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Title: Crown International Pictures Post by: dcj2112 on November 16, 2020, 11:36:42 PM I’ve been watching a bunch of their old movies lately off of the Mills Creek budget sets. Anyone have any favorites, least favorites, or just ones they found weird or interesting?
Title: Re: Crown International Pictures Post by: claws on November 17, 2020, 12:50:29 AM Going through and rating the ones I own:
Very Good My Chauffeur (1986) - 3.5/5 Policewomen (1974) - 3.5/5 Good My Tutor (1983) - 3/5 Flawed but Worthy Terror (1978) - 2.5/5 Horror High (1973) - 2.5/5 The Beach Girls (1982) - 2.5/5 The Hearse (1980) - 2.5/5 Don't Answer the Phone! (1980) - 2.5/5 Malibu High (1979) - 2.5/5 The Pom Pom Girls (1976) - 2.5/5 Satan's Slave (1976) - 2.5/5 *Double Exposure (1982) - 2.5/5 Tomboy (1985) - 2.5/5 French Quarter (1978) - 2.5/5 The Teacher (1974) - 2.5/5 Top Cop (1990) - 2.5/5 Hunk (1987) - 2.5/5 Coach (1978) - 2.5/5 Fair Pick-up (1975) - 2/5 The Van (1977) - 2/5 Las Vegas Lady (1975) - 2/5 The Devil's Hand (1961) - 2/5 Hot Target (1985) - 2/5 Separate Ways (1981) - 2/5 Trip with the Teacher (1975) - 2/5 Stanley (1972) - 2/5 Wild Riders (1971) - 2/5 Terrified (1963) - 2/5 Scorpion (1986) - 2/5 *Killpoint (1984) - 2/5 Fleshburn (1984) - 2/5 The Devil's Men (1976) - 2/5 Blue Money (1972) - 2/5 *Lurkers (1988) - 2/5 Barely Sufficient The Silencer (1992) - 1.5/5 Blood Mania (1970) - 1.5/5 Prime Evil (1988) - 1.5/5 *Low Blow (1986) - 1.5/5 *Nine Deaths of the Ninja (1985) - 1.5/5 Weekend Pass (1984) - 1.5/5 *Point of Terror (1971) - 1.5/5 Jocks (1986) - 1.5/5 Nightmare in Wax (1969) - 1.5/5 Galaxina (1980) - 1.5/5 Poor The Crater Lake Monster (1977) - 1/5 Superchick (1973) - 1/5 Blood of Dracula's Castle (1969) - 1/5 Night Club (1989) - 1/5 Very Poor The Dirty Half Dozen (1975) - 0.5/5 Click: The Calendar Girl Killer (1990) - 0.5/5 * unintentional hilarious Terror (1978), Policewomen (1974) and The Hearse (1980) are definitely my favorites. The Silencer (1992) is dull but worthy a watch because the film seems inspired by Madonna's early 1990s dyed dark brown hair look, and her Like a Prayer music video. The Crater Lake Monster (1977) is a true guilty pleasure. Trivia: Weekend Pass (1984) was a $20m box office smash :buggedout: Jocks (1986) was filmed in 1983 I think, but not released until 1986. and yeah, no matter how you sugar coat it, Galaxina (1980) is not a good movie. They are doing a TV remake though. Title: Re: Crown International Pictures Post by: dcj2112 on November 17, 2020, 12:08:32 PM Going through and rating the ones I own: Very Good My Chauffeur (1986) - 3.5/5 Policewomen (1974) - 3.5/5 Good My Tutor (1983) - 3/5 Flawed but Worthy Terror (1978) - 2.5/5 Horror High (1973) - 2.5/5 The Beach Girls (1982) - 2.5/5 The Hearse (1980) - 2.5/5 Don't Answer the Phone! (1980) - 2.5/5 Malibu High (1979) - 2.5/5 The Pom Pom Girls (1976) - 2.5/5 Satan's Slave (1976) - 2.5/5 Double Exposure (1982) - 2.5/5 Tomboy (1985) - 2.5/5 French Quarter (1978) - 2.5/5 The Teacher (1974) - 2.5/5 Top Cop (1990) - 2.5/5 Hunk (1987) - 2.5/5 Coach (1978) - 2.5/5 Fair Pick-up (1975) - 2/5 The Van (1977) - 2/5 Las Vegas Lady (1975) - 2/5 The Devil's Hand (1961) - 2/5 Hot Target (1985) - 2/5 Separate Ways (1981) - 2/5 Trip with the Teacher (1975) - 2/5 Stanley (1972) - 2/5 Wild Riders (1971) - 2/5 Terrified (1963) - 2/5 Scorpion (1986) - 2/5 Killpoint (1984) - 2/5 Fleshburn (1984) - 2/5 The Devil's Men (1976) - 2/5 Blue Money (1972) - 2/5 Lurkers (1988) - 2/5 Barely Sufficient The Silencer (1992) - 1.5/5 Blood Mania (1970) - 1.5/5 Prime Evil (1988) - 1.5/5 Low Blow (1986) - 1.5/5 Nine Deaths of the Ninja (1985) - 1.5/5 Weekend Pass (1984) - 1.5/5 Point of Terror (1971) - 1.5/5 Jocks (1986) - 1.5/5 Nightmare in Wax (1969) - 1.5/5 Galaxina (1980) - 1.5/5 Poor The Crater Lake Monster (1977) - 1/5 Superchick (1973) - 1/5 Blood of Dracula's Castle (1969) - 1/5 Night Club (1989) - 1/5 Very Poor The Dirty Half Dozen (1975) - 0.5/5 Click: The Calendar Girl Killer (1990) - 0.5/5 Terror (1978), Policewomen (1974) and The Hearse (1980) are definitely my favorites. Nine Deaths of the Ninja (1985) is unintentional funny. The Silencer (1992) is dull but worthy a look because the film seems inspired by Madonna's early 1990s looks, and her Like a Prayer music video. The Crater Lake Monster (1977) is a true guilty pleasure. Double Exposure (1982) also has its unintentional hilarious moments. Trivia: Weekend Pass (1984) was a $20m box office smash :buggedout: Jocks (1986) was filmed in 1983 I think, but not released until 1986. and yeah, no matter how you sugar coat it, Galaxina (1980) is not a good movie. They are doing a TV remake though. Great post! Oddly enough I just watched the first film you mentioned yesterday, My Chauffeur. I also watched Malibu Beach for a fun double feature :smile: Title: Re: Crown International Pictures Post by: RCMerchant on November 17, 2020, 12:32:24 PM Crown International films I have seen-
.ORGY OF THE DEAD (1965) stupid but fun. .SATAN'S SLAVE (1976) It has Micheal Gough; I liked it. .DRACULA'S DOG (1977) This movie is a hoot! .CINDY AND DONNA (197) Eh. .BLOOD OF DRACULA'S CASTLE (1969) Al Adamson- nuff sed. .CRATER LAKE MONSTER (1977) Great fun. .The CREEPING TERROR (1964) BAD! I loved it! .TRIP WITH THE TEACHER (1975) Better than it has any right to be. .the DEVIL'S HAND (1961) So-so horror outing. .STANLEY (19772) WILLARD with snakes. .SUPERCHICK (1973) Dumb as hell, but it has Uschi Digart! In a lesbian scene! :thumbup: .BLOOD LUST! (1961) Z Budget the MOST DANGEROUS GAME remake. .FIRST SPACESHIP ON VENUS (1960) Ho-hum space opera. .CHAIN GANG WOMEN (1971) No chain gang women in sight. .WELCOME HOME, BROTHER CHARLES (1975) Ex con strangles people with his dick. Not joking. .POLICEWOMEN (1974) Love this movie! .NIGHTMARE IN WAX (1966) Cameron Mitchell! .the WILD REBELS (1967) A four member motorcycle gang. And stupid as hell! The bikers and the film! .SINGLE ROOM FURNISHED (1966) AHHHH! .VARAN THE UNBILEVABLE (1962) Run of the mill Japanese monster flick. .MADMEN OF MANDORAS (1963) aka THEY SAVED HITLER'S BRAIN .GALAXINA (1989) Garbage. You can find the whole list of thier films here: https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?companies=co0077329 (https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?companies=co0077329) Title: Re: Crown International Pictures Post by: dcj2112 on November 17, 2020, 11:04:53 PM I did a triple feature tonight of Crown International sex comedies. Here are some thoughts on them.
Tomboy: This movie has so many gratuitous boobs in it that it rivals the unrated version of Sex Drive. You just know some super un-PC 1980’s movie exec saw this title and said, “We can’t call this movie Tomboy. If we do no one is going to see it because they’ll think all the women look like men. Well maybe if we just fill it with boobs.” All this despite the movie starring Betsy Russell who anyone would be hard pressed to confuse with a man. Weekend Pass: This was my favorite of the three. It’s a great concept for a movie and I can see why it was a sleeper hit as Claws mentioned. Four navy men fresh out of basic training get a weekend pass in Los Angeles before they ship out to their assignments. It’s like The Last Detail but a lot more light hearted and a lot more 1980s. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that Phil Hartman had a small role in this too. The Pom Pom Girls: This is made from the same mold as the later shot Malibu Beach which I watched yesterday. The plot of both films can simply be described as high schoolers screwing around in Southern California in the 1970s. Really the plots are so similar some of the scenes are more just alternate versions of each other than anything new. Malibu Beach is the funner movie because the villain is more dorky and memorable, but this one has a much better ending. Also, both feature Susan Player who wasn’t in nearly enough movies. All these I watched on the Mills Creek 200 Drive-In Cult Cinema 200 Classics Collection. I highly recommend that set as it is going for just over $50 some places online now. It pads out the 200 number with some of those recycled public domain movies that pop up everywhere. But the Crown International stuff many of which have really great visual and audio quality with some even presented in original aspect ratios make it worth it. Title: Re: Crown International Pictures Post by: pacman000 on November 17, 2020, 11:14:24 PM I’ve seen “Crater Lake Monster,” “First Spaceship on Venus,“ & “The Creeping Terror.”
Crater Lake has some good FX work, & little else of note. Venus I enjoyed, tho there are 1,000,000 similar movies. Creeping Terror was on an MST3K VHS. Just an average monster movie, w/a below average monster. Only one joke was funny, “Help! I’m being attacked by a point of view shot!” But I’m not an MST3K fan, so perhaps I shouldn’t speak on that. Title: Re: Crown International Pictures Post by: dcj2112 on November 17, 2020, 11:41:24 PM I’ve seen “Crater Lake Monster,” “First Spaceship on Venus,“ & “The Creeping Terror.” Crater Lake has some good FX work, & little else of note. Venus I enjoyed, tho there are 1,000,000 similar movies. Creeping Terror was on an MST3K VHS. Just an average monster movie, w/a below average monster. Only one joke was funny, “Help! I’m being attacked by a point of view shot!” But I’m not an MST3K fan, so perhaps I shouldn’t speak on that. Haha that Creeping Terror movie is actually one of my favorite MST3K episodes. I believe it was released in one of the first sets along with the non-MST3K movie. It is also on that Mills Creek set I mentioned but I haven’t had a strong desire to rewatch it. I believe I watched First Spaceship on Venus on MST3K and by itself, but not for 20+ years. So I really don’t have much memory of it. Crater Lake Monster is one I still think I have to see and is on that Mills Creek set. Since it’s one Claws listed as poor and the plot doesn’t sound that fun I’m not too keen to see it. I will at some point, but it might have to wait until next October when I try to just watch nothing but horror movies. For as fun as the Mills Creek 200 set is the bad horror movies on it are REAL bad. Title: Re: Crown International Pictures Post by: Dr. Whom on November 18, 2020, 02:03:22 AM Is 'First Spaceship on Venus' the East German one?
Also Galaxina is a slog. I get that they were going for parody, but it is painfully unfunny. Title: Re: Crown International Pictures Post by: RCMerchant on November 18, 2020, 06:45:11 AM Is 'First Spaceship on Venus' the East German one? Yes, it is. Title: Re: Crown International Pictures Post by: zombie no.one on November 18, 2020, 09:18:36 AM .DRACULA'S DOG (1977) This movie is a hoot! TRIP WITH THE TEACHER (1975) Better than it has any right to be big fan of these two Title: Re: Crown International Pictures Post by: RCMerchant on November 18, 2020, 09:47:10 AM TRIP WITH THE TEACHER (1975) Better than it has any right to be For a z-budget movie, that was brutal! It helped it had the Original BORN LOSER Zalman King! http://youtu.be/16yyh_z7ApU (http://youtu.be/16yyh_z7ApU) Title: Re: Crown International Pictures Post by: zombie no.one on November 18, 2020, 10:53:37 AM I'd never actually heard of zalman king before watching it
I picked up the new vinegar syndrome bluray release and there's a commentary track with the director. he said he made most of the movie by himself and invented a bunch of crew names on the credits. which is why the key grip is called... https://m.imdb.com/name/nm6097432/?ref_=m_ttfcd_cr2 Title: Re: Crown International Pictures Post by: RCMerchant on November 18, 2020, 11:32:48 AM ^ I don't know if you ever seen the 1st Billy Jack movie BORN LOSERS (1967), but he was the lead of the biker gang in that one. Even wore the same sunglasses! :buggedout:
http://youtu.be/4mlSyNZrmFY (http://youtu.be/4mlSyNZrmFY) Title: Re: Crown International Pictures Post by: kornula on November 18, 2020, 11:40:51 AM There are aspects I love about CRATER LAKE MONSTER. First and foremost is the main character ("hero") is sent by the evil corporate HQ from the US of A to be a Union buster essentially. He turns out to save the town by killing the monster in the lake. Now that is a twist I don't expect
Oh yeah, they don't resolve the pesky workers uprising by the end. I find that bit funny when the towns folk cheer the corporate guy who wants to sack them all and replace them with even cheaper labor. Title: Re: Crown International Pictures Post by: claws on November 18, 2020, 12:03:35 PM I must admit the only reason I watch Crater Lake Monster occasionally is because it looks amazing on blu-ray :thumbup:
Title: Re: Crown International Pictures Post by: dcj2112 on November 18, 2020, 10:48:35 PM Do anymore of these have reoccurring characters or gags?
I don’t think they made any sequels for their movies in the traditional sense, but just noticed some reoccurring things. I watched The Van tonight and was pleasantly surprised to see Dugan played by the same actor who played him in Malibu Beach pop up. There are no other shared characters that I could place, but Dugan is clearly the same exact character in both movies. Perhaps he’s a little more of a dork in Malibu Beach, but that’s about it. Sadly it looks like those are the only two movies Dugan is in. Also, The Van is described at one point as, “A whorehouse on wheels” which I believe is also said about the limo in My Chauffeur. I plan on watching some more of these soon so wouldn’t be surprised if I notice some more :smile: Title: Re: Crown International Pictures Post by: pennywise37 on December 08, 2020, 01:29:05 AM i need to look up the list of films they put out cause most of the ones i've seen have all been terrible but i'm sure there are some i did like
Title: Re: Crown International Pictures Post by: pacman000 on December 08, 2020, 01:54:20 PM Do anymore of these have reoccurring characters or gags? I think they mostly bought independent features; if there are recurring elements it's only because they wanted something like the last successful film, not because they made a conscious effort to create a continuity between films. I don’t think they made any sequels for their movies in the traditional sense, but just noticed some reoccurring things. I watched The Van tonight and was pleasantly surprised to see Dugan played by the same actor who played him in Malibu Beach pop up. There are no other shared characters that I could place, but Dugan is clearly the same exact character in both movies. Perhaps he’s a little more of a dork in Malibu Beach, but that’s about it. Sadly it looks like those are the only two movies Dugan is in. Also, The Van is described at one point as, “A whorehouse on wheels” which I believe is also said about the limo in My Chauffeur. I plan on watching some more of these soon so wouldn’t be surprised if I notice some more :smile: Here's their web site: http://www.crownintlpictures.com/ (http://www.crownintlpictures.com/) Says here they began producing films themselves in the 70's: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mark-tenser-dead-was-president-ceo-1970s-indie-powerhouse-crown-international-pictures-1071665 (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mark-tenser-dead-was-president-ceo-1970s-indie-powerhouse-crown-international-pictures-1071665) Title: Re: Crown International Pictures Post by: BedsideGreaser on January 14, 2022, 02:55:53 AM Crown is a great company that managed
to put out a steady stream of B-movies, most of their output gained them tons of money thru distribution deals with HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, TMC and later on, USA UP ALL NIGHT. Movies like Tomboy, Jocks, Hunk were huge VHS sellers. Some of the releases I didn't care for in the past, I have changed my mind after becoming a listener of the Grindbin Podcast which celebrates Crown and mines their catalog for a great chunk of the show. As a side note, some of those Mill Creek DVD, Blu and Digital editions feature some edits. Truly unkind cuts. Title: Re: Crown International Pictures Post by: claws on January 14, 2022, 03:23:14 AM In video rental days Vestron Video and Media Home Entertainment distributed most of Crown International titles. Beginning in 1986, 1987, RCA/Columbia carried a few CI movies like Scorpion, Jocks and Hunk.
Title: Re: Crown International Pictures Post by: BedsideGreaser on January 14, 2022, 09:21:31 AM All those labels were really acquiring distribution like mad in that rental boon.
Title: Re: Crown International Pictures Post by: pennywise37 on February 05, 2022, 10:48:51 PM The Devil's Hand (1961) i remember that one i have seen that one that one i remember thinking wasn't a great movie but it was a decent one at least
Title: Re: Crown International Pictures Post by: kornula on February 16, 2022, 03:17:33 PM Death Machines (1976) is my all time favorite bad movie. I believe Crown International was with this production from the start.. which is one of the reason it tanked. The producers tried to advertise it as a "Science Fiction" thinggy... hence the cool, creepy Poster. It is a monolith with teeth.. Not sure exactly what its supposed to represent in the film...but then again, the advertisers didn't care
(http://images.moviepostershop.com/death-machines-movie-poster-1976-1020255899.jpg) Title: Re: Crown International Pictures Post by: JuanSnz on February 17, 2022, 11:10:44 AM ^Looks more like a possessed version of the Washington Monument. Or the Argentinean (my country) version: El Obelisco.
Added to my list of 'movies that I never heard, or at least I don't think I heard of them, and I found them in badmovies dot org reviews pages, or are the favorites of users, and probably I will enjoy them' :smile: Title: Re: Crown International Pictures Post by: claws on April 20, 2024, 05:24:26 PM Revisited Crown International Pictures and yeah, they only produced or distributed crap, but I guess we all know that. If you don't know what CIP to watch, here's a list ranked by most popular vote (IMDb)
1. The Creeping Terror (1964 TV Movie) 0.0 2. My Tutor (1983) 1.5 3. Galaxina (1980) 0.0 4. The Hearse (1980) 1.0 5. Don't Answer the Phone! (1980) 1.0 6. Satan's Slave (1976) 1.5 7. My Chauffeur (1986) 2.0 8. Five the Hard Way (1969) 0.0 9. The Devil's Men (1976) 0.0 10. The Beach Girls (1982) 1.0 11. Tomboy (1985) 1.0 12. The Crater Lake Monster (1977) 0.0 13. Terror (1978) 1.5 14. Trip with the Teacher (1975) 0.5 15. Nine Deaths of the Ninja (1985) 0.0 16. Hunk (1987) 0.5 17. The Devil's Hand (1961) 0.5 18. Blood of Dracula's Castle (1969) 0.0 19. The Pom Pom Girls (1976) 1.0 20. Horror High (1973) 1.0 21. Malibu High (1979) 1.0 22. The Teacher (1974) 1.0 23. Blood Mania (1970) 0.0 24. Pick-up (1975) 0.5 25. The Van (1977) 0.5 26. Prime Evil (1988) 0.0 27. Cavegirl (1985) 0.0 28. Deathrow Gameshow (1987) 1.0 29. Jocks (1986) 0.0 30. Nightmare in Wax (1969) 0.0 31. Double Exposure (1982) 1.0 32. Stanley (1972) 0.5 33. Welcome Home Brother Charles (1975) 1.0 34. Malibu Beach (1978) 0.5 35. Death Machines (1976) 0.0 36. Low Blow (1986) 0.0 37. Coach (1978) 1.0 38. Superchick (1973) 0.0 39. Point of Terror (1971) 0.0 40. Van Nuys Blvd. (1979) 1.5 41. Best Friends (1975) 1.0 42. Policewomen (1974) 1.5 43. The Babysitter (1969) 2.5 44. Hustler Squad (1975) 0.0 45. Cindy and Donna (1970) 0.5 46. Lurkers (1987) 0.0 47. Weekend Pass (1984) 0.0 48. Terrified (1962) 0.0 49. The Silencer (1992) 0.0 50. Click: The Calendar Girl Killer (1990) 0.0 51. Killpoint (1984) 0.0 52. The Patriot (1986) 0.0 53. Hot Target (1985) 0.5 54. Blue Money (1972) 0.0 55. Fleshburn (1984) 0.0 56. French Quarter (1978) 0.5 57. Wild Riders (1971) 0.5 58. Separate Ways (1981) 0.5 59. Las Vegas Lady (1975) 0.5 60. The Young Graduates (1971) 0.0 61. Scorpion (1986) 0.0 62. Night Club (1989) 0.0 63. Top Cop (1990) 0.0 |