by Eric McKeever

Created on: July 26, 2010   Last Updated: July 27, 2010

When the door closes and the curtains drawn and one last scan of the room has been made to make certain no one is watching, there comes a great sigh of relief when one realizes that its time to pop in that awful, horrible, dreadful film that is secretly one of our favorite guilty pleasures

Many of us know Roger Ebert as the former other half of the At The Movies franchise.  His reviews could certainly make or break a film, but before landing the coveted job as a film critic, he was, himself, a screenwriter and his script for Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) directed by Russ Meyers of Faster Pussy Cat, Kill, Kill fame is quite the gem.  Centering on three young girls searching for fame in Hollywood, Kelley McNamara, Casey Anderson and Petronella “Pet” Danforth find drugs, sex and a horribly melodramatic downfall.  Filled with over-the-top acting, a “message about the wildness of youth” and some great one-liners, Beyond…is just that.  Lousy cinematography, a goofy plot and a narrator that is laughable make this coming of age in Hollywood film a must-see.

High in camp factor and sparkling with that John Waters magic is Female Trouble (1974.)  Starring the irrepressible Divine, Female Trouble is a fantastic journey into the life of Dawn Davenport who runs away from home after not getting her cha-cha heels.  She gets pregnant with daughter Taffy and becomes a crime committing fashion model.  Also in the cast are Waters’ regulars Mink Stole and Edith Massey.  Divine is pitch perfect and all the supporting characters are wacky, wild and hilarious.  The acting is delivered in Waters’ typical too-much style that only adds to the camp. This is not for the faint of heart, nor the weak of constitution, but worth a see.

 Faye Dunaway won an Oscar for her performance in 1976’s Network and it seemed she was looking for her next great acting challenge when she took on the role of her life as Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest (1981.)  Anyone looking for high melodrama, fabulous movie quotes and a lot of screaming and slapping is sure to be pleased with this Razzie Award winning film. The film’s memorable lines and amazing “no…wire…hangers…” boosted the wooden hanger industry out of the dumps.  It also has become iconic in stature with a slew of edited video footage highlighting all of the great one-liners and violent slaps.

Leaping

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