Pick-Up

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07/03/2019 It appears to me that this film was never actually completed. It had enough footage to be a full length film but it is 2 films in one and 85 minutes isn't enough film to tell 2 feature length tales. It threw me for a loop when a second title 'Pazuzu' is splashed on to the screen more than once during the opening credits?!?! This is actually why I ended up watching the whole film. Many demonologists or horror film buffs may remember that Pazuzu is the for of demon that possesses the victims in the Exorcist movies....he is also a demon featured in more than one version of Dungeons and Dragons. He is the Aerial King said to rule over the 1st plane of the Abyss. Initially I expected this film to be an excuse to have a pick up full of red necks exploit the young gal on the cover. This does actually happen in the film but it only accounts for a short scene in which the audience is supposed to guess at what crimes these guys commit against this gal before they kill her and drown her in the swamp. The first half of this film is about the soft-core misadventures of the teen-age gal on the cover who goes off into the swamps with the driver of the bus that her and her older friend have hitched a ride on. A disappointing detail is that the sexy top and jeans she is wearing on the cover never appear in the film. Nor does she ever have her hair tied back with that yellow ribbon. There is an attempt at foreshadowing with the pick-up being seen early on in the film and also some silly dream sequences which are had by the 2 women in the film which give the film a bit of a horrific edge (like the classics 'Phantasm' or 'It') The shots of the large flocks birds being over active and very prolific reminds one that Pazuzu may actually be in the area or might try to some form of appearance in the film. The older lady in the film who is no less attractive than the young gal has her turn at frolicking around in the everglades with the handsome young driver. There are parts of these soft-core scenes that reminded me of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and I think that was supposed to be the point however it never made any sense as to why this imagery was used except maybe to contrast against the more horrific scenes. As I said in the beginning there is too much going on for this to be just an 85 min. film unless like at least 15 minutes of panoramic scenes of the everglades and the flocks of birds (which never interact with the characters of the film) If someone edited this film and they chose to do one or the other this actually had a chance to be a decent film but instead it is just a wierd snuff film that leaves you with more questions than answers.....and the worst part is when it ALL just appears to be a dream in the end because the 3 main characters go driving off in DIFFERENT clothing than anything they wore in the film prior to that last scene..... See more 12/12/2015 70's hippie movie which is more about style and excess than any clear plot or story. See more 08/20/2014 Supernatural visions and people having sex in a tree. There is also a clown. See more 04/06/2014 It's as if Terrence Malick directed a T and A flick. See more 03/04/2012 This artsy film disguised as a exploitation film us alright, It has one of the best dream sequences involving a clown ever. See more 07/05/2011 [size=5][b]Pick-Up[/b][/size] Directed by: Bernard Hirschenson [size=5][b]The Teacher[/b][/size] Directed by: Howard Avedis [img]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51bBE2AbxjL._SL500.jpg[/img] Wow, now, I saw a fair amount of Grindhouse films before they became a big thing (again), but now I know EXACTLY where QT got some of this stuff. That weird rainbow opening logo thing was real. I'd seen things like it, but this film has it explicitly. Anyhow, the movies: [b]Pick-up[/b] Hmm...well, it is what it is! Some guy who's suppose to drive a bus across Florida to deliver it ends up picking up two hippie chicks, getting stuck in a detour through the swamp, and thus spending most of his time having sex with them. Sounds good to me! Throw in some random new age shit like terrot cards, astrology, and random politicians, molesting priests, first encounters and clowns randomly showing up in swamps (nope, not kidding), and you've got yourself a movie! Anyhow, as a pure exercise in atmosphere, it works pretty well. It's got lots of great shots of the swamp and naked hippies. As anything else? Well..not so much. But it does what it does. [b]The Teacher[/b] Man oh man, did I learn a lot from this film! From this film, I learned the following things: 1. Mothers sometimes talk about their sons in the creepiest way possible to their friends, by declaring that they are attracted to them even though they are, you know, their Mother. 2. Those same mothers don't notice when a 28 year old teacher is spending way too much time with an 18 year old kid, even after really blatant flirting involving chasing each other in swimmsuits happens. 3. 28 year old school teachers who are upset with their 40 year old husbands for not growing up like hooking up with 18 year olds (no, I didn't really get it either). 4. Really hot babes that are being stalked by guys with knives don't really think it's a big deal until the guy actually kidnapps/kills someone. 5. People frequently have sex without taking their pants off. Anyhow, the movie makes absolutely no sense whatsoever...and I loved every second of it. Basically, it's about this "Hot for teacher" babe who's loser husband took off for 6 months to race motorcycles who starts up an affair with her awkward 18 year old student. In the meantime, however, this other kid who was peeping on her dies when his insane brother, who was also peeping on her, accidentally kills him. But he blames the non-crazy brother's best friend, who of course ends up being the guy who sleeps with her. So yah...this is quinnessential grindhouse goodness. Babes, fun if totally idiotic plot, neat locations (I really liked the old manufacturing plant thing, and the fact that everybody has a huge swimming pool, even on a teacher and loser bike racer's sallary), a few funny jokes, and even some killings to round things out. The sex/nudity is relatively tame, so is the violence, but the whole thing is just so silly and absurd it works. Haven't had this much fun with a grindhouse type film since Sunny Boy and Sugar Baby. Pick Up - [size=4][i]6.0[/i][/size] Teacher - [size=4][i]8.0[/i][/size] See more Read all reviews

Pick-Up

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