[.ca] Targets

a grand exit (well cose to an exit):
corman wows here and reminds us that we really lost a very good director when he decided to devote all of his time to producing. regardless, forget those last, depressing mexican horror quickies that karloff wheezed his poor dying self through. keep this as his bow. it's a nice summation of a glorious career.

OK in its day!:
I bought this title on the basis of the reviews below. Certainly the film has its merits, but it has become dated. Karloff is interesting as the aging horror movie star, as is the depiction of the 60's/70's era. The clinical way in which the sniper kills his family, then sets up at different locations around the city is revealing. The mistakes he makes even more so. If nothing else this film brings home the mechanics of what we now call "going postal". Has dramatic content for sure, but no longer what we would consider horrific. Interesting to put our present day social values in perspective.

Lost Treasure:
Boris Karloff gave one of his finest performances in this film and proved that he didn't have to be the movie's monster to be the star. The transfer quality is excellent, the special features aren't much but they provide great value. It was a kick for me seeing LA in the '60s and ztill recognizing landmarks. I was especially impressed with the funky 60's decor in the killer's house - it looked like the house I grew up in!

Blew me away...no pun intended.:
I had been reading about this movie for thirty years and after renting it from the incomparable MOVIE MADNESS I can only say I wish I had seen it sooner. It really stands out as an exceptional example of low-budget exploitation cinema. Peter Bogdanavich directs with a surfeit of craft and style in this, his first film, allegedly shot in only ten days! I will be buying this excellent DVD with the hilarious and fascinating commentary by the director; he is an amusingly droll fellow and if any of his other films contain commentaries as lively and enjoyable as TARGETS then I am going to be the first in line to rent DAISY MILLER. Just kidding. But that doesn't make me any less impressed with TARGETS. It truly is a first rate thriller that still has a remarkable power. This is one of the very first "modern" psycho films. Bravo to Bogdanovich and company for this one. Very well done.

Ahead of Its Time:
Peter Bogdanovich produced, directed, edited and wrote the screenplay to TARGETS. The film has a curious and dichotomous quality to it. On one hand Bogdanovich handled the sniper (a very clean-cut Tim O'Kelly) in a very real, threatening and unprecedented way for its time. O'Kelly looks so much like the all-American kid from next door that he is all the more frightening making the film very unsettling. O'Kelly munches on a sandwich and guzzles down soda in-between his targets. Moreover the sniper is ferreted out by a famous horror film idol (Boris Karloff) from the golden age of Hollywood. The confrontation comes at a drive-in theatre of all places in an unusual climax. The film is suspenseful and alluring. Once you start watching it you're hooked. Is there a message to this film? Perhaps there is. The finale is almost pure hokum, but perhaps that is the point. Leave the killings, the violence and horror up on the screen. Don't let it escape into the real world. Get your jollies at the movies then drive home and lead a normal life. Perhaps that was true 30 years ago.