Wasted Weekend - 8/13/21

 

Something new I thought I'd try out here is a brief weekend watchlist of mostly older films that I think are interesting and I've noticed pop up on streaming services relatively recently. You don't really need anyone to bug you about watching the latest Disney or HBO series - they manage that fine on their own - so why not get weird this weekend instead?

The Eyes of Laura Mars - Irivin Kirshner's disco, fashion, NYC giallo-esque thriller may not be the strongest narrative out there but the cast, clothes, and locations alone are probably worth the price of admission. Faye Dunaway and Tommy Lee Jones star but Brad Dourif is especially memorable here. Co-written by John Carpenter - what a time in American movies! This has been streaming on the Criterion Channel for a bit but also recently appeared on Amazon Prime

The Red Queen Kills Seven Times - If you need more giallo action featuring a fashion photographer - you might want to check out 1972's Red Queen. Curses, keys, a suitably spooky villain, excellent Bruno Nicolai tunes, heavy gothic atmosphere, and Barbara Bouchet looking amazing all help contribute to an enjoyable watch that doubles with Laura Mars pretty well. Red Queen seems to regularly cycle on and off streaming services and is currently available on Shudder, Arrow or Tubi .

The Blood on Satan's Claw - Witch-y folk horror from the good people of Tigon British Film Productions or that company that isn't Hammer or Amicus but feels like it could be. Strong period production design and some solid performances from Patrick Wymark and Linda Hayden as the skeptical judge and burgeoning cult leader respectively. I imagine this film - while already appreciated by many - is going to get some extra love this year as it is highlighted in Kier-La Janisse's comprehensive folk horror documentary Woodlands Dark and Days Bewtiched. This is another one that fades in and out of streaming catalogues but is currently up on Hulu, Paramount+, and Tubi.

The Blood Spattered Bride - This Spanish riff on Carmilla has actually been on my watchlist for ages but I failed to prioritize it because it always seemed to be available. Unfortunately one day it vanished from a lot of streaming catalogues and I cursed my hubris to the uncaring void. Fortunately it seems to have returned and I'm hoping to fit it in this weekend. I've heard it doesn't necessarily reach the same heights as other adaptations such as Daughters of Darkness but I'm not sure it's possible to best lesbian vampire Delphine Seyrig anyway. Currently up on Tubi so don't be like me and let this one slip by you.

The Marseille Contract - I haven't seen this 1974 Euro-thriller but I'm willing to give it a shot on location footage and cast alone. Michael Caine, Anthony Quinn, and James Mason running around Marseille with a Roy Budd (Get Carter) score coming in at under 90 minutes sounds like solid Sunday matinee material to me. Currently streaming on Amazon Prime under the title The Destructors.

So there you have it - five movies for your weekend pleasure and even a possible double feature. What are you watching this weekend? What did I miss? Lemme know below!