DVD/Movie Review: Fantasies

 

Fantasies is a 1981 film written and directed by John Derek. It starred Bo Derek (credited under the name Kathleen Collins when it was filmed) and Peter Hooten. The supporting cast includes Anna Alexiadis, Phaedon Georgitsis, Nikios Pashalidis, and Kostas Baladimas. The movie was actually Bo Derek's debut. It was filmed in Greece in 1973 and was titled Once Upon a Love, but was not widely released until 1981 after the movie 10, and an appearance in Playboy magazine made Bo a well-known star. She was about 17 years old when the movie was filmed and began a romantic relationship with John Derek (who was 30 years older than her) and eventually, in one of the most cringe-worthy Hollywood relationships, married him a few years later.

The DVD is a bare-bones release. The only extras are short filmography listings for John Derek, Bo Derek, and Peter Hooten. Otherwise, you just get the movie itself, and it does not play with captions. The film is absolutely awful. The writing and acting are horrible, and to the extent there is a plot, it plods along. In it, Bo and Hooten play Anastacia and Damir. Although Damir and Anastacia are not siblings, they grew up together in the same household after his parents died. He wants to revitalize the island where they live and make it into a tourist attraction, and she dreams of owning a fancy bathtub. The two start to have feelings for each other, despite considering themselves to be like brother and sister. They basically fight with each other through the entire movie while they are trying to figure out if they are in love. The movie does earn an R-rating as Bo Derek is nude a few times (although there are no sex scenes). Of course, the nudity would never be filmed today since she was 17 years old when the movie was made. Ultimately, the only thing this movie has going for it is that it was Bo Derek's first movie. While she was never considered a great actress, she was a big star during the 1980s, mostly because of her looks and willingness to take her clothes off in every movie. If you are looking for award-winning acting and writing, this does not have it. If you want to check it out for the sake of curiosity and accept it for what it is, it's worth watching but probably not one that you would return to much.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Bolero

 

Bolero is a 1984 romantic drama starring Bo Derek, George Kennedy, Andrea Occhipinti, Ana Obregon, Olivia d'Abo, and Greg Bensen. It was written and directed by Bo Derek's husband, John. The plot involves an orphan heir to a massive fortune named Ayre "Mac" McGillvary (played by Bo Derek) looking for the right man to take her virginity after she graduates from college. She travels the world with her best friend, Catalina (played by Obergon), and chauffeur, Cotton (played by Kennedy), looking for the perfect man.

The A/V quality of the blu-ray is good, but not outstanding. Given that it was a low-budget B-movie when released, it is not surprising that it did not receive a high-quality HD restoration. There are no bonus features with the release, just the movie itself, which can be played with English captions.

It was a very controversial movie for its time, because of sex scenes that rival the soft-core "Skinemax" movies, and the fact that d'Abo, who was 14 when the movie was filmed, appeared nude (although not close up, and not in sex scenes). It could not get a traditional release because it would have received an X-rating (even though there are no explicit sex scenes) since the NC-17 rating did not exist at the time. The movie itself is bad. The acting and writing were horrible, but anyone who is old enough to remember Bo Derek's heyday knows that her movies were not made because of their award-winning content. They were made because she was hot and willing to get naked at the drop of a hat. It was a bit funny to have Derek, who was almost 30 when the film was released, playing a 23-year-old recent college grad, but again, the details were not important. The movie does have a lot of nudity and several sex scenes, so it is not family-friendly. Ultimately, it is not a movie that you would watch because you want to see quality acting and writing, but if you are into cheesy 80s movies that show a lot of skin, it is worth checking out. 

DVD/Movie Review: 10

 

10 is a movie starring Bo Derek, Dudley Moore, Julie Andrews, Dee Wallace, and Brian Dennehy. In the movie, Moore plays a man named George Webber who is a famous music composer going through a mid-life crisis. He sees a young couple getting married and becomes obsessed with the bride (played by Derek). He discovers that the couple is going on a honeymoon in Mexico and follows them to the resort. It is partly a comedy and partly a drama about a guy discovering that he is content with the life he has. 

All the hype around this movie was about Bo Derek and rocketed her to a 1980s sex symbol. This was one of her first movies and she did look spectacular in it, but what is lost in all that hype was the fact that it was a funny movie about a guy going through a midlife crisis. What makes it funny is that Dudley Moore was not a typical leading man.  You do have to keep in mind this was made in the late 1970s and the humor in it is very different than it is in today's comedies (even the good ones). Whether or not you will find it entertaining is completely subjective. There is a little bit of nudity and some sexual content (which is tame by today's standards). If you have seen the movie on TV and enjoyed it or just grew up in the era of Bo Derek being a huge sex symbol, it is certainly worth a DVD purchase.