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In many ways, Klute (1971) is the logical result of a broken studio system attempting to create a new formula. The thriller aspects of director Alan J. Pakula's production, liberally lifted from latter Hitchcock films and Italian giallo copycats, offers up the seedy inspiration for '80s thrillers like Basic Instinct where both heroes and heroines are only a few moral notches away from the psychos they pursue. But with the new Hollywood ethos in play, Klute is allowed make up its own rules, explore (or in some cases ignore ) its characters, and linger where its inspirations could not. A New York call girl with theatrical aspirations, Bree Daniels (Jane Fonda) becomes a "person-of-interest" in the disappearance of a buttoned-down family man connected by a series of pornographic letters. John Klute (Donald Sutherland) is the private investigator with a vested interest in the case who also takes a romantic interest in his chief witness. As the pair track down le...

Cinema may combine the best aspects of art, literature and music...but it also has a healthy dose of vaudeville too. After all, putting on a show for those who can't afford (or appreciate) a night at the opera is what Hollywood was built around! So movies like Mother Wore Tights (1947) translate the vaudeville experience particularly well, rushing through various musical numbers while stringing together just enough narrative complications to fit the new playbill. Narrated via flashback by Mikie, the youngest daughter in a traveling troupe of family performers, she tells the meet-cut story of Mother (Betty Grable) and Daddy (Dan Dailey), a successful dancing duo whose stage lives become hopelessly complicated after they have children. Iris, the eldest, begins to resent her upbringing and enrolls in a prestigious prep school. But when Mom and Dad book a show nearby, resent turns to embarrassment, and the family business becomes a skeleton she'd rather keep in the closet. T...

A mismatched romance that takes a dodgy turn into crime thriller territory, Hussy (1980) obviously sold itself on the performance (clothed and unclothed) of Helen Mirren who'd proven herself game for any cinematic challenge. But director Matthew Chapman's film retains an aura of '70s respectability, investing her character with a flawed, blue-collar gravitas that turns exploitation into a sort of working girl expose. Beaty Simons (Mirren) turns tricks at a London nightclub, dreaming of a life in the country where she can leave the business behind and raise her ten-year-old son. And her relationship with Emory (John Shea), a soft-spoken widower, provides hope for just that. But Beaty finds old habits are hard to break. And when an ex-lover fresh out of prison turns up on their doorstep, things go from bad to worse for all of them. Hussy sells sex, but it's a stealth character study at heart. Chapman's film makes sure we realize Beaty's job is anyt...

Movies shot in the snow should always get extra credit. Not only does it involve cast and crew working under less than optimal conditions, but the logistics of shooting when the temperatures drop below freezing add a new level of difficulty. Plus it all looks awesome on camera! So The Chill Factor (1993), despite its community theater acting and Cabin in the Woods cliches, gets a gold star just for trying to pull off a supernatural slasher set in northern Wisconsin. After a snowmobile race gone wrong, Jeannie and her five friends hunker down in an abandoned hunting cabin while a winter storm rages outside. A quick exploration of the premises uncovers a satanic back-story involving human sacrifice, demonic possession and missing kids. And by the time morning rolls around, Jeannie might just be the only human left alive! Produced by Windsor Lake Studios, a regional company also responsible for Arrow Video's other recent release Trapped Alive , The Chill Factor (release i...