it was well produced and a lot better than
most Hollywood crap (Showgirls, etc.) and I like your
comment about the trip to the moon.
I have also seen the sequel to this movie as well.
Rockin'
Dear moviefiend69,
Slumber Party Massacre(1982) is not the greatest film ever made ...obviously.
But this film really takes advantage of the usual setpieces found in a standard
mad slasher film of the eighties.However, this uses them more cleverly.
It's plot can be summed up in one sentence:an escaped lunatic decides a group of high school girls who are having a sleepover party in an old house should be his next victims.
Now the makers of this film take all of a slasher film's cliches and presents
them with a real unique approach to the obvious standard slasher plot.
They put new wrapping on an old idea with spooky music,atmospheric shots and give this a little more depth with most characters who are presented with a little more dimension and depth.This film ain't Shakespeare and doesn't try to be.But I think as a film to enjoy on an evening when a spooky movie is needed
then Slumber Party Massacre('82) fills the bill.
This movie was originally intended as a satire but was filmed as a serious
chiller...however it's creepy atmospherics do not keep the humor from popping
out frequently.In my opinion,it's one of best mad slashers ever made but I still put Black Christmas(1974) and Halloween(1978) above it.
To Better Days,
BRAD
Yes, Slumber Party Massacre had it's moments.
I also agree with you that Black Christmas is
an excellent movie. I highly enjoyed it, a
friend of mine insisted I watch it. And I really
liked it. Another good one is "New Years Evil"
which is about a killer who kills people in
different time zones over New Years Eve. He
ends up in Hollywood with a pretty neat twist
ending. I thought it was a clever way to end
the film.
There are lot's of good ones. Ever heard of
"Bloody Birthday"? It's about three 10 year
olds who start killing adults. No one suspects
anything, because-hey there kids right?
Add more if ya like.
Allright.
Dear moviefiend69,
I'm glad you like Black Christmas(1974) which I think is an equal of Halloween(1978).Both I think are two of the Greatest chillers of all time.
I like Halloween 4 too ....but I had to make my own edits to it for myself to really see it as a good movie .I don't care for the child -Danielle Harris in this film and I cut
out as much of her scenes as I could because I found her performance to be largely obnoxious!What I cut out of this film also is Michael Myers first attack in the
ambulance(when I cut the violence out in that scene it made it a much more disturbing event when the Great Dr.Loomis waded through the river to look at the insides of the bloody,overturned ambulance...a person's imagination can be much more
frightening than any on screen gore).I really feel Ellie Cornell doesn't get enough positive recognition for her performance in that film and overall I feel that Halloween4 is the best of the Halloween sequels.What do you think?
Black Christmas(1974)is just a total classic and
ironically it is every bit as much the classic as Halloween.In fact,
I think a sentence that I once read in describing Halloween as ..."a film that you feel more than you see"...can be used to aptly describe Black Christmas as well.Have you ever seen the website It's Me Billy.com ?It's entirely devoted
to Black Christmas and I recommend it to you and everyone else highly.
Black Christmas went largely unnoticed when it first came to the U.S. from Canada because it's distributor changed it's title because they thought it would be mistaken for a black exploitation film.
Black Christmas is a chilling film from beginning to end and I found it very frightening.As I write this I'm recalling the very disturbing scene in the park on Christmas night when the search party is formed to find the dead girl's and the sorority girl's bodies.
I've seen a large portion of New Year's Evil and found the voice of the killer in this film to be totally frightening...however I recall Roz Kelly's character's(being stuck in an a working elevator shaft where she was or wasn't to be murdered) treatment to be misogynistic ...as best as I can recall because it's been a long time since I saw it and I only saw part of this film so please
don't hold my memory as being a hypocrite cause I can only recall parts of this film.
If you can tell me more about Bloody Birthday please tell me more....I don't think I've ever seen it.
I like the very gory film Texas Chainsaw Massacre2 because if you took out all of the gore you'd still have what I'd call a classic chiller.Have you ever seen this movie?
In closing,do you think we should transfer this explicit conversation to say
the Black Christmas message board because I was thinking that we could start up
a thread there called the Moviefiend69 & Brad since we're talking mad slasher films now and really getting largely off the topic of Boris Karloff and Targets?
Please let me know what you think about all of these recollections,criticisms and suggestions.
To Better Days,
BRAD
Brad,
I will see you at the Black Christmas Site.
Under Cult Movies.
Here we go!
on the DVD can you read the letter?
i taped it from TCM on VCR - my reception is fuzzy - so i couldn't make it out.
i didn't know if it was because of bad reception of if Bogdanovich purposely made it sort of fuzzy to keep ambiguity.
"It was scary that everyone at the drive in had guns too."
Watch the movie again or the DVD.
No one at the drive in had a gun.
Even if they did what would they have shot at?
The sniper was not visible to the drive in patrons.
[True, Karloff saw his shadow when he moved to a different area]
The drive-in customers had no guns but many cars started leaving the drive-in out of fear.
Even the cops never were shown shooting as karloff had already disarmed the sniper.
There was at least one citizen shown with a gun. He and a group of other guys sneak up close to the screen, ostensibly to rush the sniper. The citizen aims his gun, but then another guy stops him because Orlok begins walking up to confront the sniper.
shareI really enjoyed Peter's commentary for the movie.
The stuff where he says: "We were NOT suppossed to
film on the freeways, let alone stage shootings. But
I had worked with Roger Corman and he said just do it
anyway"....