John Amato

Heart Beat [VHS]
$19.98
If there is a great movie to be made about Jack Kerouac, and Neal and Carolyn Cassidy, this aint it. "Suggested" by Carolyn's memoirs, writer/director John Byrum's film degenerates into yet another adulterous husband saga. The idea that Carolyn has is that Neal is the muse for Kerouac's writing but since Jack knew Neal and had written On The Road before they met her, Carolyn's insight appears to be limited to the time Neal married her and they lived miserably in suburbia until Jack joined them for a menage a trois. Byrum's stabs at the stifling conservatism of America in the 50's is represented by neighbours of the Cassidy's who come for dinners. Their embarassment over Neal's deliberate rudeness is funnier than their apparent shock at the later threesome. The film proposes that it was Allen Ginsberg's notoriety which propelled publishers who had previously rejected his novel, to suddenly change their mind. The fact that Ginsberg is named Ira here (played by Ray Sharkey, giving the best performance of the cast) and that none of On The Road is heard seems to suggest that Byrum seems to be avoiding copyright problems. The film begins well and Laszlo Kovacs' yellow tint lighting gives it a dated look which is very appealing. An image of Neal sitting in a cafe recalls Edward Hopper. As Carolyn, Sissy Spacek is given a romantic entrance supported by a lovely Jack Nitzsche theme, and it's great to see her with a Veronica Lake hairdo and glamourised. But as soon as Jack and the Cassidy's separate, the energy drops and we get stuck in suburbia, while Jack toils the soil in Mexico, waiting. The notion that Neal has stolen Carolyn away from Jack seems unmotivated since we've hardly seen them together, but clearly this is needed to explain Jack's re-appearance. And the later scenes of Jack handly his fame badly seem surprising considering what a best seller the book is said to be. The interviews we see show hostile hosts. Where was Steve Allen, who was a mad On the Road fan? It is interesting to see how Carolyn believes that the Beat generation, with the berets and beards, is thought of as a bastardisation of Kerouac's ideology based on Neal's freedom, since Neal never presented such artifice. As Neal, Nick Nolte suggests a restless spirit though hardly a bisexual one, as is implied. We don't believe him when he keeps telling us how much he loves Spacek. She narrates and spars well though ultimately she remains an enigma. Perhaps the reason Byrum has used the word "suggested" and not adapted from the memoirs means that information which may have made her more interesting has been lost. John Heard makes Jack dull and ineffectual, and when he does show some life, Heard uses the yelling he would continue with in Cutter's Way before experience provided him with more subtlety. Carolyn tells us that Neal's weakness was his lack of committment and Jack's was his longing for it. At one point Neal tells Jack to get his own life to write about, and one questions whether a writer could complete a book as long as On the Road appears to be if there is nothing of himself in it. Since I haven't read the work, I cannot comment, but the Jack this film portrays sure doesn't make me want to.

I Spit on Your Corpse
$9.99
I've just recently started checking out the works of Al Adamson after reading the his bio "Schlock-O-Rama," by David Konow. In a brief chapter in that book about "I Spit on Your Corpse" (originally released as "Girls for Rent"), Konow describes how it contains the most offensive scene Adamson ever filmed, in which Georgina Spelvin's character sexually torments (and worse) a mentally handicapped character. So, right away, I knew I had to see it (movies described as "vile," "offensive," "shocking" usually attract my interest). But "I Spit on Your Corpse" is also a pretty entertaining action/exploitation pic. Oh, sure, it's not technically refined and has plenty of those laughable elements movies of this type are known for: continuity errors (like how Spelvin is barefoot when doing roadwork as a prisoner, then has shoes for her escape a few minutes later), cheap sets (an obviously abandoned gas station is used for several scenes), and, of course, bad acting. But it's also a tighter tale than Adamson's more popular "Satan's Sadists." And a lot meaner, too, thanks largely to porn star Spelvin, a far more effective villain than "Sadists"' Russ Tamblyn. Looking more like an angry PTA president than sexpot (even if she is wearing her shirts unbuttoned well past her bra-less breasts), Spelvin fully embodies her tough-as-nails role, showing herself to be the best actress of the bunch. Curiously, though the movie largely trades on Spelvin's notoriety as a porn star, she has only one sex scene, and with the exception of occasionally exposing her breasts, she's usually clothed. Don't worry, though, there are plenty of other women around to provide the requisite T&A, most notably the T&A of Susan McIver.The DVD's extras include commentary by the late director's friend and business partner, producer Sam Sherman, trailers for other Adamson movies ("Angel's Wild Women," "Dracula vs. Frankenstein," "Blood of Ghastly Horror") and a "documentary" entitled "Making Schlock!", although it's really nothing more than an interview with Sam Sherman.If you're looking for slick production, deep characters and witty dialog, buy a different DVD. If, however, you enjoy David Friedmans' '60s roughies and producer Harry Novak's sexy action movies like "A Scream in the Streets," "I Spit on Your Corpse" is just what you need to round out your collection.

What's Up?
$0.89

3 Tales: The Telling
$2.99