hoop-tober 2.0: film 9 *********************************************************************** well, this wasn't a horror film which i was expecting (still counting it in my hoop-tober list though). no, instead of a horror film i got a drama/comedy/romance flick about a guy and a girl who meet, fall for each other and start a life together. there is heartache and pain and joy and love. that is there's always vanilla in a nutshell. directed by horror legend george a. romero, this, his second feature is a long lost and almost buried film that has come to light by the advent of dvd and movie fans like myself. it is very untypical romero and very typical late 60's/early 70's filmmaking. but the biggest question is: is it any good? well i can say unequivocally that it is not terrible, nor bad but it is not a masterpiece or excellent either. romero does a fine job, the cast is all quite good and the film flows somewhat well as a piece but it also plays out as somewhat generic and conventional. ray laine plays the lead and he is actually quite good in this film. i am surprised he never really went anywhere. he's engaging and fun and gives a solid performance. he does feel older than his character is supposed to be though. judith ridley plays the love interest and she does a good job too. she is stunning to look at and has that very sexy 70's vibe going on which perhaps is why i liked her performance more than i should. no, she was pretty good even besides her looks. what doesn't work so well is the story. it's kind of conventional (it does have a few moments that aren't like the abortion scene) and not much really happens. this film good of been an hour and told the same story. it's got moments that interest you, and the last half hour is pretty good but the first hour somewhat drags and doesn't go anywhere. it's also a film very much of its time. it feels almost dated if not for certain comments and situations. the costumes, the advertising, the music (oh the music), the make-up, the whole behaviour of the characters within the film, the sets, the weird machine, it's all very post 60's hippy claptrap that we have seen a 1000 times before. still, i wasn't sure where this film would go, what would happen and how it would turn out so it did keep me engaged enough and it's pretty well made by a young director making his second feature. romero tried to break out of the horror genre with this but since it was never really seen and it disappeared from the world for so long he never got the chance to prove he could do more than horror (and the world is better for it). maybe if he wrote his own script or made something more original the world of sat up and took notice. there's always vanilla is not a bad film, just not great. it is what it is and is a product of it's time. i wouldn't seek it out but if you find a copy, see it ever on television or want to complete romero's oeuvre then you can do a lot worse than this. unpredictability, nudity, engaging leads and a gorgeous judith ridley (who does get naked) made my 93 minutes fly by (okay 33 minutes fly by and 60 minutes saunter along at a steady pace). production design: 6 out of 10 cinematography: 7 out of 10 re-playability: 5 out of 10 originality: 6 out of 10 costumes: 7 out of 10 directing: 7 out of 10 editing: 7 out of 10 acting: 7 out of 10 music: 6 out of 10 script: 7 out of 10 65/100