If you liked the movie The Manchurian Candidate (1962, Frank Sinatra) you have to check out Short Night of Glass Dolls

As usual, I picked this Italian film because it was from the 60's or 70's and looked like it had some *hotness.* As in: sexy outfits, cool, swanky settings, to-die-for interiors, sweet cars...you get the idea. See the movie poster? Yeah. Like that.

It did have those elements, but it also had an intriguing plot that developed slowly enough that I had to actually watch it. For that reason, I'm calling this one a lazy Saturday afternoon or coffee in bed on Sunday morning movie. If you are lucky enough to get a snow day, this would be perfect.

In the opening scene, main character is found in plaza in Prague. He's believed to be dead, because he shows no signs of life, but he is actually conscious. The action of the film is made up of his memories, leading up to the moment his body is discovered, and then the consequences of those actions.  According to what I found by zipping around the I-net, the film was shocking to movie-goers.

If you aren't sure whether or not this is for you, check out the trailer. Despite an orgy scene in the film, the trailer is all ages.

It's available on Netflix for instant view. I didn't find it on Amazon instant, but there were some copies for sale. I also found bits and pieces of it on YouTube. But the better bet, if you don't have Netflix, would be to request it from your library. It'll be worth the wait.

Vampiric Disapointment

Imagine my excitement when I sat down to watch another Jean Rollin vampire movie: Lips of Blood (1975). It's Friday night: I poured my red wine and filled my candy dish with dark chocolate M&M's. After the visual fun of Rollin's The Nude Vampire, I had high expectations.

In one of the first scenes, some thirty-year old guy is at a party. I'm okay with that. What I'm not okay with is him leaving the cutie pie he's talking with to pour his mother a glass of wine. I get that the movie is French, but still. Seriously, I don't care about some guy's mom. I want hot vampires and cool lighting. You know, like in Rollin's 1960's films.

I did watch the whole thing. There were a couple fun scenes, the twins from the earlier movies show up. This morning, I wondered if it was just me. Was I jaded? Too picky? I checked around and found a reviewer who also thought this film was lackluster compared to his earlier ones. It really didn't have the surreal creepiness or the weird sexiness.

If you're curious about Lips of Blood, I suggest you watch the trailer. While it does spoil the surprise of what happens to the twins, you'll get to see that kill joy mom who shows up every once in a while to ruin everything. (Trailer is 18+ only so, FYI)



If you're in the mood for some surreal, weirdly sexy French vampires, I suggest watching Rollin's The Nude Vampire instead. If you have Netflix, you can find it in the instant selections. If not, you can get it on Amazon's 7-day rental for 1.99 .