Daughter of Dracula
Sexy girls in mini skirts and go-go boots, erotic lesbian encounters—and full frontal nudity! Daughter of Dracula by Spanish-born, French-based director Jess Franco was made for export to America’s X-rated drive-in circuit. Shot on the proverbial shoestring and oddly edited, this 1972 movie is driven by an ancestral curse stirred to new life as the count rises from his coffin with mad staring eyes, wearing a cape and hissing like an asthmatic python.
The Idol
“Inspired by a true story,” The Idol is an inspirational tale of resourceful Palestinian kids overcoming the adversity of growing up in Gaza. They dream of forming a band and appearing on “Arab Idol,” the television music contest show popular in the Middle East. The film by director Hany-Abu Assad (Rana’s Wedding) sounds a note of optimism from a place of bad news. The Idol’s message is to dream high lest you accomplish nothing at all.
Advanced Style
Old is not the end: Seth Cohen wanders New York City photographing “gorgeous and elegant” women over age 50 for his blog, “Advanced Style.” Director Lina Plioplyte’s film documents Cohen and his subjects, the stylish ladies who use the streets of Manhattan as their runways. Advanced Style is a call to reconsider the youth-obsessed fashion industry—and the culture fed by glossy images of the young. Takeaway tip: “Money has nothing to do with style.”
Yours, Mine and Ours
In the 1960s Hollywood tried to figure out the changing times and usually got it wrong. However, Yours, Mine and Ours (1968) was unusually prescient about the future of family life as an amalgamation of second marriages combining children of different parentage—in this movie, no less than 18 siblings were squeezed together in a makeshift family. The movie is worth watching for Lucille Ball’s comedic gifts, Henry Fonda’s affable stolidity and an amusing screenplay.
