The Roommates

I came across a blu ray double feature with this and A Woman For All Men (havent watched that 1 yet) and went in without knowing anything about the film, outside of the description on the back of the box. Overall the film looks remarkable, with vibrant colors, and good cinematography. Cast is all adequate-good as well. The plot is where things stumble, with a general incoherent sense about it, and far too many long takes of girls just awkwardly dancing to the 70s tunes (the music itself, while cheesy, was fun). Once things pick up, at about an hour in, it is definitely a fun ride, and sadly the violent finale is somewhat more poignant today, however the film as a whole was entertaining, and thus I give it a passable 6/10.

Tl:dr: looks good, cast is quality, jiggling ladies, and a wack ass story. Thumbs up, recommended.

The first time I saw Roommates a few weeks ago I thought it without merit and deserved only a 3. Probably this was due to having seen the eye-popping (don't ask) Beach Bunnies (1976) a couple of days before. Packaged as a sex film, it's hardly more daring than a 1960's Elvis Presley movie, a bit of a swindle. One reviewer reckons it has more sex than comedy, from which I can only surmise either he thought it entirely devoid of comedy or there are two versions and he saw the uncut one. On the second, more cerebral viewing I better appreciated the good points. Enjoyment of older low budget films can be blighted by that grainy, out of focus look, this picture is so sharp it could have been shot last year. And, like the scenery, the girls are easy on the eye, especially Brea and Carla. I rather felt the others were there to make up the quorum, though of course this is highly subjective. To digress, I only recently started reviewing films and by now all but the most abysmal or obscure have garnered at least a dozen reviews. This can make it hard to think of anything original to say. On the other hand it's likely someone has already delineated the story in some detail, obviating the need for any humdrum descriptive writing. That being the case here I will make just a couple more observations. While the story is not far fetched, neither is all of it believable. A real life Brea, taking the reputational and possibly legal risk of bedding a teenage boy, would surely have picked the confident and better looking (albeit conceited) Aaron over the mousy, tongue tied Harold. I guess we were supposed to think Harold rather sweet and so deserving the girl of his dreams. Which provokes the contrarian in me to see him rather as a bit of a wimp. I wonder if I'm alone in suspecting that elements of the murderers' modus operandi owe more to a famous Hitchcock scene than mere coincidence - no names, no spoilers.

This super-obscure movie was recently shown at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Austin, TX as part of its "Weird Wednesday" feature, and it was well worth doing a little traveling to catch it (if I remember correctly, the last time this movie played in theatres was as part of a double-bill with THE SWINGING CHEERLEADERS, so you KNOW it's been a long, long time!). I enjoy grindhouse/drive-in ("Joe Bob Briggs-type") movies from the '70s, and THE ROOMMATES certainly fits the bill. The movie starts off as a cheesecake romp with four lovely college coeds finishing the school year and getting ready for some fun in the sun during their summer break. They have the requisite wild party (described by some as an "orgy" but consisting mainly of binge drinking, heavy petting, a strip chess game and the aforementioned sit-up contest) then go off on their summer adventures (more or less separately, but all at or near Lake Arrowhead). Heather (Pat Woodell, the original Bobbie Jo Bradley from PETTICOAT JUNCTION) takes it easy at the family summer home along with her visiting younger cousin Paula (Christina Hart). They discover a young man camping out on the property and allow him to stay in a shed in exchange for chopping and gathering firewood. Carla (Marki Bey) works at a local library and catches the fancy of the deputy sheriff (not to mention some leering library patrons), Beth (Roberta Collins) works alongside a waterskiing instructor and pursues a relationship with a married man, and Brea (Laurie Rose) is a nurse at a summer camp and takes a somewhat sheltered teenage boy under her wing. As mentioned in other reviews, giving each girl her own separate story line was pretty much standard formula at the time for these movies, then once the summer adventures were well underway the film veers sharply and introduces a crazed killer who starts bumping off beautiful women at the lake. The individual stories continue as the summer goes on, leading to a frenzied climax at a country club gathering. Fans of '70s movies will love the wild clothes and hairstyles, and while the music is rather simplistic and minimal (reminiscent of background music from an early 70s diet cola commercial) it's still fun. Throw in some super-cheesy dialogue, a rather dysfunctional family who run a resort hotel, some biker thugs and several lecherous middle-aged men with a preference for jailbait and you've got one far-out, funky flick! THE ROOMMATES drew a pretty decent crowd at the Alamo Drafthouse (mainly college-age and mid-to-late 20s) and although the print was quite scratchy and the color didn't age well at all it got a pretty favorable response from everyone. It was great seeing everyone enjoying and really getting into a freewheeling movie from a bygone era, and they certainly don't make 'em like THE ROOMMATES anymore! Looking forward to the DVD release in 2009 from Dark Sky Films!

Carla (Marki Bey), Heather (Pat Woodell), Beth (Roberta Collins), and Brea (Laurie Rose) are four absolutely lovely young co-eds who head to the community of Lake Arrowhead for some R & R. The story mostly consists of their amorous adventures, while the activities of a psycho on the prowl form a major subplot.

Written by director Arthur Marks and actor John Durren (who plays the small role of Socks the biker), this is good, straightforward exploitation entertainment that has its cake and eats it too. By that, this viewer means that Marks & Durren combine some enlightened sexual politics - the four main characters are independent women who know their own minds - with diversions of the far more lurid kind. The script has some surprising wit going for it, although there are some pretty silly lines as well. The assets of the female cast are stressed whenever the opportunity presents itself. Also, our actresses are engaging and intelligent as well as being fine eye candy. Bey, in particular, shines.

Many of the men in this series of episodes are not exactly portrayed in the most flattering light. Lee (Ben Pfeiffer) is especially sleazy, the kind of guy who has no more need for a woman once he's gotten what he wants from her. David Moses is very likable as Mike, the rural cop who becomes instantly smitten with Carla (you can't blame him).

This is a very nicely shot movie that is simply gorgeous in more ways than one; Harry J. May performed the cinematography duties.

Look for appearances by Connie Strickland as a victim of the killer, and Juanita Brown & Uschi Digard in the orgy scene.

Seven out of 10.

The 1970's was known for the drive-in sexploitation films. This one is just right for anyone who is nostalgia oriented. It's one of the few before "Meatballs","Little Darlings", or "Porky's". But in return, it's before the time of slasher films. So there's more sex, than comedy. And a touch of drama to go along with. Here you have four beautiful women, along with a cousin who work at a camp, meeting different people. Making love. Having fun. Pure and simple. However, that fun is about to come undone, when a mysterious figure starts killing people. One blonde was being chased by a biker who decided to stay behind at the party. She only met her end by a female figure with a knife. Then more victims are killed in different matter. A water skier is sniped by the same person. But after all what the ladies have been through, they managed to have a fun summer. Seems like anything or everything goes in that place. This is a cult classic that should be recognized by movie goers. It's a mixture of sex, intrigue, and surprise. I like it very much. 3 out of 5 stars.