Watching "drive-in movies" in a hot summer living room.

If you skimmed the post I wrote yesterday, you no doubt know that I have freed up some viewing time. While I have literally hundreds of DVD's that I haven't yet watched, I find myself often influenced by the tone of the season, and whatever mood I am currently in. Last week I picked up a cheapo box set of 50 "Drive-in Movie Classics". On a sweltering night with no air conditioning, that collection was calling me in a way I couldn't resist. So after a late dinner I went exploring for any title that seemed even remotely alluring.

I started my double feature with a film that was listed on its sleeve as Creeper. This 1978- horror/thriller starring Hal Holbrook is "better known" under the title Rituals. Its plot concerns a fishing trip that four doctors take into the wilds of Canada (the "Cauldron of the Moon). They soon realize that they are not alone in this remote region, and have to contend with an ordeal of survival that is often painful to watch. Comparisons to Boorman's Deliverance (1972) are both obvious and understandable. But from what I could tell, the settings and cinematography added enough value to elevate Rituals above the ordinary backwoods slasher ripoff.

The problem is that the transfer on this DVD is so poor that I often had a problem seeing what was onscreen. It's just way too dark. This is a real shame because the performances, writing and setup suggest that this is an unfairly overlooked gem. While unfortunate, the fact that this is a shoddy product isn't at all shocking. When it comes to paying $20 for fifty feature-length movies, it is certainly a case of "buyer beware". I'd be surprised if it didn't eventually get a better treatment. From what I could tell, it's one of the better entries in the subgenre exploring the conflict between city and country folk. On a sidenote, it's pretty interesting to hear the men exchange collegial banter about the medical profession, circa the late 70's.

As I fed my second choice into the player, I was hoping not to be frustrated by lousy production values. I got lucky- not only was the movie watchable from a picture quality standpoint, but Absolution (1978) was also original and fairly compelling. It started out with the introduction of a free-flowing, folksong-playing, longhaired, hippie transient who arrives at a Catholic boarding school in search of odd jobs for cash. He quickly runs afoul of the administration and most of the student body, yet one young student is fascinated by his lifestyle and makes an effort to befriend him. But Father Goddard (played with melodramatic authority by Richard Burton) is loathe to see this relationship develop. After all, the mortal soul of one of his favorite pets is now endangered, and he is willing to go to great lengths to keep the boy on the godly path.

Of course, the average male teen often has a very strong will of his own. After discovering the sacred confidentiality that pertains to the confession box, the boy introduces all sorts of mischief into the proceedings. Because of the inviolable sanctity between sinner and confessor, Father Goddard soon finds himself in an incredibly straining situation. The emotional toll he pays to confront the developing events eventually tries his nerves. I have to give director Anthony Page and writer Anthony Shaffer credit for expanding a broad philosophical question about the concept of absolution into a taut psychological thriller. And certainly Burton's acting makes the movie consistently compelling. But Absolution ends with a rather forced and awkward resolution, and viewers bothered by internal plot inconsistencies are warned to stay well away.