The FORT90 FILM CLUB is back with not another double, but a TRIPLE (advertised) feature this time! With all three flicks both featuring copious amounts of music and wheels...
MYSTERY MOVIE #1: In this reimagining of the Greek myth Orpheus and Eurydice, the former is a rock star and the latter is a dancer, who fall in love with each other and get married. When the Euthanasia Broadcast Network, which is run by the undead and which also zombifies their viewers, views the couple as potential ratings boosters, Eurydice is murdered and her soul is taken to the underworld.
Those familiar with the tale know what happens next: Orpheus heads to hell. Perhaps predictable as well is the clear channeling of Brazil and The Rocky Horror Picture Show in terms of ambiance and energy. This is a cult hit that might fall flat with more modern audiences; admittedly its idea of anti-authoritarianism is rather quaint when viewed through a modern lens. Yet it remains an interesting artifact nonetheless.
MYSTERY MOVIE #2: The plot goes something like this: a guy engages in swordplay with ninjas and a host of other colorful characters. He also has some gal pals, rather scantily clad, and they all traverse a post-apocalyptic landscape on roller blades. But that’s not the real story here.
The real story is how this film serves as the first example of “Zen Filmmaking”, in which there are no scripts and auteur is encouraged to shoot “whatever you feel like.” The end result is something that quite simply challenges the notion of what a movie actually is. Which, in the hands of a bit more competent auteur might be quite the intriguing exercise. But in the hands of someone who also made a movie called Lingerie Kickboxer, you get something that many have called unwatchable... yet at the same time hypnotizing?
MYSTERY MOVIE #3: The film is simply just a night at a LA roller rink, designed to cash in on the white-hot roller disco craze that had swept the nation. Too bad by the time of the film’s release, the entire country’s musical tastes had completely changed.
The story concerns a contest among local skaters, though the key detail is how it’s the perfect marriage of screwball comedy & variety show, and therefore an ultimate time capsule of the late 70s. The real attraction is the all-star cast, at least by 70s standards, which includes Scott Baio, Flip Wilson, Ruth Buzzi, Ron Palillo (you know, Horshack from Welcome Back, Kotter), and Maureen McCormick (yes, Marcia Brady, but she's totally boy crazy here).
Yet the true stand out is easily Patrick Swayze in his debut role; it is impossible to accurately describe how mesmerizing he is, as the big boss bad guy skater. It is also difficult to convey what a good time the movie as a whole, thanks largely to a phenomenal soundtrack, but mostly its eye-popping production design; for years the lone copy available was a washed-out telecine on YouTube, so we are excited to present the recently restored HD version.
