This Week's Aisle Seat - Summer Cavalcade Part 1

[AndyDursin]

Huge Kino Lorber wrap plus OCN titles from Vinegar Syndrome's partner labels and plenty of new releases in this week's jam-packed Aisle Seat:

https://andyfilm.com/2023/07/26/8-1-13- ... -ocn-wrap/

[Eric Paddon]

"Rather seedy" is an understatement to describe "52 Pick-Up". I was so revolted by what I saw when I got the old Blu-Ray release as a blind buy that I not only had that "I need a shower" sensation afterwards I threw the disc away because I couldn't find a single redeemable point about it, and the fact that it didn't have a great score was further reason for me to do so. Frankenheimer's obsession with shooting in minute detail the graphic nature of porn shops just made for brutal viewings and it makes it easy to understand why "Vanity" was anxious to repudiate her whole career later in her life.

[AndyDursin]

It definitely is "icky" and it's too bad because a good movie was there right in front of them. Instead Frankenheimer dwelled on all the seedy, gross elements of the material -- it was the crass and lazy approach, and it's a bummer. Great cast deserved a lot better.

[Eric Paddon]

I'm convinced they cut out more of Doug McClure as the politician Ann-Margret works for because he was all but invisible in the film.

Those porn shop scenes were basically Frankenheimer's grapes-orgy scene from "Seconds" on steroids to the max. He also insisted on putting in a drag queen parade in "Holcroft Covenant" and then if you can believe it, he patted himself on the back in his commentary for that film about how restrained he was when it came to violence! Just a reminder of how I've yet to see anything of his post-"Black Sunday" that I'd consider great.

[AndyDursin]

Did you ever see RONIN? It was the one pretty decent film he made towards the end of his career. And it's not GREAT, but it's solid.

As for the rest of his post-Black Sunday films I'd at least take the unintentionally funny (like Prophecy lol) over 52 Pick-Up.

[Eric Paddon]

I haven't seen Ronin but I'd be willing to give it a shot in the future. It'd be nice to find just one film he did after 1977 that was worthy of some of his earlier work.

And of course even without the gross-out stuff "52 Pick-Up's" other problem is the idea that any man would cheat on Ann-Margret!