# WEIRD, weird, probably best forgotten movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 2, 2006, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-weird-probably-best-forgotten-movies/338086 "2006-01-02T15:47:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2006, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-weird-probably-best-forgotten-movies/338086/1 "2006-01-02T15:47:50Z")
I always thought I had imagined the existence of this movie: An American author of a banned novel has an affair with a 16 year old English school girl. The school girl is played by some squeaky voiced ingenue who seems closer to 12. Well it is on TV tonight: [Twinky](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064598/combined) starring Charles Bronson (what was he thinking) and Susan George and directed by future **Die Hard** boss Richard Donner. It is meant to be a comedy but Bronson’s wooden delivery is something to behold. Any other weirdo jobs featuring the well-known? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2006, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-weird-probably-best-forgotten-movies/338086/2 "2006-01-02T15:54:35Z")
**Firewalker** proves that Chuck Norris and Louis Gossett Jr. cannot do comedy. > **[Firewalker (1986) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091055/)** > > Firewalker: Directed by J. Lee Thompson. With Chuck Norris, Louis Gossett Jr., Melody Anderson, Will Sampson. A pair of adventurers try to track down an ancient Aztec/Mayan/Egyptian/Apache hoard of gold. **King Solomon’s Mines** proved the same for Richard Chamerlain and Sharon Stone (and brought down Hwerbert Lom, John Rhys Davies, and others): > **[King Solomon's Mines (1985) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089421/)** > > King Solomon's Mines: Directed by J. Lee Thompson. With Richard Chamberlain, Sharon Stone, Herbert Lom, John Rhys-Davies. Fortune hunter Allan Quatermain teams up with a resourceful woman to help her find her missing father lost in the wilds of 1900s... ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2006, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-weird-probably-best-forgotten-movies/338086/3 "2006-01-02T15:56:18Z")
don’t ask writes: \> . . . future Die Hard boss Richard Donner . . . Richard Donner had nothing to do with the _Die Hard_ films. The first and third were directed by John McTeirnan and the second by Renny Harlin. Perhaps you’re thinking of the _Lethal Weapon_ films, which Donner did direct. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2006, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-weird-probably-best-forgotten-movies/338086/4 "2006-01-02T16:00:07Z")
> [@Wendell Wagner](#): > > don’t ask writes: > > \> . . . future Die Hard boss Richard Donner . . . > > Richard Donner had nothing to do with the _Die Hard_ films. The first and third were directed by John McTeirnan and the second by Renny Harlin. Perhaps you’re thinking of the _Lethal Weapon_ films, which Donner did direct. Of course. _Twinky_ is stilll running. There was a “gag” along the lines of “Twinky don’t go to Central Park. You will get raped. That’s why all the women go to Central Park.” Wish I had taped it. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2006, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-weird-probably-best-forgotten-movies/338086/5 "2006-01-02T16:11:36Z")
The Swimmer with what’s his name–Burt Lancaster(?) I never understood that movie–I must have watched it 4 times in various English classes. It never made a lick of sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2006, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-weird-probably-best-forgotten-movies/338086/6 "2006-01-02T23:06:14Z")
I watched Xanadu a couple of nights ago. I vaguely remembered last seeing it when I was thirteen or so. That is one bizarre movie. Everyone knows Olivia Newton-John and ELO were involved, but Gene Freakin’ Kelly??? The Tubes? The animation of Don Bluth? The costumes and choreography were fascinating, the songs were good, there was definitely some talent in evidence…stuck with an achingly bad script, a putrid leading man, embarrassing special effects, and a not-believable-even-back-then story. Oh! and roller skating, did I mention roller skating? I think I want to watch it again. :o ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2006, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-weird-probably-best-forgotten-movies/338086/7 "2006-01-02T23:09:32Z")
[Candy](http://imdb.com/title/tt0062776/) a psychedelic ripoff of “Barbarella” starring Marlon Brando, Walter Matthau and Ringo Starr (among others), and featuring a soundtrack by the Lovin’ Spoonful! ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-weird-probably-best-forgotten-movies/338086/8 "2006-01-03T00:44:39Z")
> [@Art Vandelay](#): > > [Candy](http://imdb.com/title/tt0062776/) a psychedelic ripoff of “Barbarella” starring Marlon Brando, Walter Matthau and Ringo Starr (among others), and featuring a soundtrack by the Lovin’ Spoonful! Actually, the star of Candy was Ewa Aulin. And it was written by Buck Henry and Terry Southern, who saw it as a modern Candide. And it does belong in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-weird-probably-best-forgotten-movies/338086/9 "2006-01-03T00:50:17Z")
> [@Dung Beetle](#): > > I watched Xanadu a couple of nights ago. I vaguely remembered last seeing it when I was thirteen or so. That is one bizarre movie. Everyone knows Olivia Newton-John and ELO were involved, but Gene Freakin’ Kelly??? The Tubes? The animation of Don Bluth?\ I have a copy of this because of the ELO connection. Of course, Olivia in the tiger stripe mini-skirt doesn’t hurt. The acting is horrifying. When I saw Gene Kelly on roller skates, I kept thinking, “He’s going to break a hip!” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-weird-probably-best-forgotten-movies/338086/10 "2006-01-03T01:11:37Z")
[**The Devil’s Rain** (1975)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072869/), about a coven of Satan worshippers in the desert southwest, with an oddball cast featuring Ernest Borgnine, William Shatner, Ida Lupino, and Eddie Albert, and also with Anton LaVey and his wife as two Satanists and a young John Travolta in his first movie role. The real star of the show, though, was the melting-face special FX, which were truly gory and nauseating and went on way too long in the end. Bleccch! ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-weird-probably-best-forgotten-movies/338086/11 "2006-01-03T01:13:49Z")
[Superfuzz!](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082924) ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-weird-probably-best-forgotten-movies/338086/12 "2006-01-03T01:15:51Z")
Ahh yes, I remember catching this gem on Superchannel when I was in grade 5 - [Voyage of the Rock Aliens](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096402/) ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-weird-probably-best-forgotten-movies/338086/13 "2006-01-03T01:55:56Z")
There is another on TV right now. We are blessed in Australia. [Chu Chu and the Philly Flash](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082177/combined) starring Alan Arkin , Carol Burnett, Jack Warden, Danny Aiello, Adam Arkin, Danny Glover and Ruth Buzzi. It seems unwatchably bad. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-weird-probably-best-forgotten-movies/338086/14 "2006-01-03T02:05:08Z")
Ken Russell’s _Lisztomania_. :eek: I saw it when I was young and impressionable, and it permanently warped my mind. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-weird-probably-best-forgotten-movies/338086/15 "2006-01-03T02:22:39Z")
> [@The Scrivener](#): > > [**The Devil’s Rain** (1975)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072869/), about a coven of Satan worshippers in the desert southwest, with an oddball cast featuring Ernest Borgnine, William Shatner, Ida Lupino, and Eddie Albert, and also with Anton LaVey and his wife as two Satanists and a young John Travolta in his first movie role. > > The real star of the show, though, was the melting-face special FX, which were truly gory and nauseating and went on way too long in the end. Bleccch! But the movie WAS truly Satanic, because it was the female lead of the movie, Joan Prather, who turned John Travolta on to Scientology, thus leading to :::shudder::: Battlefield Earth. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-weird-probably-best-forgotten-movies/338086/16 "2006-01-03T03:13:19Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Ken Russell’s _Lisztomania_. :eek: I saw it when I was young and impressionable, and it permanently warped my mind. DAMN! I opened the thread to list (or is it Liszt?)this one. Good call. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-weird-probably-best-forgotten-movies/338086/17 "2006-01-03T03:16:22Z")
Greaser’s Palace. Alan (Dr. Sydney Freeman) Arbus as Jesus in a zoot suit. There aren’t enough drugs or booze to make that movie make sense. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-weird-probably-best-forgotten-movies/338086/18 "2006-01-03T03:34:54Z")
[The Peanut Butter Solution](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089789/maindetails). Weird, weird movie. IIRC, t’s about this Anglo kid in Montreal who gets so scared his hair starts to fall out; he rubs a peanut butter solution on his scalp and his hair starts to regrow at an alarming rate. A wacked out artist kidnaps him and a bunch of other kids, and tries to use their hair for paint brushes. There are also surrealistic scenes where the artist enters a huge lifelike painting. And all of this is to a Celine Dion score. Read some of the reviews on imdb or [amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/6303213936/qid=1136258970/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-8605638-8758444?v=glance&s=video). There seems to be a common theme of people around my age (25) who saw this movie as kids, were frightened/delighted/traumatized by it, but could never find anyone else who had seen it and could confirm its existence. Some of the reviews sound positively therapeutic – people who have found the movie again are so relieved to learn it wasn’t just a weird dream. Anyone else subjected to this movie as a child? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-weird-probably-best-forgotten-movies/338086/19 "2006-01-03T03:40:41Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Greaser’s Palace. > > Alan (Dr. Sydney Freeman) Arbus as Jesus in a zoot suit. > > There aren’t enough drugs or booze to make that movie make sense. Naturally, I own this one. Weird? Yes. Maybe the weirdest film I’ve seen. But best forgotten? Nah. Too much good stuff in it. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-weird-probably-best-forgotten-movies/338086/20 "2006-01-03T03:44:27Z")
Can’t even remember the name, but recall a film I saw on late-night TV in the early-to-mid-70s (believe it was B/W from the 50s), wherein a bunch of little kids can communicate either telepathically or perhaps by making “Boop boop beep beep” noises. Weird imagery that has still remained with me. Sir Rhosis [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-weird-probably-best-forgotten-movies/338086.md?page=2)