Well, it seems like the mid-week blues have kind of turned Wednesday into Spy Thriller Mystery Killer-Diller Chiller nite lately, not exactly monsters, but I've been diggin' it, and I hope you have too! Tonight is no exception, cause when you want to talk about rock music in a 60's movie you have to talk about "Blowup!"
SOUNDCLIP NOT AVAILABLE
David Hemmings is Thomas, The Photographer!!
The statuesque Veruschka von Lehndorff, a real original supermodel plays herself!! When she modeled, she was just known only by her first name,
Veruschka!!
So if for some strange reason, you don't know about this film, Thomas is shooting some fotos in a park, and Vanessa Redgrave as Jane, gets all hot and bothered over it, so he figures out something isn't right because she's rabid about getting the pictures from him, so he starts blowing them up, bigger and bigger until he starts seeing details like that gun in the bushes!
Director Michelangelo Antonioni had some funny vision as Thomas walks under this outcropping in his flat, and just barely clears it without bumping his head!!
These two frisky little birds, Jane Birkin in the back and Gillian Hills in front, pursue Thomas, and Director Antonioni uses them to full advantage!! Jane was billed solely as "The Blonde" and Gillian was billed as "The Brunette!" Hot!
Just seeing The Yardbirds with Keith Relf, Jimmy Page, and Jeff Beck in it, was then, and is now, well worth the price of admission, and the rest of the movie is pretty damn entertaining too. And you get all that without even mentioning that the meat of the soundtrack was written by a young man in his first major film outing, and still going by the name Herbert, an amazing musician who has gone from Miles to Rock-it and beyond, Mr. Herbie Hancock!! Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is a line up!!!!
Pretty funny set-up, as Thomas moves through the crowd to the throbbing beat of "Stroll On", and I couldn't, and I sure you won't be able to, not tap your foot or something, and yet the whole crowd is completely stoic, and never even twitches a muscle!!
Oh, did I say never? I meant never, like not until Jeff Beck smashes his guitar, and then, and only then, does the crowd go absolutely freakin' wild after he throws the broken neck into the crowd, and like a blushing bridesmaid at a wedding party catching the bride's corsage, Thomas ends up with the broken neck, and runs out into the night with the crowd pursuing him, and when he finally gets away, he just drops it on the sidewalk like a piece of garbage, and walks away!! What a statement!!! What a movie!!
We're gonna blame this one on our pal Prof. Grewbeard over at Magic Carpet Burn, because without him I might have gone through life without ever seeing this film, and while that might have been a good thing, it's too late now, and I have to share!! The title says it all, or nothing, depending on your point of view!!! it's the "Godmonster of Indian Flats!"
They just don't make Nevada like this anymore!!
These were actually the Big Money machines!!
The Primadonna in Reno wasn't exciting enough, so they decide to move the party to a more happening location!!!
Once again we bow down to the Maestro André Brummer, aka Henri Price, aka Henry Price, the man behind the music of Arch Hall and Ray Dennis Steckler Dungeon classics like "Eegah!!!" and "Rat Pfink a Boo Boo," who never fails to come up with some good stuff, no matter what the odds!!
I'm serious, I swear to The Godmonster, do not tell anybody, but I used to own a button front red flannel shirt just like that, and me and Tabonga used to share it!!! No crap!!
So it's like an old western town kinda like "Westworld" without the robots, where they punk this city slicker dude who came to buy up all the mining rights!
You killed my dog, Dawg!!
There's a mad scientist living outside of town who has an assistant named Mariposa! I think if I was paying attention correctly, when they said Mariposa's name for like the 367th time, that's what created the monster! At least I know it drove me insane!!!
You can thank God that producer, writer, and monster designer Fredric Hobbs only ever designed one, because, really, I know there's a sheep in there somewhere, but why's it so dumpy, and what's up with the one long leg? At least, for the most part they don't focus, or keep the camera on it for a very long shot! I do gotta say, it sure does look like it would smell mighty funky, kind of like "The Heap!"
Hey, did any of you kids invite a big stinky sheep lookin attacked by wolves and regurgitated as a giant hairball monster to the picnic?? C'mon kids!!!
