After Dark Thrillers [2 Discs]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Next time something goes bump in the night, they were probably up late watching this blood-chilling collection of thrillers! Includes Blue Money (1972/93 min.), Double Exposure (1983/94 min.), Separate Ways (1981/92 min.), Night Club (1990/81 min.), Click: The Calendar Girl Killer (1990/79 min.), Hot Target (1985/93 min.), Pick-Up (1975/80 min.) and French Quarter (1977/101 min.). 2 DVDs. Color/R/fullscreen.

DVD FEATURES:

• Number of Discs: 2
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Karen Black - Valentine Colby
       Elizabeth Kaitan - Beth/Liza
       Arlene Golonka - Annie
       David Naughton - Jerry
       Deborah Tilton - Debbie
       Jack Carter - Barney
       William Windom - Huey
       Robert Fuller - Woody
       Noah Hathaway - Jason Colby
       Walter Brooke - Lawrence
       Jordan Charney - Harry
       Sybil Danning - Mary
       Angus Duncan - Allen
       Monte Markham
       Bob Hastings - Jack
       Katherine Justice - Sheila
       Alain Patrick

• Director:

  Dennis Kane, Dennis C. Lewiston, Bennie Hirschenson, Alain Patrick, William Byron Hillman, Howard H. Avedis, Michael Keusch, Ross Hagen, John Stewart

• Producer:

  Dennis Kane, John Barnett, Brian Cook, Michael Callan, Norman Deming, William Byron Hillman, Howard H. Avedis, Nicholas Hoppe, Mark Headley

• Screenwriter:

  Barney Cohen, Dennis Kane, Dennis C. Lewiston, William Byron Hillman, Leah Appet, Jeanne Rosenberg, Michael Keusch, Deborah Tilton

• Cinematographer:

  Jerry Kalogeratos, Alec Mills, Michael Stringer, Dean Cundey

• Composer (Music Score):

  Dick Hyman

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Dave Fraser

• Composer (Music Score):

  Gil Melle, Jack Goga, John Cacavas

• Songwriter:

  John Cacavas, Bonnie Becker

• Composer (Music Score):

  Brian Fasman, Dana Walden

• Editor:

  George T. Norris, Ed Fricke, Michael Horton, John Wright, Michael Keusch

• Production Designer:

  Josephine Ford, Ron Talsky, Ron Ralsky, Steven J. Wolfe

• Art Director:

  Kirsten Shouler, Winston Purett, Sally Childs, Chuck Seaton, Naomi Kaneda

• Co-producer:

  Toni Covington

• Associate Producer:

  Naomi Kaneda

• Executive Producer:

  Marlene Schmidt

• Set Designer:

  Paul Radford

• Costume Designer:

  Ellen Mirojnick, Patrick Steel, Stephen Loomis

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Art Names

• Makeup:

  Anne Pospischil, Chris Brice, Sally Childs

• First Assistant Director:

  David R. Osterhout

• Stunts:

  Gene Hartline

• Choreography:

  Donnis Hunnicutt

• Short Story Author:

  Gerry O'Hara

• Stunts Coordinator:

  Gene Hartline

REVIEWS:

• Despite its status as a Crown International Pictures release, this is no typical piece of drive-in fodder. Despite its exploitable content and youth-market focus, it is very much an arthouse film. Director Bernard Hirschenson tells his story in a surrealistic, stream-of-consciousness style: he fragments the storyline with elaborate dream/fantasy sequences and flashbacks, makes effective use of some pre-MTV fast montage editing and layers the soundtrack with plenty of unusual sound effects and music to give a hallucinatory feel to the proceedings. It's also worth noting that Hirschenson also did the cinematography and his visual style is very impressive: his swirling handheld camerawork and eye for artsy imagery play a big role in creating the film's dreamlike style. The actors' performances are all rough around the edges but they give it their all and do brave, uninhibited work. Pick-Up has its flaws -- the flashbacks and dream sequences are often heavy-handed and the surreal finale is rather convoluted -- but the results are still unique and intriguing, even when they stray off the mark. To sum up, Pick-Up is an interesting bit of experimental cinema disguised as a drive-in programmer. It will baffle those expecting a typical sexploitation outing but those who appreciate avant-garde filmmaking will be intrigued by its otherworldly sense of style. ~ Donald Guarisco, Rovi
• This offbeat genre-bender is worthy of rediscovery by cult movie fans with a yen for 1970's-era fare. The clever script, penned by Barney Cohen with director Dennis Kane, offsets the sexploitation elements of its brothel-set storyline with a compelling double-storyline premise that allows several of its actors to play dual roles. It also blends comedy, romance and supernatural elements in a balanced and confident manner. Kane directs his story well, showing a flair for a genuinely adult style of eroticism one doesn't always see in low-budget fare from this era and making fantastic use of real New Orleans locations to achieve a convincingly decadent atmosphere. More importantly, he gets excellent performances from a well-chosen cast: lesser known starlet Alisha Fontaine is likeable as the ethereal, troubled dual-heroines of the film's two storylines while Bruce Davison adds an unconventional charm as the piano-player romantic interest in the vintage plotline and Virginia Mayo infuses her role as a madam with an old-fashioned Hollywood style of elegance. All these elements are woven together in an impressive fashion, making French Quarter a sexy, unpredictable story that is likely to entertain b-movie fans and adventurous arthouse-film patrons alike. ~ Donald Guarisco, Rovi