James T Aubrey's regime at MGM is one of the most notorious of modern day Hollywood history - he cancelled a bunch of projects from major directors, sold off the backlot and props, cut up films, helped MGM leave distribution, and greenlit a lot of schlock.
So for sheer fun here's a list of the top ten films made at MGM under his time
1) Shaft (1971) - the film that saved the studio? It certainly kicked off the blaxploitation cycle. It's actually not a very good movie.
2) Skyjacked (1972) - genuinely good, understated thriller
3) Soylent Green (1973) - another solid MGM effort from Charlton Heston
4) Kansas City Bomber (1972) - flawed but easily one of Raquel Welch's best roles
5) Pretty Maids All in a Row (1971) - pervy insane movie from Roger Vadim
6) Hit Man (1972) black remake of Get Carter
7) The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing (1973) -never actually seen this but any movie where there was a murder investigation is automatically interesting
8) Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973) - a divisive film, cut about by MGM but still worth watching
9) Westworld (1973) - made when Dan Melnick came in who almost turned the studio around
10) The Outfit (1973) - lesser known Westlake adaptation waiting for rediscovery
A special subsection - the top 5 made by MGM Britain
1) Villain (1971) - tough Brit violence
2) Get Carter (1971) - Michael Caine at his best
3) Sitting Target (1972) - Oliver Reed/Alex Jacobs toughness
4) The Go-Between (1972) - how did MGM get involved in this?
5) Percy (1971) - smutty British sex comedy at it's best
A lot of these movies have cults. I feel Aubrey would be remembered if he'd made/financed them through a brand new studio instead of MGM - like an MGM spin off.
No comments:
Post a Comment