Return to Macon County (1975)

Return to Macon County was made in 1975 and is a sequel to the previous year's Macon County Line, which is another of my favorite films. This one was also written and directed by Richard Compton. Then unknowns Nick Nolte (as Bo) and Don Johnson (as Harley) play best friends heading to California to race their car. Harley is the mechanic and Bo is the driver. Their plans take a detour when they meet Junelle (future soap star Robin Mattson), a waitress with a good heart but definitely in her own world. Junelle accidentally spills food on a customer and Bo goes to her rescue. Bo and Harley attempt to leave the diner before the police arrive, but find Junelle (with suitcase in hand) wanting to leave with them. They reluctantly take her along and they are soon on the run from the police after Junelle tries to force store owners to give her money (I think that's called robbery) so Bo and Harley can use it for their entry fee at the drag race when they all get to California. The tension grows between the two friends as they realize that Junelle is coming between them. One police officer, Sgt. Whittaker, makes it his personal mission to catch the trio, with tragic results. The movie ends with Bo and Harley on foot, discussing how they build their next race car.

I don't think this movie has nearly the cult following of MCL, but in its own way it is a great movie. Sure, the plot is a little far-fetched, but it has some good scenes. Not long after the boys meet Junelle, the three stop in the woods and while Harley goes to town, Bo and Junelle hang around a ruins of a house and talk. It's one of the best parts of the movie. I also like the way Junelle leaves Bo when she realizes that they are just too different to stay together. She catches a ride with a guy in a convertible and as the car is pulling away, Bo starts to run after her (possibly regretting her leaving). I think Return to Macon County is actually a better movie than Macon County Line in a lot of ways. It is definitely work a look as an example of a good low-budget, little-known film.

Thumb Tripping (1972)

Thumb Tripping is what I like to call a 'sleeper'. It is not well known, I don't think it did very well at the box office and it just seemed to slip into obscurity. It's a shame, too, because it is a good movie that deserves a look. Michael Burns was a child actor who had a successful career as an young adult actor until he retired from acting to become a college professor. He plays Gary, a young guy who is traveling around the country between his freshman and sophomore college years. He's not really a hippie, just a free spirit. He meets Chae, played by the wonderful actress Meg Foster. Take a good look at her eyes, she has the most beautiful green eyes I have ever seen. They are such a light green color as to almost be translucent. Chae is more of a hippie than Gary, and they are attracted to one another. They decide to travel together and to accept all rides that are offered. Their first ride is with two hot-rodders (one of whom is played by Bruce Dern). The guys seem to dislike hippies and also seem to have a lot of built-up anger. After a few scary moments, during which Gary and Chae seem to be growing closer to each other, they are able to escape and decide to be more careful. Their adventures on the road continue and they meet a lot of different types of characters. Some of them include two hippies camping on the beach who share their soup with Gary and Chae, a trucker who wants Chae and won't let Gary stand in his way, a mother with kids in a WV who has serious mental issues (played by Joyce Van Patten) and finally they meet up with a couple who are out for a good time. It's a husband and wife who are somewhat of swingers and are definitely heavy drinkers. They go skinny dipping, visit a bar and things get out of control. After this, Gary decides to travel on his own. I would have liked for the movie to end differently, with Gary and Chae staying together, but I can see how it wouldn't have worked with that ending. This is a great movie of a time when people actually did hitchhike and had adventures on the road.

Detour (1945)

Detour is considered by a lot of movie critics (including me) to be the best B movie ever made. To think that this movie was shot in only a week with a budget of around $20,000 boggles the mind. This is truly a classic in low-budget films. Al Roberts (played by Tom Neal) is the main character and the narrator. He's a guy who just can't catch a break. He and his girlfriend Sue want to leave New York and head to California, the land of dreams. Sue gets tired of waiting and heads out on her own. Al decides to follow her out there a few weeks later and is hitching a ride when he meets Haskell. This is where his troubles start. Haskell accidentally dies and Al fears he'll be charged with his murder so he hides the body and assumes Haskell's identity. To make matters worse, he meets up with Vera (played to perfection by Ann Savage) and it's all downhill from there. This movie is in public domain and there are several sites where it can be downloaded for free. If you like B movies, film noir, black and white films or cult classics, this one is not to be missed.

Mountaintop Motel Massacre (1986)

Well, this is the movie I reviewed the week my column was yanked. I like low-budget horror films quite a bit and this movie is about as low-budget as you can get. It was filmed in Louisiana in 1983 but not released until 1986. It's not really that scary but it's actually fun to watch. The killer is never a secret - it's Evelyn, the innkeeper that even Tom Bodet wouldn't leave the light on for. She has just gotten out of a mental institution and accidentally decapitates her weirdo daughter Lorri. Gee, I hate when that happens. The police do a really lame investigation and Evelyn goes on a killing spree that would make Charles Manson jealous. Her motel is actually a string of run-down cabins that have seen better days. This is definitely one motel where you would not want to order room service. A storm comes through the area and knocks the power out (how convenient) and all of her guests are at her mercy. How she gets from cabin to cabin is kind of neat, and I liked it that all of the nice characters don't get killed. Her guests include a couple on their honeymoon, a preacher that likes to hit the bottle, two cousins with dreams of country music stardom, a fake record executive who wants the girls to 'audition' and a kindly black carpenter who gets the only funny lines in the movie. Rent this movie and be prepared to be frightened - if while you're watching it the electricity goes out and an axe-murderer tries to break into your house. But it's still fun to watch. But, please don't disturb Evelyn - SHE ALREADY IS!

welcome to my blog

I'm starting this blog because I was writing a weekly column for an online newsletter and my column was removed because someone complained about the site containing 'cult activity'. They were referring to my column mentioning cult movies. This is in a small town in Mississippi, so it should not have surprised me. A lot of people in Mississippi (especially in the smaller towns) are so narrow-minded and bigoted that it's a wonder it doesn't make the evening news. So, in this blog I am going to review my favorite movies. On here you will movies ranging from Detour to Cecil B. Demented, The Wizard of Oz to Thumb Tripping and everything in between. My hope is that someone will read my blog and find a movie review of mine interesting enough that will want to see the movie. I welcome all comments and questions - unless you want me to remove this blog because of the 'cult activity'.