Schlock (1973)

What a waste of my time!!!

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

After years of reading about John Landis' first, I finally got to see Schlock on YouTube. There were some pretty funny scenes like that reporter's plugging a dinner prize for anyone who can guess the number of bodies in a bag or his different descriptions of the movie See You Next Wednesday which is a title always mentioned or displayed on a poster in a Landis film. Or another scene in a movie theatre involving a woman with big hair. But if you want things to make sense, this movie is definitely not for you. In fact, unless you've seen some other classic movies like King Kong or Love Story, you won't get some of the lines at the end. Overall, Schlock is interesting and somewhat entertaining but you might have to be familiar with some of the other classic movies it references in order to really enjoy it. P.S. This was a Jack H. Harris Production as evidenced by other Harris films displayed in clips here, Dinosaurus and The Blob, the Steve McQueen version.

Like EQUINOX and DARK STAR, SCHLOCK is an impressive low budget debut film; and, like EQUINOX, SCHLOCK was covered in FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND. FM editor Forrest J. Ackerman had a bit part in EQUINOX (doing some voice-overs that were eventually re-dubbed) and an extended cameo in SCHLOCK (in a theater, which is where we would see him again, years later, in Landis's THRILLER video based on the Michael Jackson song). Though less refined than KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE, SCHLOCK has all the earmarks of a Landis feature: corny dialogue (and performances), over the top humor, effective use of slow motion (the "2001" sequence), and superb makeup and cinematic craftsmanship. Rick Baker's remarkable ape-wear (a cross between TROG and Bigfoot), seen throughout the movie in broad daylight, holds up to close scrutiny and Landis's performance is just as spot-on (in particular, the scene where he jams with a blind piano player in a scene that harks back to the scene between the blind man and the Monster in THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN). John Chambers (whose award-winning work included the fantastic makeup in the 1968 PLANET OF THE APES) has a cameo as a National Guardsman. The baby Schlockthropus at film's end helped set the stage for a sequel that never materialized (though it still could, even after all these years). Landis would be a logical choice to helm a Big Screen version of Jack Kirby's KAMANDI- with Rick Baker handling the makeup, of course. (Landis could also do a sequel to THE BLOB, now that Global Warming has started melting the Polar ice caps...)

So this is a shoe-string budget ($ 60.000) movie... It happens to be a brilliant movie for people who have kept alive the child in themselves. John Landis has a talent for making comedies.There are a number of fantastically executed gags in this one. Very deadpan. The body language of "Schlock" is absolutely hilarious.If you're only interested in today's slick, over-produced comedies as well as romantic movies in which Hanks/Stiller/Grant get their girl or if you need CGI, car chases, shootouts and explosions to entertain yourself then stay away from this.The bottom line and "theory" of this movie is symbolized in all the excerpts from "Blob" with a certain Steve McQueen. Here is a guy who evidently took himself serious and played some tough guys in his days.YET: Steve McQueen was in "Blob"... CONCLUSION: Don't take yourself so serious, people. Whether it's comedy or drama or action: it doesn't take 200 mio. dollars to be entertained.

I suppose I was a little hard on this film. It entertains, indeed, but it's filled with holes and inconsistencies. I suppose if you ignore the aforementioned "holes and inconsistencies" you could get a kick out of this.Childish, ridiculous, at times funny... Goofy, filled with rotten acting (and rotten bananas), bad camera-work, bad colours...It's actually kind of nice to see a pretty well established director's first film and realize it's a total B flick.I like the king kong reference. And the 2001. And the Beauty and the Beast (Cocteau would be proud... either that or roll over in his grave)