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Vintage vs. Classic vs. Old Films:

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The meaning of the terms: “Classic Film, Vintage Film, or even Old Films.”   They are all vague descriptions - each one means different things to different people and the terms tend to polarize those who are loyal to their own particular definition.    I have seen countless debates on the subject on Twitter and Facebook in this age of social media.  The conversations get especially heated when certain channels decide to show a film that was made relatively recently and one of the three terms is used to describe the film.   Here you can pick the term you like without justification.

A Town Called Hell.jpg

Overview

A Town Called Bastard (also known as A Town Called Hell on DVD and blu-ray) is a 1971 American international co-production spaghetti Western. It was shot in Madrid with Robert Shaw, Telly Savalas, Stella Stevens and Martin Landau.

 

A group of Mexican revolutionaries murders a town priest and a number of his christian followers. Ten years later, a widow arrives in town intent to take revenge from her husband's killers. The story concerns a vengeful widow (Stella Stevens) who returns to a small town presided over by a priest (Robert Shaw) and a sadistic Mexican outlaw (Telly Savalas). Violence erupts when a brutal army Colonel (Martin Landau) arrives in search of an elusive rebel leader. The film was re-titled A Town Called Hell for US release as the word "bastard" was thought offensive.

The Grasshopper

Overview

Wide-eyed nineteen year old Christine Adams decides on a whim to leave her broken family life in small town British Columbia to move to Los Angeles to be with her boyfriend Eddie Molina, who doesn't know she's coming. Christine hopes to start a family with Eddie immediately. But Christine finds that she is restless in her life with Eddie and moves on. From move to move which are always done on a whim, Christine has a similar restless attitude, always dreaming of something better. But she has no real marketable job skills - although she is always thinking about continuing with her schooling in some trade to make a better life for herself - or sense of what working in a traditional type job means. She is able to get by on her looks, which lands her a job as a Las Vegas showgirl. She also goes in and out of relationships - including with Vegas comic Danny Raymond, ex-football player Tommy Marcott who too is trying to find his meaningful niche in life, older businessman Richard Morgan who acts as her sugar daddy, and rock musician Jay Rigney - always dreaming of the perfect relationship situation which never seems to materialize. As such, her life goes into a tailspin. She ultimately lets the world know how she feels life has treated her.

The Doll Squad

Overview

Squad of beautiful government agents tries to catch saboteurs. The Doll Squad is a 1973 low-budget action film Z movie by Feature-Faire that was later re-released under the title Seduce and Destroy. Directed, edited, co-written and co-produced by Ted V. Mikels, it features Francine York, Michael Ansara, John Carter, Anthony Eisley, Leigh Christian and Tura Satana. Mikels claimed he filmed it for a total cost of $256,000. 

 

CIA operative Connolly (Eisley) assigns Sabrina (York), the leader of a group of five shapely female operatives individually selected by a computer. Code named the Doll Squad, they thwart the efforts of a madman who formerly worked alongside Sabrina as a fellow CIA agent who has become an entrepreneur to overthrow world governments. His plan is to release rats infected with bubonic plague.

Little Laura & Big John

Overview

Little Laura & Big John, based on a true story, this action-packed, hard-hitting depiction of the infamous Ashley gang - who terrorized the southeast in the 1920's - also illustrates a desperate love between two people destined for destruction.  Loosely based on the true story about Laura Upthegrove and John Ashley. Laura's mother, Emma Upthegrove tells the story of her daughter and John Ashley. John goes into a life of crime after he accidentally shoots a Seminole, Desoto Tiger.

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Overview

The Day of the Triffids is a 1962 British science fiction horror film in CinemaScope and Eastmancolor, produced by George Pitcher and Philip Yordan, and directed by Steve Sekely. It stars Howard Keel and Nicole Maurey, and is loosely based on the 1951 novel of the same name by John Wyndham.  The film was released in the U.K. by the Rank Organisation and in the U.S. by Allied Artists.

Triffids are tall, carnivorous, mobile plants capable of aggressive and seemingly intelligent behaviour, which arrived on Earth as spores from a meteor shower. They move about the countryside by "walking" on their roots, appear to be able to communicate with each other, and possess a deadly whip-like poisonous sting that enables them to kill their victims and feed on the corpses.

 

Bill Masen (Howard Keel), a merchant navy officer, is lying in hospital with his eyes bandaged. He discovers that while he has been waiting for his injured eyes to heal, an unusual meteor shower has blinded most people on Earth. Once he leaves the hospital, Masen finds people all over London struggling to stay alive in the face of their new affliction. Some survive by cooperating while others simply fight, but it is apparent that after just a few days society is disintegrating.

 

Masen rescues a schoolgirl named Susan (Janina Faye) from a crashed train; she has no parents and is a ward of the state. They decide to leave London and head across the English Channel to France. Masen and Susan find refuge at a chateau but when it is attacked by escaped sighted convicts, they are again forced to escape; shortly afterwards, triffids attack and kill everyone in the chateau. The carnivorous plant population continues to grow in number, feeding on people and animals as they move.

 

At a lighthouse on an island off Cornwall, Tom Goodwin (Kieron Moore), a flawed but gifted scientist and his wife Karen (Janette Scott), battle the aggressive plants as he searches for a way to kill them. Goodwin eventually finds the answer, which has been right there in front of him all along: salt water dissolves the triffids.

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