Years before he scared audiences with his character of Dr. Hannibal Lecter in "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991), Anthony Hopkins gave another of a demented mind in "Magic" (1978). Hopkins portrays Corky, who is an overly shy ventriloquist who lets the darker side of his personality come out in Fats, his dummy. Corky is poised to break into the big time with a national TV appearance, but suddenly has a panic attack and decides to flee, heading into the Catskills where he finds Peggy (Ann-Margret) - the woman who he had a crush on in high school. Peggy is in a failing marriage and, with her husband gone, the sparks fly between the two. Corky's manager finally tracks him down and the confrontation between him and Corky is the first indication of a serious mental problem that Corky is developing. By this time, the two personalities of Corky and Fats are melding, with Corky being able to justify murder by thinking it was Fats' idea. This is like a who's-who of '70s films, with a lot of familiar faces: Burgess Meridith playing Corky's manager; Jerry Houser playing a cab driver (He played Wally Logan on "The Bradys" 1990, "A Very Brady Christmas" 1988, "The Brady Girls Get Married" 1981, and "The Brady Brides" TV series); and David Ogden Stiers playing the TV executive (Maj. Charles Emerson Winchester III on M*A*S*H). There are plenty of bonus footage including: Fats & Friends Featurette; An Interview with Victor J. Kemper; An Interview with Anthony Hopkins; Anthony Hopkins Radio Interview; Ann-Margret Make-up Test; Theatrical Trailers; TV and Radio Spots; and Photo Gallery. It is hilarious to see the Spanish theatrical trailers, where you get to hear the evil voice of Fats in Spanish! Hopkins' phenomenal acting in "Magic" shows that he could already captivate (and scare) audiences with his all-too-real portrayal of the dark recesses of the human mind. And of course Ann-Margaret is hot, not matter what film she is in! If you loved "The Silence of the Lambs", then chances are you will love "Magic".
This pairing of "Horror of Party Beach" and "Curse of the Living Corpse" revisits the '60s, when these two films were drive-in double features. "Curse" was actually created first, with "Horror" as simply an afterthought to fill the double-feature status. However, "Horror" is probably a little better known, since it is such a campy cult classic. "Curse of the Living Corpse" is a gothic-styled mystery film, starring Roy Scheider in his first starring role. While it isn't bad, it is very typical of this genre of films of the time. Ironically, "Curse" was the film that the most effort was put into. The beheading scene is cool, though and was probably ahead of its time, predating the slasher-film. Thanks to the band Sloppy Seconds Sloppy Seconds I already knew the plot of "Horror of Party Beach"! Their song, "The horror of party beach" (From their 1989 DESTROYED album) is a retelling of the movie within the confines of a song. Billed as "The First Horror Monster Musical", it is the story of industrial waste being poured into the ocean, where it reaches some human skulls, creating a monster that will wreak havoc on the beach community. The film is a hilarious pairing of the then-current Beach movie craze, with a monster movie twist. Sure the acting is a little over the top and the special effects are laughable, but the movie IS a cult classic. And being a beach movie, you've got to have music - and in this movie it is played by The Dynamic Del-Aires During the obligatory beach party scene it is hilarious when you pay close attention to the dancers - you will see one sexual ambiguous one! The stereotypical '60s maid keeps saying that it is voodoo, and unwittingly finds they way to destroy the monsters - with sodium! All in all, this is a hilarious romp through classic '60s culture.
I remember hearing "Bohemian Rhapsody" on 45rpm in 1975 when it was first released, when a cousin of mine said, "I have a record that you just have to hear! It's not like any other record I've ever heard." After hearing it I had to agree. So began my love affair with the music of Queen and I immediately purchased the album that the song was on, "A Night at the Opera". Now we have "Queen: The Making of A Night at the Opera Classic Album", another in the Eagle Vision's Classic Albums series, this time focusing on the arguably best Queen album. The DVD gives a "Behind the Music" approach to the story of the album, with guest commentaries aplenty. While most of these 'expert' commentaries are boring, the ones by producer Roy Thomas Baker are priceless. To hear Baker at the mixing console isolating the tracks to feature only vocals is fabulous - hearing the intricate vocals-only tracks make you really yearn for a vocals-only release like on the Beach Boys Pet Sounds Sessions box set. Also featured are new interviews with Brian May and Roger Taylor and a few archived interviews with Freddy Mercury. Then there is a song-by-song section, telling the story of each song. I love the story of how they played "39" for Groucho Marx. I had no idea that they took the title of the album from the classic Marx Brothers movie "A Night at the Opera". My only complaint is that this DVD relies too much on current interviews - I would have loved to see some archived interviews. There was way too little of Freddy Mercury, who played such a vital role. Also, they could have at least shown the entire "Bohemian Rhapsody" video, instead of interrupting it with commentary. But, the Roy Thomas Baker interviews are worth the price alone!
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"Magic"
"Del Tenney Double Feature: Curse of the Living Corpse and The Horror of Party Beach"
"Queen: The Making of A Night at the Opera Classic Album"