reviewId int64 363k 588k | userId int64 33.9k 15.9M | itemId int64 1 1.42M | rating float64 1 10 | title stringlengths 1 10.9k ⌀ | content stringlengths 81 11.6k ⌀ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
518,560 | 8,239,592 | 73,835 | 9 | A gritty , thrilling and shamefully overlooked ahead-of-its time 70's end-of-the-world sci-fi knock-out | 2012 A . D . : Plague epidemics have wiped out a fair share of the populace and reduced society to a hellish , feral , survival of the fittest kill or be killed barbaric shambles with lethal hordes of Cro-Magnon thugs running amuck on the streets of every major city . In New York a peaceful , barricaded compound led by the wise , kindly Baron ( a beautifully understated Max Von Sydow ) , assisted by the resourceful Cal the Gardener ( a marvelously mellow Richard Kelton ) and his feisty pregnant daughter Melinda ( excellently played by Joanna Miles ) , try to rebuild civilization by creating seeds that are resistant to the various diseases that have ravaged the planet and turned it into a barren wasteland . However , the compound's fragile security is steadily eroding to the point were it can be overrun by the calculatingly malevolent Carrot ( the always fantastic William Smith at his tremendously terrifying , hard-hearted best ) and his gang of grimy , vicious brutes . Enlisting the aid of laconic , resilient , stoical , but essentially humane mercenary and street fighter supreme Carson ( a terrific Yul Brynner in a very ideal piece of casting ) , the Baron has Carson with the seeds and Melinda in tow make a desperate effort to escape by traveling through the dusty , cobwebby , rat-infested subway tunnels to safety . Unarguably the unjustly overlooked and undervalued prototype for the many 80's post-apocalyptic sci-fi / action features that followed in its influential wake ( " Escape from New York " in particular immediately springs to mind ; ditto the " Mad Max " films ) , " The Ultimate Warrior " ranks as a potently grungy , gut-kickingly savage and visceral dilly . Directed in blunt , unflashy , right-to-the-point fashion by Robert ( " Enter the Dragon " ) Clouse ( who also wrote the gritty , tough-minded script ) , expertly pushed along by Gerald Hirshfeld's active , agile , polished cinematography and Gil Melle's earthy , primal , slightly dissonant and highly percussive score , this strong poke - your - eyes - out - with - a - rusty - nail fierce flick really delivers the rousing back-against-the-wall hand-to-hand combat action : brawny , fast on his feet , fluidly whipping hither and tither supersharp knife wielder Brynner makes bloody hash out of the scumbags with his deadly blade in a series of first-rate ferocious confrontations , concluding with a tense , harrowing and extremely exciting subterranean face-off with Smith and his greasy flunkies which finally comes down to an incredible white knuckle anything-goes fight between Smith and Brynner . Moreover , Brynner makes the most of his part , adding some surprising sensitivity to his rugged character while Smith hits an all-time nasty peak as the mean , but bright and charismatic villain . The sober , uncompromisingly harsh tone , done with no traces whatsoever of silly camp humor , but several welcome moments of genuine warmth and compassion and Clouse's stark , unflinchingly grim depiction of the ugly , upsetting savagery which permeates the post-holocaust milieu ( for instance , Smith's gang captures a baby from Sydow's compound and use it as bait to lure Brynner outside ) , give the film an extra stinging edge . These two significant factors furthermore bring a certain bleak conviction to the frighteningly violent and totally amoral world shown herein , thereby elevating " The Ultimate Warrior " to the respectable status of a truly outstanding and unheralded winner . |
518,171 | 8,239,592 | 372,849 | 9 | A fascinating and informative making of documentary | This neat little vintage documentary offers an intriguing glimpse into the making of John Boorman's landmark 1972 classic " Deliverance . " Among the subjects addressed are the arduous and exacting shooting of the picture on location in Georgia ( the film equipment had to be brought up into the mountains with jeeps ! ) , the four principal cast members ' remarkable physical commitment to their roles ( they all put themselves in constant danger for the sake of making the movie as realistic as possible ) , Jon Voight insisting on performing his own stunt for the famous cliff climbing set piece , Burt Reynolds learning archery for his part , author James Dickey's experience playing the sheriff in the film , and the turbulent relationship between Dickey and director Boorman . Moreover , both Dickey and Boorman make some interesting and insightful comments about the project . My sole complaint is that this documentary is way too short at a mere ten minutes along . That criticism aside , this nifty featurette is still essential viewing for fans of " Deliverance . " |
518,748 | 8,239,592 | 56,347 | 9 | A worthy Hammer adaptation of the classic tale | Something is very amiss at a London opera house . Tragedy occurs at the grand opening night of a major production . The leading lady quits the program . But mean , lecherous , overbearing owner Lord Ambrose d'Arcy ( superbly played to the haughty'n'hateful hilt by Michael Gough ) insists that the show go on . He hires charming ingénue Christine ( the enchanting Heather Sears ) as the new lead . But the Phantom of the Opera ( a splendid performance by Herbert Lom ) has other plans . Directed with fluid assurance by Terence Fisher and written with praiseworthy intelligence by Anthony Hinds , this lavishly mounted picture has class and style to spare : Arthur Grant's handsome , vibrant cinematography , the remarkable set design ( the Phantom's subterranean sewer lair is particularly impressive ) , Edwin Astley's robust , spooky score , the strikingly vivid and meticulous attention to period detail , and the beautiful opera music are all uniformly outstanding . Lom brings a winning blend of touching pathos and tremendous dignity to the role of the Phantom . Gough excels as a truly vile and revolting villain . Moreover , there are excellent supporting turns by Edward de Souza as engaging gentleman play producer Harry Hunter , Thorley Walters as browbeaten manager Lattimer , Ian Wilson as the Phantom's mute loyal dwarf friend , and Patrick Troughton as the grotesque the Rat Catcher . A bloody fine yarn . |
518,392 | 8,239,592 | 66,115 | 9 | A stunningly ghastly marvel of pure cinematic foulness | This fetid stinkbomb of a film has a notorious reputation as one of the worst movies to ever ooze its disgusting way onto celluloid . Is it really that bad ? Well , yes it is , but it's often so strange and perverse that it ultimately becomes downright mesmerizing in its unapologetic freakishness . Raquel Welch , looking absolutely gorgeous and carrying herself with admirable flair and poise , gives it all she's got as Myra Breckinridge , a ruthless , predatory and venomous femme fatale who tries to nab a sizable inheritance from blustery millionaire acting school dean Buck Loner ( an outrageously hammy John Huston ) and cheerfully destroys any hapless males and females who get in her lethal way . You see , Myra was originally the preening homosexual Myron ( a terrible and insufferably smug performance by popular movie critic Rex Reed ) prior to having a successful sex change operation ( done by none other than John Carradine ! ) . Director / co-writer Michael Sarne delivers a brutal no-holds-barred satire on Hollywood decadence , libertine permissiveness run insanely amok , and the swingin ' early 70's sexual revolution which unmercifully mocks both the stuffy old guard and hip youth culture with equal seething disdain ; this fierce in-your-face mean-spiritedness gives the picture a shocking acidic edge that certainly isn't subtle or sophisticated , but still gets the nasty job done in a hilariously vicious way all the same . The hysterically broad acting further enhances the all-out lunacy : an aged , yet spry Mae West is positively sidesplitting as blithely bawdy talent agent Leticia Van Allen ( the sequence with West heartily belting out " Hard to Handle " on stage is a total gut-busting riot ) , Calvin Lockhart camps it up to the ninth degree as fey gay Irving Arnadeus , Farrah Fawcett is a bit too convincing for comfort as giggly bimbo Mary Ann Pringle , Roger Herren likewise does dumb with unnerving conviction as macho stud Rusty Godowski ( the scene which depicts Myra joyfully sodomizing Rusty is genuinely sick and startling ) , and Tom Selleck sans trademark mustache even makes his ignominious film debut as one of Van Allen's handsome and virile boy toys . Moreover , there's also lots of clips from vintage golden oldie 30's features edited into the main narrative throughout ; this just throws the picture even more off kilter and hence adds to the bizarrely entrancing train wreck quality of the whole misguided enterprise . Now , this isn't a good film by any conventional standards , but man is this wonderfully wretched abomination a one-of-a-kind piece of remarkably vile and depraved kitsch . |
519,268 | 8,239,592 | 66,122 | 9 | A fabulously raw , gritty and admirably unsentimental teen coming-of-age knockout | This earthy , unromanticized and fiercely unmawkish coming-of-age adolescent angst sleeper centers on awkward , gangly , sexually frustrated virginal blue collar klutz Mike ( exceptionally played to moody , ungainly , temperamental perfection by " Vampire Circus " ' s John Moulder-Brown ) , who gets a job as an attendant at a seedy bathhouse . Mike falls madly ( and badly ) in obsessive love / lust with loose , worldly and assured co-worker Susan ( an excellent portrayal by enticing redhead looker Jane Asher ) , a wild and uninhibited sort whom the other employees hold in disregard . Alas , Mike's crush on Susan isn't shared by the flattered , but disinterested object of his increasingly batty desire . Set in a very seamy , downcast and markedly unswingin ' early 70's slum district of London ( one wonderfully delirious sequence takes place in a garishly trashy Times Square-like urban cesspool area ) , this remarkably fine film is more notable not for what it does , but for what it refreshingly doesn't do : there's no crude sophomoric humor or cheap goopy sentiment , the picture doesn't cop-out with a phony baloney everything - works - out - quite - nicely happy ending , the characters are extremely complex and not always appealing ( e . g . , the initially endearing Mike becomes less likable and more obnoxious as the story unfolds ) , and a firmly droll and wry , albeit still fairly sympathetic tone is deftly maintained throughout . Director / co-screenwriter Jerry Skolimowski expertly creates a richly textured and utterly plausible lived-in dreariness and tawdriness , punctuating the basically sober mood and grimy authenticity with occasional moments of hilariously bawdy humor ( former 50's blonde bombshell Diana Dors has a sidesplitting cameo as an overweight , aggressively libidinous middle-aged frump who brings herself to an intense orgasm by talking excitedly to Mike about soccer ) . The bathhouse regulars are especially well-drawn : they're lonely , crotchety , down on their luck everyday folks who are desperate for attention and affection . Charly Steinberger's polished , yet naturalistic cinematography masterfully uses the color red to convoy a wealth of emotions : rage , anger , passion , confusion and ultimately despair . Terrific pounding proto-heavy metal score by Cat Stevens and the Can , too . A sadly forgotten and undervalued gem . |
518,193 | 8,239,592 | 66,126 | 9 | An excellent and exciting bikers go to ' Nam 70's trash exploitation classic | Rough and tumble hog-riding Hell's Angels hellions Link ( the almighty William Smith ) , Duke ( the equally awesome Adam Roarke ) , Dirty Denny ( former real-life Green Beret Houston Savage ) , Speed ( Gene Cournelius ) and Limpy ( a fine Paul Koslo ) are recruited by the CIA to rescue an arrogant presidential adviser ( expertly played to the hateful hilt by director Jack Starrett ) from the vile clutches of the Red Chinese in Cambodia . Directed with his customary rip-snorting brio by the extremely underrated and always dependable Starrett ( whose other credits include the Jim Brown blaxploitation vehicle " Slaughter , " the hugely enjoyable " Cleopatra Jones , " and the Satan worship car chase knockout " Race With the Devil " ) , this bang-up gutsy and thrilling little pip works like gangbusters . The pace storms along at a steady , speedy clip . The performances from the top-rate cast are all uniformly excellent ( it's a real treat to see biker pic perennials Smith and Rourke on screen together , plus longtime favorite Filipino fat guy thesp Vic Diaz has a funny supporting part as a friendly mechanic ) . The incredibly explosive action sequences are staged with considerable incendiary aplomb ( the big climactic raid on an enemy prison camp is a definite highlight ) . Moreover , the bikers themselves aren't glamorized or sanitized in the least . These dingy dirtball dudes are pure bad news . They are a scruffy bunch of mangy nonconformist malcontents who are as likely to brawl with each other as well as anyone else who crosses their bitter antagonistic path . Better still , this remarkably bold picture fiercely ridicules America's involvement in the Vietnam war , clearly stating that we hurt these people more than helped them ( the subplot about the Vietnamese prostitute with a mulatto baby is especially poignant and provocative ) . The fact that this defiant movie was made while the Vietnam war was still going on makes it that much more pertinent and resonant . And the crushingly downbeat bummer ending is likewise very powerful with both its unflinchingly cynical anti-government stance and unsparingly grim statement about the wasteful futility of war . In addition , this film was also influential in that it established the basic let's - bring - the - boys - back - home premise which was later reused in such 80's action features as " Uncommon Valor , " " Missing in Action , " and " Rambo : First Blood , Part II . " The Dark Sky DVD offers a beautiful widescreen presentation along with the following tasty extras : two radio spots , the theatrical trailer , a still and poster gallery , and , perhaps the single most savory bonus , a highly amiable , entertaining and informative commentary by stars Paul Koslo and William Smith . |
518,506 | 8,239,592 | 372,921 | 9 | Much better than the negative reviews would have you think | Boy , am I in the minority on this one . I thoroughly enjoyed this film and consider it to a very fine throwback to the gloriously down'n'dirty European exploitation horror films of the 70's . First off , I appreciated Terry West's moody and visceral approach to banging out a horror film . There's very little CGI ( one quick morphing scene ) , the editing wasn't done in that hateful rapid-fire MTV music video style , and the digital photography was a tad rough , but overall quite spooky and effective . Moreover , the gore was plentiful and suitably sickening ( splatter highlights include one guy vomiting forth his entire intestinal tract and another dude being literally drenched with a bucket of grue ) . The fact that the story was told with utmost seriousness and an increasingly all-too-rare sense of conviction ( thankfully there's no dreadful " Scream " - like " " it's-only-just-a-movie-folks " self-consciousness to be found here ) was a substantial plus . Okay , I'll admit that the acting was strictly hit-or-miss and the dialogue tended to be clunky . Furthermore , I personally found the much-derided sex scenes to be quite steamy and the much-maligned actresses to be very attractive ( it's nice to see a recent horror film with equally ample amounts of both sex and violence that are prominently presented throughout with extremely graphic and unwavering explicitness ) . The key aspect of this movie which for me makes it a true winner is the fact that not a single woman gets killed in it ( with the notable exception of Caroline Munro , who gets offed in a flashback by Aldo Sambrell ) . For once it's only the guys who get gruesomely bagged left and right . On in interesting note , almost every last man gets offed after having sex with one of the succubi , thereby illustrating how sex can be used to manipulate men into a vulnerable position . It's this gender role reversal that makes " Flesh for the Beast " so refreshing . Usually just woman are killed for being openly sexual ; here the tables are turned on the men for a change . ( This is probably why a lot of folks don't like this movie . ) And this pic even comes complete with a profound statement about how such fundamental human weaknesses as lust and greed feed evil and keep it thriving for perpetuity . It's articulated in a throwaway line at the very end , but it's a spot-on astute statement that I give the movie additional props for saying . |
518,058 | 8,239,592 | 70,565 | 9 | A very potent and supremely disturbing shocker | The lovely , slender , gap-toothed blonde beauty Mimsy ( " More , " " Autopsy " ) Famer gives a splendid , shattering , heart-breaking performance as Sylvia , a shy , passive and very reserved lass who suddenly starts to lose her marbles . Sylvia experiences troubling childhood flashbacks entailing a time she caught her mother doing just what you think with some other guy ( she killed her mom and cut the dude up with a knife ) , sees and talks to an impish , ghostly manifestation of herself as a little girl , sees mommy's reflection in a mirror , and gruesomely offs several folks living in the apartment building she resides in ( one woman is boiled alive in her bath tub , a kindly old man gets hacked up with a hatchet , Sylvia later plants said hatchet in her useless boyfriend's back , and so on ) . Is Sylvia really going murderously around the bend ? Or is something more sinister and mysterious afoot here ? As one might surmise from the above synopsis , " The Perfume of A Lady in Black " sure ain't your average , straight-down-the-line safe , conventional and predictable humdrum terror-tinged mystery thriller ; instead it's an extremely surreal , disorienting , surprise-laden inside out edge-of-your-seat " Repulsion " - style psychological mind-twister flick that in its own deceptively bent and low-key way proves to be one exceptionally powerful and disturbing scarefest . Francesco Barilli's steady , subdued direction potently evokes a pungent , nerve-rattling sense of genuine menace from every objects and places ( a mirror , a vase , a gorgeously verdant open field , a music box ) , upsetting the viewer's equilibrium by showing how the serenity of plain old everyday life can be easily disrupted and completed ripped asunder . Nicola Piovani's eerie , elegant , atmospheric score and Mario Masini's beautifully graceful cinematography ( the fluid , stately tracking shots are simply breathtaking ) significantly contribute to the film's spooky , strange , nothing - is - what - it - appears - to - be enigmatic and ultra-paranoid mood . The jolting and unexpected stinger of a brutal ending packs one hell of a ferocious punch . Offbeat , oblique and often unsettling , this first-rate shocker gets my highest possible recommendation . |
518,658 | 8,239,592 | 78,240 | 9 | The greatest horror-Western ever made | Arkansas , circa 1865 : After losing the final battle of the Civil War , sexist , sadistic Conferate commander Wishbone Cutter ( a gruff , intimidating , but fairly restrained turn by the often overly hammy Joe Don Baker , here giving one of his better , less blustery and bombastic performances ) , faithful half-Irish , half-Native American companion Moon ( beautifully essayed by Joy Houck , Jr . , a good , engaging actor who usually toiled away in forgettable junk unworthy of his talent ) , and laid-back geologist Amos " Teach " Raymond ( affable Ted Neeley , who played God's only son in " Jesus Christ , Superstar " ) venture into the dense , remote , uninviting Arkansas wilderness to unearth a diamond stash located on a sacred Indian mountain that's rumored to be guarded by territorial demons . Along the way the motley threesome pick up the comely , beguiling Drucilla Wilcox ( the mesmerizingly winsome'n'willowy Sondra Locke , whose pale , haunted , crystal-clear blue eyes are vaguely redolent of Meg Foster's otherworldly orbs ) , the lone shell-shocked survivor of a brutal Indian attack . Pretty soon the quartet is being terrorized by some mysterious assailant ( s ) . Could they be a strange tribe of inhospitable Apaches ? Or is it the lethal woodland spirit Chikara , who rules over hawks and doesn't take kindly to interlopers trespassing on its terrain ? Writer / director Earl E . Smith , who wrote both " The Legend of Boggy Creek " and " The Town That Dreaded Sundown " for Charles B . Pierce , does a superlative job of keeping the viewer on edge , adeptly creating a spooky , yet somehow oddly plausible and flavorful period tone which slowly , but surely grows on the viewer as the film gradually , carefully , and skillfully reaches its genuinely chilling and startling conclusion . The top-notch acting greatly contributes to the film's overall gritty credibility , with particularly nifty bits by the ever-scummy and unnerving unsung Western supporting villain John Davis Chandler as a repulsive backwoods psycho , Dennis Fimple as a grizzled , cloddish fur trapper who refers to the forest spirits as " haints , " and the magnificent Slim Pickens in a lovely , touching cameo as Virgil Cane , a sweet old-timer who's fatally wounded early in the picture and tells Cutter about the cache of diamonds right before he dies . The rousing , ferociously rough and pulverizing opening battle sequence starts the film on a stirring and striking note , with excellent , poignant use being made of the Band's terrific , tearful ballad " The Night They Drove Ol ' Dixie Down . " There's also some surprisingly vicious violence that one doesn't always see in a PG rated flick ( e . g . , the scene where Cutter removes an arrow from Raymond's arm is especially painful ) and plenty of supremely creepy skin-crawling enigmatic " what's really going on here ? " atmosphere . Quirky , low-key , and above all refreshingly different and original , " The Shadow of Chikara " is undoubtedly the finest , scariest and most exceptionally well-crafted horror-Western to ever grace celluloid . It's an unjustly forgotten little jewel of a sleeper that's well worth the extra effort to dig up and check out . |
518,984 | 8,239,592 | 83,511 | 9 | Lives up to its classic reputation and then some | Scruffy maverick police detective Jack Cates ( a marvelously gritty portrayal by Nick Nolte ) springs smartaleck convict Reggie Hammond ( a bravura star-making performance by Eddie Murphy ) from jail so he can catch dangerous criminal Ganz ( a frightfully intense James Remar ) and his equally lethal partner Billy Bear ( the always imposing Sonny Landham ) within a single frantic 48 hour time period . Walter Hill's masterfully lean , mean , tautly streamlined and economical direction keeps the pace roaring along at a nonstop breakneck clip and stages the frequent stirring shoot-outs with electrifying brio . The raw , nervy , rat-a-tat-tat volatile and explosive chemistry between the gruff Nolte and the smooth Murphy delivers plenty of incendiary fireworks which are often peppered with harsh full-bore profanity and culminate in one hell of a knock-down , drag-out back alley fist fight . The now legendary sequence with Murphy terrorizing the hick patrons of a rowdy redneck honkytonk bar with his fiercely cocky and aggressive in-your-face attitude rates as another undeniable highlight . The excellent supporting cast includes Annette O'Toole as Nolte's fed-up bar maid girlfriend , David Patrick Kelly as a sniveling weasel , Denise Crosby and Greta Blackburn as hookers , Jonathan Banks as a doomed cop , Frank McRae as Nolte's huffy disapproving superior , Brion James as a fellow flatfoot , Peter Jason as a racist bartender , and Luis Contreras as a gang member . Both Ric Waite's sharp , slick , glittery cinematography and James Horner's robust , rousing score hit the spot . The great , thrilling song " The Boys Are Back in Town " by the Busboys likewise scores a bull's eye . Essential viewing . |
519,359 | 8,239,592 | 91,209 | 9 | An edgy and intense 80's " danger on the road " nail-biter | Sweet , naive , wet behind the ears young guy Jim Halsey ( an unexpectedly strong C . Thomas Howell , whose callow boyishness and soft passivity for once work in his favor ) is driving a friend's car from Chicago , Illinois to San Diego , California through a lonely stretch of dusty and desolate Texas backroads . Jim makes the grave mistake of giving a ride to mysterious psychotic hitchhiker John Ryder ( an impeccably icy performance by a frightfully remote and intense Rutger Hauer , who's never been more serenely chilling than he is here ) , a calmly malevolent itinerant serial killer whose attempt at adding Halsey to his ever-growing number of victims gets foiled when Halsey forcefully ejects him from his speeding car . But Ryder hasn't finished with the hapless , cowering lad . Pretty soon poor Jim has been incriminated in a series of gruesome murders that were committed by Ryder , who obviously wants the boy to overcome his wimpiness and work up the necessary guts to take him out for reasons which are hinted at , but never completely explained ( subconcious guilt ? seething repressed homosexual lust ? a desire to call it quits and have someone else assume the role you played in life ? The possibilities are endless ) . Naturally , the cops are useless and only token nice gal waitress Jennifer Jason Leigh tries to help out , but winds up meeting an especially nasty end . Director Robert Harmon milks the harsh , upsetting and nihilistic implications of Eric Red's slyly open-ended and allegorical script for all they're worth , creating a potently tense , brooding , oddly surreal nightmarish atmosphere that's both engrossingly twisted and deliciously oblique , staging several breathtaking car chases with consummate skill ( extra props are in order here for John Seale's stunning cinematography and Mark Isham's moody , low-key score ) , never holding back on the unsparingly gruesome violence ( watch out for the infamous severed-fingers-in - - the-French-fries scene ! ) , and slowly , but surely erasing the fine line between good and evil , right and wrong , decency and indecency , even purity and wickedness as the film races towards its shatteringly vague conclusion which refuses to firmly state whether Halsey has either been irredeemably corrupted or considerably strengthened by his hair-raising , soul-crushing , will-testing brush with death . An absolute powerhouse . |
518,620 | 8,239,592 | 78,269 | 9 | A marvelously smart and suspenseful thriller knockout | Quiet , timid , but shrewd Miles Cullen ( an outstanding performance by the always affable and reliable Elliott Gould ) works as a teller at a bank in a shopping center . One day Miles gets held up by vicious psychotic criminal Harry Reikle ( a superbly chilling portrayal by Christopher Plummer ) . However , Miles only gives Harry a small percentage of the money he asked for . Miles pockets the rest of the bread himself . Pretty soon Miles finds himself playing a dangerous cat and mouse battle of wills with the lethal Harry . Moreover , Miles aggressively pursues sweet , fetching coworker Julie Carver ( a wonderfully radiant and ravishing Susannah York ) and becomes involved with Harry's lusty girlfriend Elaine ( a charming turn by the lovely Celine Lomez ) . Director Daryl Duke , who also helmed the terrific " Payday , " ably wrings plenty of nerve-wracking tension from Curtis Hanson's supremely twisty , gripping , intelligent script , astutely creates a vivid atmosphere , and elicits uniformly first-rate acting from a stellar cast . Billy Williams ' handsome , polished cinematography and Oscar Peterson's rousing , jazzy , elegant orchestral score are likewise strong and impressive . A pre-stardom John Candy has a small part as one of Miles ' goofy fellow tellers . The occasional outbursts of brutal violence are genuinely shocking and upsetting . A real bang-up little thriller winner . |
518,769 | 8,239,592 | 112,702 | 9 | An excellent and unjustly overlooked deadpan black comedy gem | Beverly Hills 90210 star hunk Jason Priestley gives a startlingly able and engaging performance as Cosmo , a quiet , passive , thoroughly nebbishy and unassuming recluse who works as a bookie for a mob syndicate . When new capo Gordon ( a perfectly pernicious Robert Loggia ) becomes gang leader after the previous crime boss croaks , Cosmo gets promoted to hit-man . Under the sage , expert tutelage of laid-back , but weary , boozy and guilt-wracked rub-out artist par excellence Steve ( a terrifically low-key portrayal by the always ingratiating Peter Riegert ) , Cosmo proves to be an amazingly quick study and soon surpasses his wise older mentor when it comes to casually bumping off folks for major league dollars . Things become dicey when Cosmo befriends and immediately falls in love with nice gal yoga instructor Jasmine ( a winningly perky turn by the eminently adorable Kimberly Williams ) , who's understandably less than thrilled with Cosmo's deadly profession . Writer / director Wallace Wolodarsky deftly accomplishes the tricky task of blending a gently whimsical romantic comedy with a savagely twisted droll black farce , skillfully creating and maintaining a deliciously dry and deadpan out-of-whack sensibility that's often uproariously screwy , constantly engrossing and occasionally even quite jarringly grotesque . The mixture of brutal violence and playful quirkiness works remarkably well because of Wolodarsky's commendably firm control of a marvelously unpredictable anything-can-happen oddball tone : the characters are a splendidly colorful bunch of delightfully kooky , likable and somehow strangely plausible eccentrics , the story never slips into a straight-down-the-line conventional trajectory , and the assorted unexpected plot complications keep the viewer totally off-guard throughout . Additional kudos are in order for the uniformly on-the-money cast : Priestley , Williams , Loggia and especially Riegert are all outstanding , with spot-on supporting work by the ever-charming Jeneane Garofalo as a sweet-hearted hooker and Michael J . Fox as a weaselly accountant . Idiosyncratic and original , " Coldblooded " qualifies as one of the most undeservedly neglected and unheralded off-center indie sleepers from the 90's . |
518,334 | 8,239,592 | 61,389 | 9 | A potent and uncompromisingly harsh World War II action drama knockout | A platoon of American soldiers lead by the rugged , but humane Captain MacDonald ( superbly played by Cornel Wilde ) and the mean , bloodthirsty Gunnery Sergeant Honeywell ( a chilling performance by the always excellent Rip Torn ) embark on a dangerous mission to find a Japanese base on a remote island in the Pacific . Wilde's steady , assured , if rather ragged direction and the gritty , incisive script by Wilde , Don Peters and Clint Johnston astutely nails the chaos , horror and brutality of war : the movie opens on a gripping note with a fierce and harrowing protracted battle sequence , the violence is shockingly gory and graphic ( arms are blown off , severed limbs litter the ground , mangled bodies are strewn about , and so on ) , the characters ' thoughts serve as philosophical narration , the tone remains stark , frank and unflinching throughout , and there are poignant flashbacks for both the American and Japanese soldiers alike in order to show how everyone is basically the same . This picture further benefits from strong and convincing acting by a tip-top cast , with especially praiseworthy work by Burr DeBenning as hearty country boy Private Egan , Patrick Wayne as the naive , amiable Private Joseph Joshua Cliff , Jean Wallace as McDonald's sweet , bubbly wife Julie ( Wallace also sings the hauntingly melancholy theme song ) , and Jaime Sanchez as easygoing smartaleck Private Columbo . Cecil R . Clooney's plain , no-frills cinematography really throws the viewer into the thick of the bloody combat and frightening carnage . Moreover , this movie earns extra points for its even treatment of the Japanese , who are shown as being just as scared and human as the American soldiers . It's this latter admirable component of compassion for all humanity which in turn makes this film so incredibly powerful and provocative . |
518,571 | 8,239,592 | 268,548 | 9 | An excellent and exciting road chase action thriller winner | Take-charge , take-no-crap , two-fisted father Jed Griffin ( nimbly played to gruff'n'growly perfection by the redoubtable Michael Madsen ) and his family are driving cross country in a ' 79 Couchman motor home to a Vermont ski resort . Vicious psycho scumweed band robber Rudy Wicker ( dynamically portrayed to the delectably despicable villainous hilt by Jeff Wincott ) commandeers the camper at gunpoint , shoots Jed and leaves Jed on the side of the road so he can assume his identity and subsequently elude being arrested by the authorities . Wounded , but not down for the count , Jed has to save his wife and kids before Rudy wastes them . Complicating matters further is the fact that the police , led by sensible lady officer Dana Flower ( a winningly sprightly performance by Michelle Scarebelli ) , have mistaken Jed for Rudy . Eric ( " Evilspeak " ) Weston's sinewy direction ensures that this tense , hoppin ' , mean'n'lean direct-to-video road chase action thriller barn burner snaps , crackles and pops like a wildly hyperactive bowl of Rice Crispies : the pace hurtles along at a ceaselessly rapid-fire tempo , the compact script serves as an exemplary model of straightahead - with - no - needless - fancy - trimmings narrative concision and momentum , the plentiful shoot-outs and car chases are the real four-star full-throttle four-sheets-to-the-wind stirring goods , the acting is uniformly stellar , the characters are unusually well-developed , and , the single most pertinent virtue on my list of well-regarded celluloid attributes , there's a refreshing paucity of that high-minded pretense nonsense which we should all know by now almost invariably gets in the way of the fun . A nifty and hugely enjoyable little blast of a B flick . |
518,351 | 8,239,592 | 95,583 | 9 | You have the right to enjoy this excellent and hugely entertaining 80's B-horror gem | Bitter , hulking , vengeful cop Matt Cordell ( the enormous Robert Z'Dar in his best-ever role ) embarks on a brutal and frightening killing spree in New York City , viciously slaughtering folks left and right . Rugged detective Lieutenant McCrae ( the always fine and personable Tom Atkins ) , honest framed patrolman Jack Forrest ( a marvelously engaging Bruce Campbell ) , and his feisty fellow flatfoot Theresa Malloy ( a delightfully spunky and sassy Laurene Landon ) investigate the case and discover a major league conspiracy pertaining to Cordell that goes straight to the top of city hall government . Ably directed with tremendous rip-snorting style and gusto by William Lustig , with a very clever and witty script by the great Larry Cohen , slick cinematography by Vincent J . Rabe , several nifty murder set pieces , a nicely gritty and seedy Big Apple atmosphere , amusingly macabre dollops of pitch-black humor , a spooky , stirring score by Jay Chattaway ( the eerie main whistled theme is especially haunting and effective ) , a constant snappy pace , and a rousing last reel car chase , " Maniac Cop " delivers a great deal of lively , exciting and straightforward rough'n'ready low-budget horror / action thriller exploitation fun . The stand-out supporting cast of wonderfully familiar and dependable B-flick faces in particular is a substantial asset : Richard Roundtree as a corrupt commissioner , William Smith as an equally crooked police chief , Sheree North as Cordell's weary , crippled , protective police lady girlfriend , boxer Jake " Raging Bull " LeMotta as a detective , John Goff as a sleazy lawyer , " Evil Dead " director Sam Raimi as a TV reporter , George " Buck " Flower as a guy on television talking about how nowadays cops have to kill people in order to get respect , and Patrick Wright as a prison guard . Better still , the characters are exceptionally well-drawn with surprising depth and substance . For example , Cordell was originally a good , but overzealous police officer who got betrayed by the very system he believed in and has thus become a lethal ball of homicidal rage who will kill anyone luckless enough to cross his deadly path . Moreover , Forrest isn't your standard true blue pure streak of white heroic protagonist as well ; he's a decent , but flawed guy who's unfaithful to his wife and is forced to go into action to clear his unfairly besmirched name . It's this welcome and commendable element of refreshing complexity which in turn makes " Maniac Cop " a superior fright feature that's wholly worthy of its cult status . |
518,213 | 8,239,592 | 198,494 | 9 | A very cool vintage 70's skateboard documentary | This cool documentary centers on funky , blonde-maned , up and coming hot shot skateboarder par excellence Stacy Peralta , his cute , loving , twinkle-eyed groupie girlfriend Camille Darrin , Stacy's equally gnarly , in the zone buds Tom Sims and Ken Means , and friendly rival board rats Guy Grundy , Mike Weed and Russell Wayne Howell as they rip through Los Angeles and San Francisco performing all the latest tricks and stunts for awestruck crowds , exchange pointers and advice , test their mettle in storm drains , sewer tunnels and empty swimming pools , participate in local contests , and generally bum around the Sunshine State having a real fun , blithesome , groovy time of it . Scott Dittrich's sharp-eyed , unobtrusive , appealingly nonjudgmental you-are-there intimate direction sucks the viewer right into the skateboard phenomenon , offering an intriguing evocation of an interesting and underexplored sports subculture . Dittrich illustrates that skateboarding is a natural offshoot of surfing ( most skateboarders are also surfers ) , a skateboarder's unique riding style is directly keyed to his distinctive personality , and how skateboarding provides a welcome relief from the drab blandness of boring old everyday routine life while depicting assorted amazingly graceful and agile skateboard feats in all their breathtaking glory . Crisply shot in a snazzy , but never overly flashy or self-conscious manner by Pat Darrin , further buoyed by a wonderful soundtrack of sweetly mellow pop songs and glowingly radiating a sunny , happy , carefree , infectiously upbeat and spirit-lifting peculiarly Californian positive vibe , this great , engrossing , unjustly forgotten and unheralded winner about making your dreams come true , realizing your full potential and living your life the way you want to live it sans compromise crackles with an irresistibly ultra-kinetic buzz throughout . |
518,877 | 8,239,592 | 83,907 | 9 | A pretty crude and rough , but undeniably effective little 80's splatter horror shocker | Okay , we all know the plot to this one backwards and forwards , so I'm not going to bother with an unnecessary synopsis here . Instead , I'll just give this endearingly ragged early 80's splatter horror indie landmark all the props that it deserves . Granted , Bruce Campbell's acting leaves a bit too be desired ( he's much better in the second one ) , the make-up f / x are pretty primitive , and the production values are a tad chintzy and cheesy , but there's no denying the sheer infectious abundance of pure brio , passion , energy and enthusiasm which permeates every last gloriously gonzo frame . Sure , money can buy slicker production values and fancier special effects , but all the money in the world can't and won't compensate for a severe dearth of heart and soul . This is the secret to this admittedly scrappy movie's remarkably enduring cult appeal and grungy charm ; you can tell everyone involved in this deliciously demented delight put their proverbial all into the film . Moreover , the roughness of the film itself gives the movie a substantial raw , rattling , unrelenting power and intensity that a bigger budget and slicker execution would have only detracted from . Yeah , it's got its faults , but said flaws aside it still does the kick-you-in-the-gut jolting and startling trick to this very day . |
519,374 | 8,239,592 | 87,795 | 9 | A wonderfully crass and vulgar laugh riot | Man , reading all the ferociously harsh reviews of this one is depressing . I can't believe so many people mercilessly slag this blissfully stupid , witless and tasteless chunk of choice 80's comedy cheese . I personally think this delightfully raucous and rambunctious movie is funny as all hell . Sure , it's dumb , gross and unsubtle , plus very politically incorrect ( there are foul jokes made about rape , voyeurism , lesbianism , vertically challenged folks with problem flatulence , and much , much worse ) , so of course I love it . The best humor is no-holds-barred humor that dares to be possibly offensive and picks on every conceivable target without shame , fear or apology . " Night Patrol " is loaded with this kind of gleefully brazen and disgusting humor . We've got the alarmingly buxom Kitten Natavidad exclaiming " No , this is a bust ! " while baring her ample breasts . Billy Barty drives a bunch of hookers out of town in his car because he promised to . Sydney Lassick does an uproarious cameo as a leering peeping tom . Pat Morita has a truly bizarre bit part as a male rape victim who speaks in a whimpering woman's voice ( ! ) . Then there's the lesbian bar . . . well , I can't go into specifics on that one , but it's one of the most hilariously rude moments in a film that's just ripe to bursting with ' em . Moreover , the luscious Lori Sutton doffs her duds and gives us a nice , long , lingering look at her generous assets , Andrew " Dice " Clay tells a lot of groaningly awful jokes , Murray " the Unknown Comic " Langston performs his sidesplitting stand-up act several times , the ever-bubbly Linda Blair looks mighty cute , Pat Paulson lends fine support , and such folks as Jaye P . Morgan , Vic Dunlop , and Jack Riley pop up in suitably embarrassing secondary roles . Sure , it's no work of art , but " Night Patrol " overall is way too energetically inane and blatantly moronic to hate . Hell , I'm not the least bit ashamed to admit I enjoyed this terrifically tacky hoot tremendously . And , yes , I do indeed own the Anchor Bay DVD for this honey , which it goes without saying I watch all the time . |
519,009 | 8,239,592 | 77,904 | 9 | William Girdler's final and most gloriously outrageous horror film | Prolific 70's drive-in horror hack William ( " Grizzly , " " Day of the Animals " ) Girdler really outdoes himself with this delightfully berserk Native American variant on " The Exorcist , " which Girdler had previously done a lowdown funky blaxploitation spin on with " Abby . " Sweet young Karen Tandy ( the ever lovely and beguiling Susan Strasberg , the daughter of legendary acting teacher Lee Strasberg ) has a large mysterious tumor growing on her neck . Said tumor turns out to be the rapidly developing fetus of evil and all-powerful Indian medicine man Misquamacus , who's using Karen as an unwitting host so he can be reborn into our dimension after a 400 year dormancy . It's up to blithely bogus charlatan psychic Harry Erskine ( an admirably sincere Tony Curtis ) and good-hearted modern-day Native American medicine man John Singing Rock ( an engaging performance by Michael Ansara ) to stop the wicked otherworldly entity before it's too late . William Girdler directs this divinely absurd , energetic and slickly mounted mystical supernatural horror demonic possession mumbo jumbo with galvanizing panache and self-assurance , maintaining a constant brisk pace throughout , relating the wonderfully wacky story in a taut , involving manner , and staging the shock set pieces with considerable go-for-it gusto . Michael Hugo's glossy cinematography , Lalo Schifrin's stirring full-bore orchestral score , and the dazzling special effects by Tom Burman , Frank Van Der Veer and Dick Tate are all likewise excellent and impressive . Moreover , the cast seriously smokes in no uncertain terms : Burgess Meredith as a flaky old anthropologist , Stella Stevens and Ann Southern as helpful mediums , Jon Cedar and Paul Mantee as concerned doctors , Lurene Tuttle as a wizened old bag Misquamacus throws down a flight of stairs , and midget actor Felix Silla ( Cousin It on " The Adams Family " ) as the hideously ugly and malformed Misquamacus . WARNING : Possible SPOILERS ahead . And the crazed pull-out-all-the-stops shoot-the-fireworks over-the-top last third is an absolute corker : Misquamacus tears his way out of Karen's back , an enormous lethal lizard materializes in Karen's hospital room , Misquamacus turns an entire hospital floor into what looks like a giant meat locker , and for the boffo climactic confrontation with Erskine and Singing Rock the nasty little bugger sends Karen's hospital room into a remote corner of the universe complete with stars , lasers and asteroids ( ! ) . This fabulously flipped-out freaky flick unquestionably qualifies as William Girdler's schlock horror masterpiece and serves as a worthy closer for Girdler's sometimes erratic , but often immensely entertaining trash exploitation cinema career . |
517,982 | 8,239,592 | 141,105 | 9 | A really hip , charming and flat-out hilarious riot | Feckless , laid-back and amiable Robert ( the very likable Rafer Weigel ) and his sarcastic , more grouchy and irritable best buddy Mark ( the equally engaging Eric McCormack ) are a couple of hardcore " Star Trek " fans who are both facing their 30th birthdays and the subsequent sense of maturity and responsibility turning 30 entails . Robert and Mark meet their longtime idol William Shatner , who turns out to be a complete flaky and pompous windbag . Moreover , Robert encounters and falls in love with spunky and luscious fellow science fiction buff Claire ( the adorable Audie England ) . Director Robert Meyer Burnett , working from a bright , witty and inspired script he co-wrote with Mark A . Altman , whips up a highly charming , amusing and utterly delightful treat that's rife with knowing pop culture references ( the " Logan's Run " gag is especially funny ) , snappy dialogue , and a lively , carefree , uplifting tone . Weigel and McCormack share a loose and appealing chemistry which makes the friendship between Robert and Mark both touching and credible . Shatner is an absolute hoot as he sends himself up with lip-smacking aplomb : Bill is first seen in a book store checking out a dirty magazine , gets slabbed in the face when he drunkenly attempts to pick up the fetching Marlena ( Deborah Van Valkenburgh of " The Warriors " ) in a bar , and heartily belts out the funky rap tune " No Tears for Caesar " at Mark's gala 30th birthday bash . Nice supporting performances by Patrick Van Horn as the smooth , yet smarmy ladies ' man Sean , Phil LaMarr as the moody Eric , Jonathan Slavin as the hopelessly geeky Dan , and Lori Lively as ravishing redhead Leila . Scott Spock's bubbly , frothy , catchy lounge score hits the spot . Charles L . Barbee's polished , sparkling cinematography likewise does the trick . Some of the picture's best and most gut-busting jokes appear in the sidesplitting ending credits . A total blast . |
518,542 | 8,239,592 | 66,327 | 9 | Another yuletide TV special winner from Rankin / Bass | A mailman relates the story of how Santa Claus came to be . A small baby is left on the doorstep of the house where the Kringle family lives . They name him Kris . Kris ( excellently voiced by Mickey Rooney ) grows up to be a fine young man who decides to deliver toys to the children of the dreary small hamlet of Sombertown . But both the evil Winter Warlock ( given a splendidly deep , rumbling voice by Keenan Wynn ) and the mean Burgermeister Meisterburger ( legendary voice actor supreme Paul Frees in top grouchy form ) try to stop him . During the course of the tale we find out about the origins of Santa's red suit , his trademark heart laugh , stockings by the fireplace , why Santa goes down the chimney , presents under the Christmas , and the flying reindeer . The pleasant , good-natured tone , endearing characters ( Topper the Penguin is absolutely adorable ) , a jaunty , merry score by Maury Laws , sweetly innocuous humor , snazzy stop-motion animation , catchy , uplifting songs , cute black and white newsreel opening , and charmingly simple story all ensure that this vintage early 70's holiday TV special from the ever reliable Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin , Jr . is a hugely enjoyable affair from start to finish . Fred Astaire as the singing and dancing mailman makes for a wonderfully warm and amiable narrator . A lovely little jewel . |
518,564 | 8,239,592 | 66,418 | 9 | The first and best of the 70's nurse movies | Four lovely young nurses in their last year of nursing school experience all kinds of turmoil and excitement in their lives : sweet Susan ( winsome brunette Elaine Giftos ) tries to comfort the bitter , terminally ill Greg ( a moving performance by Darrell Larson ) , eager , but neurotic Phred ( lovely blonde Karen Carlson ) romances handsome gynecologist Jim Caspar ( affable Lawrence Casey ) , free-spirited hippie Priscilla ( the stunningly gorgeous Barbara Leigh ) gets impregnated by laid-back drug dealer Les ( the solid Richard Rust ) , and compassionate Lynn ( nicely played by Brioni Farrell ) helps out angry Mexican revolutionary Victor Charlie ( the excellent Reni Santoni ) . Despite the fact that this film was made for Roger Corman's legendary exploitation outfit New World Pictures , it's anything but your standard mindless piece of leering soft-core schlock . Instead , it's a very pleasant , charming and even often thoughtful time capsule of the social and political upheavals of the groovy early 70's ( the subplot involving Lynn and the revolutionaries is especially potent and provocative ) . Special kudos are in order for director Stephanie Rothman , who brings a welcome and refreshing intelligence and sensitivity to the material . Moreover , the four attractive and appealing female leads all turn in sound and praiseworthy work . Scottie MacGregor likewise impresses as wise supervisor Ms . Boswell and ubiquitous 70's trailer voice guy Ronald Gans supplies the off-screen voice of a psychiatrist . Stevan Larner's polished cinematography , the fantastic rock soundtrack , and the flavorsome folksy'n'funky score by Clancy B . Grass III are all up to speed . A real sleeper . |
518,301 | 8,239,592 | 195,343 | 9 | A really excellent , exciting and engrossing car racetrack drama corker | This surprisingly potent and involving low-budget 60's car racetrack drama centers on the heated rivalry between anxious , but adamant and determined ace driver Mickey Arnold ( splendidly played by Harry Millard ) and intense and surly aspiring champion Ticker Walsh ( the equally excellent Mike Bradford ) . You see , not only does Ticker resent Mickey for always finishing first and thus seeming second-rate in comparison , but also Ticker has a personal beef with Mickey concerning the accidental death of his girlfriend in a car wreck three months ago . This bitter feud reaches its harrowing all-or-nothing apex at a big race which serves as the thrilling climax for the film . Director William T . ( " Hot Rod Hullaboo " ) Naud , working from an exceptionally smart , compact and astute script by George Baxt , wrings plenty of arresting drama and sweat-inducing tension from compelling story . Moreover , the uniformly fine acting from a solid cast constitutes as a substantial asset : Besides the two terrific male leads , there are similarly strong performances by Judy Lewis as Mickey's loving , but fed-up wife and smoldering brunette Nancy Berg as an opportunistic hussy who falls hard for Ticker . Pat McAndrew has a memorably funny bit as a drunken barroom floozy Ticker hits on . Thomas E . Spalding's stark , gritty black and white photography , a fantastic sequence at a nightclub in which a slick smoothie singer heartily belts out the swooning ballad " Maybe Tomorrow " and stripper Sheri Benet performs a racy stage number , the tart dialogue ( " You can't kill ten years on a front porch " ) , Elliot Lawrence's groovy swinging bebop jazz score , the remarkably well-drawn and engaging characters , and the expected exciting pedal-to-the-metal tire-shrieking , rubber-burning , eat my dust reckless and dangerous automobile racetrack action further enhance the overall sterling quality of this bang-up little sleeper . |
519,249 | 8,239,592 | 65,398 | 9 | A scary , suspenseful and altogether superior early 70's British women-in-jeopardy thriller | Petite , adorable , doe-eyed early 70's brunette scream queen Pamela ( " The Legend of Hell House , " " The Food of the Gods " ) Franklin and buxom , voluptuous blonde Michele ( " Blood on Satan's Claw " ) Dotrice make for highly charming and appealing fair damsels in distress as a pair of spunky young nurses enjoying a merry bicycling jaunt across the lush , peaceful , ripely verdant French countryside who wind up being stalked and terrorized by a murderous sexual psychopath . Directed in unusually plain , spare , stripped-down fashion by the often quite stylish and baroque Robert Fuest ( who also helmed the wickedly enjoyable " Dr . Phibes " films and the gloriously ghastly all-star abortion " The Devil's Rain " ) , written in a briskly efficacious manner by esteemed " The Avengers " scribe Brian Clemens , and potently brooding with a clammy , spine-shivering , ultimately quite stifling and suffocatingly claustrophobic mood , " And Soon the Darkness " most certainly does the trick as an effectively creepy and gripping women-in-jeopardy thriller . The beauteous rustic setting , sparsely populated by gruff , unfriendly , intimidating local yokels and vaguely sinister cops , comes across as a very eerie and unsettling remote rural region , due largely to Fuest's cunning marked emphasis on tight close-ups , the ingenious decision to have the whole movie occur in bright daylight , and the notable absence of wide angle panoramic shots . In fact , said hinterland area evokes an unnervingly palpable sense of dread , isolation , vulnerability and , most frighteningly , utter helplessness throughout . The twist ending in particular is a real gut-ripping corker . Overall , this top-drawer chiller diller is scary and upsetting enough to turn even the hardiest fright film fan into a stay firmly locked behind closed doors paranoid agoraphobic shut-in . |
518,362 | 8,239,592 | 70,300 | 9 | A splendidly moody and spooky Southern Gothic-style 70's vampire horror treat | Late , great 70's drive-in movie goddess Cheryl " Rainbeax " Smith gives a smashing , touching performance as Lila Lee , a passive , ingenuous church choir girl who's lured into a remote and dangerous part of the Georgia wilderness by artful , poised vampire countess Lemora ( a strikingly hypnotic portrayal by Lesley Gilb ) under the pretense that she will be reunited with her errant mobster father . In all actuality , Lemora wants to turn the fragile , dewy-eyed innocent Lila into a vampire and induct the severely uptight lass into a darkly amoral , but liberating nocturnal netherworld of wine , sex , song and dance . Writer / director Richard Blackburn ( who later co-wrote " Eating Raoul " ) does an expert job with this extraordinary period horror film ( it takes place in the late 1920's ) , deftly creating and maintaining a creepy , oddly credible and most colorfully surreal alternate reality in which the fine line between right and wrong , good and bad , and purity and wickedness is chillingly blurred . Moreover , Blackburn acquits himself fairly well in a sizable supporting role as a hypocritical bible-bangin ' preacher who secretly harbors illicit carnal desires for the delectable , but underage Lila Lee . Tense , atmospheric and often genuinely frightening ( the giggling gaggle of little vampire kids is especially scary ) , with a perfectly pungent'n'potent brooding Southern Gothic-style ambiance , a bold and provocative subtext which bravely tackles head on such daring adult themes as incest , pedophilia , lesbianism , repression and the awakening of one's sexuality with the onset of puberty , and a wonderfully wigged-out bit by unsung fright film ham Hy ( " Nightmare in Blood , " " Vamp " ) Pyke as a fidgety , ill-fated wacko bus driver , this bang-up bloodsucker gem wholly deserves its substantial cult reputation . |
518,629 | 8,239,592 | 210,065 | 9 | A marvelously tough and stylish British mobster gem | 1968 : A ruthless young mobster ( a sublimely chilling and mesmerizing performance by Paul Bettany ) desperately wants to emulate his mentor Freddie Mays ( the excellent David Thewlis ) , a suave crime kingpin who lords over London . The gangster literally murders his way to the top , betraying Freddie in the process and losing his soul in his fierce quest for power . 30 years later , the older and successful , yet lonely Gangster 55 ( an excellent portrayal by Malcom McDowell ) awaits the release of Freddie from prison . Director Paul McGuigan , working from a bold and sharp script by Johnny Ferguson , handles the dark and gritty material with tremendous bravura style , relates the arresting story at a snappy pace , laces the whole thing with plenty of wickedly funny black humor , and punctuates the gritty narrative with several jolting outbursts of raw , savage violence . Kudos are also in order for the uniformly fine acting from a first-rate cast : Bettany is genuinely riveting and terrifying as the severely driven and psychotic main character , Thewlis likewise impresses as one smooth operator , McDowell makes the most out of one of his best more recent roles , the ravishing Saffron Burrows exudes pure class as Freddie's brassy singer moll Karen , plus there are nice supporting contributions by Kenneth Cranham as the wise Tommy , Jamie Foreman as hot-headed rival hoodlum Lennie Taylor , Eddie Marsan as sniveling toad Eddie Miller , Andrew Lincoln as vicious hit-man Maxie King , and Doug Allen as the brutish Mad John . This film boasts several memorable set pieces as well : our young gangster questioning a whimpering Eddie about Lennie Taylor , the ferocious murder of Lennie Taylor , and the older gangster's searing big climactic confrontation with Freddie . Peter Sova's dazzling cinematography , the flavorsome evocation of the groovy swinging 60's , the often amazing profane dialogue , John Dankworth's supremely jazzy'n'moody score , the stark , harsh tone , the fantastic golden oldies soundtrack , and a potent central message about the bitter spiritual coast of blind ambition all further add to the sterling quality of this bang-up corker of a crime thriller . |
519,392 | 8,239,592 | 70,289 | 9 | A very hip , funny and on the money enjoyable sci-fi black comedy blast | Satire comes no darker , meaner or more malignantly funny than this strange , bold , brutally on-target end-of-the-world lampoon based on Michael Moorcock's corrosively sardonic cult novels about hipster anti-hero supreme Jerry Cornelius . Jon Finch ( the sullen , untrustworthy lead cat in Roman Polanski's magnificent " Macbeth " ) is stone cold aces as Cornelius , a brilliant , carefree , easygoing and dry-humored bon vivant rich dude who gets involved with ruthless corporate tigress Jenny Runacre . Runacre wants to mate with irresistible stud muffin Cornelius in order to produce a New Messiah who will save the planet , which has really gone to seed , from impending mass destruction . Assisting Jerry on his perilous mission are a striking trio of horridly grotesque caricatures of specific establishment types , each one expertly hammed to colorful perfection by a well-chosen character actor : Sterling Hayden doing a deft reprise of his batty army general from " Dr . Strangelove " as a salty warmonger general , Patrick Magee as a melancholy professor , and George Coulouris as a cold-hearted , unscrupulous scientist are every bit as deliciously wicked and enjoyably broad as they should be . Adeptly written , directed and designed in an appropriately baroque and garish style by Robert Fuest , " The Final Programme " savagely sends up pride , greed , apathy ( all the characters treat the world's unavoidable end like it was a minor , harmless inconvenience ! ) , religious hypocrisy and omnipotence , self-indulgence taken to an appalling hedonistic extreme ( y'know , partying your life away with an endless stream of sex , drugs and booze ) , and , most delightfully , even pretentious , self-important , overly solemn science fiction pictures ( the uproarious conclusion , with the New Messiah turning out to be a wisecracking , blue-fingernailed apeman who impersonates Humphrey Bogart , mercilessly mocks the beginning of Stanley Kubrick's " 2001 : A Space Odyssey " ) . The net result of all this acrimonious bile is a devilishly amusing and frequently black-as-coal pip . Appearing in nice bits are Derrick O'Connor as Jerry's estranged , out of it dope fiend brother , Ronald Lacey as an icy assassin , Julie Ege as an ill-fated tart , and Sarah Douglas ( Ursa in the first two " Superman " movies ) as one of Jerry's numerous squeezes . Acidic , incisive and unsparingly mordant , " The Final Programme " overall cuts it as a bracing , ferociously funny , uncompromisingly bleak , and bloody fine example of that rare odd bird : a genuinely successful sci-fi black comedy . |
518,501 | 8,239,592 | 74,205 | 9 | A very funny pre - " Airplane ' disaster movie parody | The 70's disaster movies were pretty ridiculous by design , what with their paint-by-the-numbers formula stories , credibility-defying plot contrivances , laughably cardboard characters , embarrassing acting by slumming celebrity thesps , and overwrought attempts at tension . So , this delectably deadpan pre - " Airplane " parody of the genre needn't try too hard to be funny . In fact both director James Frawley and especially screenwriters Fred Freeman and Lawrence J . Cohen make the wise move of merely exaggerating the absurdity and preposterousness inherent in all disaster movies just a little bit , presenting an appropriately ludicrous catalog of asinine stock situations and broadly drawn caricatures in an admirably dry , mock-serious manner . The story itself is wonderfully dumb : The historic first drive of a deluxe , ultra-large 75-ton , 32-wheel nuclear-powered bus from New York to Denver experiences numerous unexpected hitches , starting with shaky , disreputable driver Joseph Bologna ( a man who stands accused of cannibalism due to a past disastrous run ) , worsened by Bologna's jittery narcoleptic co-driver John Beck , and fatally clinched by a bomb planted in the bus ' rear by oil company saboteurs Jose Ferror and Stuart Margolin . The terrific all-star 70's name cast attack their goofy roles with rabid glee : Stockard Channing as bus designer ( and Bologna's former old flame ) Kitty , Rene Auberjonois as a faithless priest , the invaluable Ruth Gordon as one of her always amusing and on-target nutty , vulgar old bats , Sally Kellerman and Richard Mulligan as a bickering unhappy married couple , Ned Beatty as the grumpy project director , Howard Hesseman as Beatty's browbeaten assistant , Lynn Redgrave as a horny , pompous , vampy rich lady , Larry Hagman as a jerk doctor , Richard B . Schull as a bitter dying man , Bob Dishy as an equally angry discredited veterinarian , Harold Gould as a stuffy professor , Vic Tayback as a belligerent barroom bully , and , in a hilariously smarmy performance , Murphy Dunne as obnoxiously zealous dorkus cocktail lounge singer / pianist Tommy Joyce . David Shire's wittily ripe , lush , and hyper-incessant score , all busy strings , skittering wah-wah guitars , and urgently blurting horns , is the delicious icing on an already tasty and enjoyably silly fool's birthday cake - - it's every bit as tacky and overdone as your basic straightforward disaster movie score . A manic , madcap delight . |
518,847 | 8,239,592 | 70,287 | 9 | Excellent race car drama with a splendid Jeff Bridges performance | Jeff Bridges gives a typically splendid , boyishly affable and charming performance as Elroy " Bobcat " Jackson , Jr . , a cocky , rebellious , recalcitrant , trouble-making hot dog hillbilly moonshine runner who becomes a professional stock car racer and demolition derby driver in order to raise enough cash to get his dear ol ' crusty , mule-headed pappy ( a marvelously gruff Art Lund ) out of jail . Assisted by his loyal , but hot-tempered brother Wayne ( the always fine Gary Busey ) and against the wishes of his staunch , worrisome mother ( a wonderfully indomitable Geraldine Page ) , Elroy aspires to achieve champion driver status in the ferociously competitive world of professional stock car racing , thus having both his stubborn pride and homespun integrity put to the ultimate test in the process . Inspired by a Tom Wolfe " Esquire " article on flamboyant real life racing legend Junior Johnson ( who worked as a consultant and technical adviser on the film ) , this spunky little number offers both a glorious celebration and a compelling exploration of rugged individualism and that great quintessentially all-American desire to be somebody in life . Lamont Johnson's sharply perceptive direction , ably complimented by George Silano's lively , breathtaking cinematography and Charles Fox's twangy country score ( Jim Croce's blustery " I Got A Name " makes for a fantastic life-affirming theme song ) , astutely pegs the rowdy , boisterous , danger-ridden , and testosterone-soaked macho atmosphere of the racetrack milieu ( the race scenes are suitably wild and thrilling ) and delivers a rich , flavorsome evocation of humble , dirt poor , strongly family-oriented Southern backwoods America . William Roberts ' acidulous script affects a cynically barbed and askew point of view in its penetrating portrait of America's love for do your own thing outlaw nonconformists and how winning inevitably comes with substantial unavoidable attachments . The stand-out supporting cast includes Valerie Perrine as a sweetheart racetrack groupie , William Smith as a formidable rival driver , Ed Lauter as a sleazy corporate sponsor , Ned Beatty as an oily demolition derby manager , and Lane Smith as an antsy , burnt-out driver . A terrifically tart'n'smart slice of pure Americana story of the guts and stamina it takes to actively pursue making your dreams come true . |
518,488 | 8,239,592 | 70,334 | 9 | Robert Altman's inspired and ingenious modern revisionist take on legendary private detective Philip Marlowe | Elliott Gould delivers a brilliantly loosey-goosey performance as a shabby , rundown , laid-back and sarcastic Philip Marlowe , who finds himself adrift and out of place in mean'n'selfish 70's Los Angeles . Marlowe investigates the apparent suicide of good buddy Terry Lennox ( well essayed by former baseball player Jim Bouton ) . During his investigation Marlowe encounters boozy , washed-up writer Roger Wade ( a beautifully touching performance by Sterling Hayden ) , Wade's alluring femme fatale wife Eileen ( a solid portrayal by the stunningly gorgeous Nina Van Pallandt ) , sinister alcohol rehab clinic head Dr . Verringer ( a splendidly slimy Henry Gibson ) , and volatile neurotic Jewish gangster Marty Augustine ( a genuinely frightening turn by director Mark Rydell ) . Director Robert Altman , working from a wonderfully acid and ironic script by Leigh Brackett , deftly creates a morally topsy-turvy world where greed , betrayal and deception take precedent over honesty , loyalty and having a code of honor . Moreover , Altman peppers the film with a lot of nice and amusing quirky touches : numerous variations of the haunting main theme occur throughout the picture ( there's even an insipid Muzak version on the PA system at an all-night supermarket ! ) , a security guard does dead-on celebrity impressions , Marlowe keeps on nonchalantly saying " That's okay with me " at regular intervals , and Augustine breaks a Coke bottle over his lovely girlfriend's face . Vilmos Vsigmond's bright , gleaming , smoothly gliding and agile cinematography gives the film an exquisitely lustrous slick look . The lush , jazzy orchestral score by John Williams likewise totally hits the spot . Popping up in nifty bit parts are David Carradine as a spacey philosophical flake in a jail cell and Arnold Schwarzenegger as one of Augustine's goons . A real treat . |
518,563 | 8,239,592 | 105,275 | 9 | A potent and startling depiction of angry disaffected youth | A gang of savage skinheads led by the ruthless and charismatic Hando ( a mesmerizing portrayal by Russell Crowe in his star-making role ) battle Korean immigrants who are moving into their suburban Melbourne neighborhood . Things go sour when the Koreans outnumber the skinheads and kill off most of their number . Further complications are caused by troubled , spacey epileptic junkie Gabe ( superbly played by the fetching Jacqueline McKenzie ) , who comes between Hando and his loyal best mate Davey ( the excellent Daniel Pollock ) . Writer / director Geoffrey Wright's dazzling debut feature seethes with a ferocious and unrelenting ultra-kinetic buzz that works over the viewer like a severe jackboot beat-down : the frantic pace , in-your-face brutal and unflinching outbursts of hideous violence , stark nihilism , and uncompromisingly downbeat conclusion all add up to one profoundly unsettling , yet undeniably gripping and sometimes occasionally poignant viewing experience . Wright wisely doesn't preach ; instead he allows the grim story and no-hoper characters to make the pertinent point that hatred and violence are an end to themselves rather than a means to an end . Moreover , Wright exposes the fear , rage , paranoia , and stupidity that fuels racism with a hard , unblinking clarity that's disturbing and provocative in equal measure . In addition , the performances are uniformly outstanding : While Crowe clearly dominates the picture with his forceful turn as Hando , Pollock , McKenzie , Alex Scott as Gabe's incestuous rich father Martin , Leigh Russell as the bitter Sonny Jim , and James McKenna as scrappy little boy Bubs are all just as strong and impressive . Ron Hagen's striking , dynamic cinematography , the terrific thrashy punk soundtrack , and John Clifford White's jangly , rattling score are all fine and effective . An absolute powerhouse . |
518,169 | 8,239,592 | 65,446 | 9 | A lovely and touching seriocomic Western gem | 1908 . Scraggly frontiersman Cable Hogue ( beautifully played by Jason Robards ) gets left in the fierce Arizona desert to die by his treacherous no-count partners Bowen ( the always excellent Strother Martin ) and Taggart ( a splendidly nasty L . Q . Jones ) . Hogue discovers water in the middle of nowhere and starts his own business running a rest stop located on a well-traveled road . Director Sam Peckinpah , working from a quirky and colorful script by John Crawford and Edmund Penney , expertly crafts a winning blend of earthy humor and gentle lyricism with this funny , moving and thoughtful fable on redemption , second chances , and the last dying days of the wild'n'woolly Old West . Stella Stevens shines in one of her best-ever roles as Hildy , the brassy and beautiful whore Hogue falls in love with . Moreover , there are equally terrific supporting performances by David Warner as friendly , but lecherous itinerant preacher Joshua , Slim Pickens as amiable coachman Ben Fairchild , R . G . Armstrong as irascible banker Quittner , Peter Whitney as helpful benefactor Cushing , and Gene Evans as surly brute Clete . The sequence with Stevens and Robards singing the sweet duet " Butterfly Morning " rates as a definite delightful highlight . Lucien Ballard's lush , picturesque cinematography makes inspired occasional use of artful fades , dissolves and split screen . Extra props are in order for Jerry Goldsmith's folksy , flavorsome score and the catchy soundtrack of tuneful'n'twangy songs . A real treat . |
518,730 | 8,239,592 | 74,235 | 9 | An excellent & absorbing Woody Guthrie bio film with a top-rate David Carradine performance | David Carradine , looking suitably gaunt , tattered and worn-out ( and doing his own astonishingly tuneful , subdued , rawboned singing with a hoarse , but sturdy baritone , plus playing a pretty mean acoustic guitar ) , gives a terrifically tenacious , touching and totally believable performance as legendary folk singer / songwriter Woody Guthrie in this excellent , engrossing , ruggedly authentic biopic about Guthrie's tough , but eventful formative years during the Great Depression . The late , great Hal Ashby does a sterling job directing this lengthy ( it's two and a half hours long ) , ambitious , prodigiously expansive , but never dull or meandering film : the meticulously telling recreation of the downcast , financially and emotionally troubled , spirit-wrenching Dust Bowl era never strikes a single false note , there are many acutely observed , often wryly humorous vignettes ( Guthrie's encounter with a likable , allegedly " insane " overweight man is a small gem ) , the pacing slogs along at an ingratiatingly insouciant , leisurely clip that's completely in sync with that decade's intrinsic dreariness , the hard times of the 30's are neither cloyingly sentimentalized nor grossly simplified , and the movie overall successfully creates and maintains a delicate , heart-melting poignancy that's made all the more affecting because it stems naturally from the characters and the grueling ordeals they courageously face throughout the film . Although Carradine's exemplary portrayal - - simple , sincere and sweetly moving while effortlessly radiating a durable , dignified inner strength that's quietly overwhelming in its very humility - - is the main thespian showpiece featured herein all the other actors in parts major and minor alike are equally outstanding : Melinda Dillon as Guthrie's loyal , pushy , long-suffering wife , Ronny Cox as a kindly , willful itinerant minstrel , Randy Quaid as an earnest union organizer , Gail Strickland as a thoughtful , caring soup kitchen proprietor , Ji-Tu Cumbaka as an amiable train-jumping hobo , M . Emmet Walsh as a gabby motorist who ejects Guthrie from his car after he says " st " in front of his wife , Brion James as the needy father of several hungry kids , John Lehne as a strict , repressive radio station owner , James Hong as the peppery , peevish chili cook at a roadside diner , and Robert Ginty as an impassive fruit picker . Robert Getchell wrote the fine , colorful script . Both Haskell Wexler's beautifully evocative , golden-hued cinematography and Leonard Rosenman's flavorsome , understated country and western score deservedly won Oscars . A lovely , touching and quite wonderful film . |
518,127 | 8,239,592 | 206,314 | 9 | An excellent , gripping and suspenseful " danger on the road " thriller winner | During a lengthy cross country trek from Boulder , Colorado to Princeton , New Jersey amiably impudent chronic loser Fuller ( an engagingly feckless Steve Zahn and his more sensible , but gullible do-right brother Lewis ( an admirably sturdy and composed performance by Paul Walker of " The Fast and the Furious " ) decide to pull what they think is essentially a harmless prank on a colorfully lascivious trucker who goes under the faintly sinister handle of Rusty Nail . Alas , the actually quite cruel and nasty prank the boys play on the unsuspecting Rusty turns out to have have greater and more severe repercussions than they expected . Pretty soon the irate , vengeful and dangerously crafty Rusty is subjecting the hapless siblings to an extremely harrowing campaign of terror in which he teaches the reckless slacker duo a long , painful and often most brutal lesson that all actions , even allegedly silly and facetious ones , do indeed beget serious consequences for everyone involved in them . Sure , the highly reminiscent of " Breakdown " and especially " Duel " central premise seems hackneyed and sounds unpromising , but fortunately what we got here is one of those wondrous examples of how a pretty shopworn " danger on the road " thriller story can be substantially redeemed and made bracingly effective thanks to a brisk , taut , straight-down-the-line streamlined and efficient execution . Tightly wound B-picture noir specialist John ( " Red Rock West , " " The Last Seduction " ) Dahl's bang-up proficient direction deserves a lion's share of the credit : Dahl's persistently firm control of quick , steady pacing , a spookily uncertain atmosphere fraught with tension , several heart-in-your-throat nerve-ripping scenes of vehicular carnage , and fiercely concise and to the point pretense-free narrative economy all come through with excitingly crisp and on the money results . The smart , compact and neatly realized script by Clay Tarver and J . J . Adams likewise scores a bull's eye with razor-sharp succinctness , offering amid all the frights and scares a nicely thoughtful and incisive critique of reprehensibly immature and irresponsible Generation Xers whose flagrant disregard for other people's feelings is a fertile breeding ground for all kinds of grievous trouble . Better yet , Rusty Nail isn't some one-dimensional brutish creep ; instead he's the sole guy in an increasingly callous and inconsiderate society who still has a conscience and as a result this makes him nutty , touchy and not to be trifled with . The remarkably perky and attractive Leelee Sobieski as Lewis ' sweetly endearing college girlfriend makes for a winningly feisty and fetching damsel in distress . And special kudos are in order for psycho thesp supreme Ted Levine ( Buffalo Bill in " The Silence of the Lambs " ) , whose vocal only turn as Rusty Nail is nothing short of extraordinary : Levine's deep , phlegmy , gravelly croak - - a superbly throaty rumble that's all awkward pauses and guttural rasps - - forcefully projects a genuine sense of seething menace and a certain raw , devious cunning with striking vividness . |
517,924 | 8,239,592 | 198,545 | 9 | A very charming and delightful show | Horton the Elephant ( amiably voiced by Hans Conried ) discovers a microscopic community called Whoville living in a speck of dust . Alas , Horton can't convince the other skeptical animals in the jungle that Whoville really exists . The second TV special team-up by master animator Chuck Jones and renowned children's book author Dr . Seuss ( the first was the terrific yuletide classic " How the Grinch Stole Christmas " ) , this program offers a great deal of infectiously offbeat and imaginative fun for the whole family . The catchy rhymes , the bright , colorful animation , Eugene Poddany's jaunty , merry score , the charming songs , the engagingly quirky characters , the constant zippy pace , the warm , upbeat tone , the heartening conclusion , a strong moral about the power of free speech and democracy , and the nice central message about how there's much more to life than just the obvious and what you already know all make this tale an absolute joy to watch . Moreover , Conried makes for a pleasingly folksy narrator , June Foray does double duty as the haughty Jane Kangaroo and the adorable Cindy Lou Who , and Thurl Ravenscroft lends his great rumbling deep voice as one of the evil singing gorilla Wickersham Brothers . A real treat . |
518,519 | 8,239,592 | 361,127 | 9 | Kevin Bacon gives a remarkable performance in this powerful indie sleeper | Kevin Bacon gives a strong , fearless and riveting performance as Walter , a troubled , reserved and laconic convicted sex offender who gets released from prison and struggles to get on with his life . But can Walter resist his baser urges and subsequently overcome his personal demons ? Directed with praiseworthy tact and assurance by promising novice Nicole Kassell , who also co-wrote the tight , yet thoughtful and incisive script , this edgy , but still engrossing drama offers a potent , poignant and provocative tale of redemption and forgiveness . Kassell never allows the plot to become too sappy or melodramatic ; instead she maintains a stark and gritty tone throughout . Bacon , looking gaunt and haunted , doesn't play for cheap sentiment , but does allow a window of understanding into Walter's tormented soul that makes the man both interesting and three-dimensional , if not exactly sympathetic . The touchy subject of pedophilia is handled with great taste and subtlety . Kudos are also in order for the uniformly superb acting from the excellent cast : Kyra Sedgwick as Walter's fiery , sassy , hard-bitten girlfriend Vicki , Eve as pesky secretary Mary-Kay , Mos Def as the browbeating , relentless Sergeant Lucas , David Alan Grier as Walter's no-nonsense boss Bob , Benjamin Bratt as Walter's supportive brother-in-law Carlos , Michael Shannon as wannabe helpful therapist Dr . Rosen , Kevin Rice as the predatory Candy , and Hannah Pilkes as sweet little girl Robin . Nathan Larson's moody score and Xavier Perez Grobet's polished cinematography are both up to par . But what really makes this film work is it's painfully true central message about the many ways people hurt each other all the time and how even the worst individual has the potential to achieve some level of human decency . A very startling and quietly devastating little knockout . |
518,913 | 8,239,592 | 100,991 | 9 | Delightfully wild'n'wacky Asian horror lunacy | A crazed , gory , wonderfully absurd and furiously kinetic piece of Asian supernatural horror hokum ; it's a feverishly inventive , turbo-charged , hard-driving trash terror item that's deliriously overloaded with demented imagination , wild-eyed passion , devilishly frolicsome wit and rip-roaring flair to spare . In short , it's a real pip . A brutal , lethal , nearly unstoppable all-powerful otherworldly force wreaks plentiful grisly havoc in a remote rural school , decapitating students and transforming their severed noggins into swift , deadly creatures which are jet-propelled by speedy , ultra-sinewy spider legs . Two teenage guys bravely attempt to thwart the wildly out of this world supernatural mayhem , with the expected madly disastrous full-throttle four-sheets-to-the-wind insane nerve-jangling and life-threatening results . This baby's got it all : briskly efficient pull-out-all-the-stops virtuoso direction , handsome , hyperactive vertiginous cinematography ( the quick , super-smooth scuttling POV shots of the killer heads on the prowl are great ) , an intense , ominous , flesh-crawling mood that gradually escalates into all-out pandemonium , a few breathtaking moments of serenely surreal beauty , frenetically headlong pacing , gorgeously slick high-gloss production values , some pretty pastoral visuals , and a funny , appealing oddball nonconformist bespectacled dweeb protagonist - - he's a rogue , family-tradition-be-damned archaeologist named Hiruko , to be exact - - who's undoubtedly the best scrawny , weak-kneed , chicken-hearted limp dishrag unlikely savior of mankind since Zalman King's sweaty , constantly twitching dippy hippie dropout from " Blue Sunshine " ( Hiruko's shrill , girlish screaming is especially hilarious - - and the bulky suitcase full of ineffectual state-of-the-art technological hoodads is a nice touch , too ) . The splashy , excessively nasty and explicit splatter f / x really deliver the ghastly groceries : Heads are messily ripped off so blood can copiously spew forth like a bright red crimson geyser , gruesome eviscerated corpses are strewn about the school's hallways , one character develops a burning ( and smoking ! ) boil on his neck , a spider head tries to fatally French kiss one dude with its harmful elongated prehensile tongue , and other such gleefully grotesque stuff . The truly off the wall final , in which our bumbling , but stalwart heroes are attacked in a dark , dank cave by a murderous multitude of encroaching spider heads and do their best to fend off the vile beasts with cans of insect repellent ( ! ) , deftly walks a fine line between blackly comical bedlam and grimly apocalyptic horror ; it induces both nervous giggly laughs and genuine scared shudders in equal proportion . A delectably deranged and enjoyably over the top gem . |
518,594 | 8,239,592 | 91,498 | 9 | Love your monkey | The always lovely and captivating Charlotte Rampling gives one of her warmest and most appealing performances to date as the elegant , bored stiff wife of bland stuffed shirt diplomat Anthony Higgins . Rampling has an extramarital affair with Max ( Ailsa Berk in an amazingly convincing Rick Baker simian outfit ) , a moody , ill-tempered , but very adorable , affectionate and even amorous chimpanzee . Higgins discovers Rampling's infidelity and decides to allow Max to move into his posh Paris apartment with the frail hope that his wife will quickly become tired of the cuddly little bugger . Japanese director Nagisa Oshima , who co-wrote the wickedly clever and incisive script with frequent Luis Bunuel collaborator Jean-Claude Carriere , shows an engagingly light touch with this droll , frothy and mildly mocking comedy about staid'n'starchy steadfast bourgeois mores and attitudes which trenchantly satirizes the drabness , emptiness and superficiality of upper-class life , the absurdity of the rich's insistence on maintaining a respectable , well-mannered veneer in the most ridiculous of situations , male fear of impotence , and the hilariously desperate measures people will resort to in order to alleviate tedium and obtain some kind of emotional fulfillment with genuinely funny ( the radiant Victoria Abril is a stitch as the timid maid whose face breaks out due to a severe monkey fur allergy ) , charming , and ultimately quite touching results . The fact that this film doesn't coyly gloss over the touchy subject of bestiality clinches its status as a deliciously eccentric and subversive treat . |
519,177 | 8,239,592 | 95,312 | 9 | Quite simply one of the greatest pieces of blithely sleazy junk to ever ooze its way onto celluloid | Low-rent private eye Jack Chandler ( nicely played to the scuzzy hilt by Jay Richardson ) runs afoul of a deadly cult of crazed chainsaw-worshiping hookers while searching around Los Angeles for runaway teen Samantha ( the ever-adorable Linnea Quigley in peak perky form ) . Director Fred Olen Ray , who also co-wrote the witty tongue-in-cheek script with frequent collaborator T . L . Lankford , whips up one doozy of a hilariously campy horror splatter trash hoot that pokes merry fun at both vintage 40's film noir detective yarns and choice cheerfully cheap'n'cruddy drive-in fare alike . Gunnar Hansen makes for a suitably mysterious and menacing villain as the evil cult leader . Better still , this flick sure doesn't skimp on the tasty plentiful female nudity : the luscious Michelle Bauer performs a sizzling full frontal striptease prior to carving some hapless guy up with a chainsaw , Quigley dances topless in a seedy dive bar ( Linnea's legendary scorching Virgin Dance of the Double Chainsaws likewise seriously smokes ) , Esther Elise poses nude for some racy photos , and Tricia Burns bares her breasts . Scott Andrew Ressler's rough , grainy cinematography further enhances the movie's considerable grungy charm . The groovy retro 50's-style rock soundtrack , Michael Perilsten's cool rollicking score , and the endearingly tacky gore effects all hit the funky spot . Popping up in neat bit parts are Ray's onetime wife Dawn Wildsmith as brassy deranged prostitute Lori , Michael Shoyne as cynical bartender Jake , and Fox Harris as slimy voyeur baseball bat salesman Hermie . A sensationally schlocky treat . |
518,814 | 8,239,592 | 83,739 | 9 | Worthy of its cult status | Naive and idealistic music teacher Andy Norris ( a fine and likable performance by Perry King ) gets a job at Lincoln High School in a crime-infested neighborhood . Andy locks horns with the shrewd and sadistic Peter Stegman ( an outstanding portrayal of magnetic evil by Timothy Van Patten ) , a brilliant , yet psychotic student who leads a gang of especially nasty and dangerous punks . When conventional methods of dealing with Stegman and his flunkies prove fruitless , Norris resorts to more drastic measures to take care of these no-count hoodlums . Director Mark L . Lester , who also co-wrote the bleak , gripping and hard-hitting script with John Saxton and Tom Holland , expertly crafts a potent and compelling blend of stinging social commentary and entertaining exploitation trash : the snappy pace rarely lets up for a minute , the nerve-wracking tension gradually builds to a harrowing fever pitch in the bloody , exciting and highly satisfying last third , the grim , harsh and uncompromising tone stays true to itself to the literal bitter end , and the film's dire prediction of urban high schools as a virtual war zone proved to be scarily prophetic . The teen gang members are a memorably vile and hateful bunch : While Van Patten clearly dominates the proceedings with his bravura turn as the gifted and cunning Stegman ( the scene where he performs a virtuoso piano piece in front of a stunned Norris is particularly startling and impressive ) , he nonetheless receives strong support from Stefan Arngrin as slimy junkie Drugstore , Keith Knight as hulking brute Barnyard , Lisa Langlois as vicious moll Patsy , and Neil Clifford as sneering thug Fallon . Roddy McDowall likewise shines as Terry Corrigan , an alcoholic and disillusioned biology teacher who eventually cracks under the pressure ( the gang kill his beloved bunny rabbits ! ) and attempts to force the kids to learn at gunpoint . Moreover , we've also got praiseworthy work from a pudgy pre-fame Michael J . Fox as amiable smartaleck Arthur , Erin Noble as the mousy Deneen , Merrie Lynn Ross as Andy's worried pregnant wife Diane , and Al Waxman as well-meaning , but ineffectual Detective Stewiski . Lalo Schifrin supplies a supremely effective rousing and pulsating score , Albert Dunk's slick cinematography does the trick , and Alice Cooper sings the groovy theme song " I Am the Future . " Essential viewing for 80's B-movie fans . |
519,040 | 8,239,592 | 175,536 | 9 | An absolutely astonishing piece of gleefully demented & degenerate filth | Any film which toplines a teenage bulimic drug addict prostitute criminal sociopath who when she isn't indulging in scarf'n'barf eating binges habitually robs her johns so she can eke out a sordidly meager existence as its anti-heroine is unarguably pushing the limits of good taste and restraint to the breaking point . Well , this shockingly base and savage exploitation stunner not only graphically depicts various acts of all-out depravity in unsparingly explicit detail , but also wallows in a festering sinkhole of unremittingly foul no-holds-barred cinematic scuzziness with a certain lip-smacking fiendish glee . When underage hooker White Girl ( the luscious Natasha Lyonne ) meets deranged lesbian sexual psychopath serial killer Cyclona ( galvanizing spitfire Maria Celedonio ) in a brutal juvenile detention center , it's clear right from the start that they are a match made in bad girl hell . Pretty soon the dangerously nutso twosome escape and go on the lam , embarking on a mondo berserko crime spree as they travel cross country to Tijuana , Mexico , where they believe both sanctuary and possible redemption awaits them in the form of demented pedophile cannibal transvestite kiddie-porn making nun ( ! ) Sister Gomez ( an amazingly wacked portrayal by " Buffalo ' 66 " auteur Vincent Gallo ) . Powered along by a pair of laudably fearless , anything-goes , let-it-all-hang-out dynamic and uninhibited performances by Lyonne and Celedonio , loaded to the grimy gills with nonstop seedy thrills , strikingly ferocious violence , and carnal perversions of every conceivable stripe , and rounding things off with a gruesomely over-the-top nasty conclusion that's sure to knock the air out of your lungs , this thoroughly warped and electrifying crime / chase / chicks-in-chains sleaze film take on the classic Grimm Brothers fairytale " Hansel and Gretel " will either delight you with its impressively shameless and aggressive assault-on-your-senses agenda or offend you to the ninth degree for the very same reason . Before you ask precisely which side of the fence I'm on with this particular flick , let me state for the record that any picture which features nifty cameos by John Landis as a hard-nosed judge , David Alan Grier as a scummy sex-crazed shyster lawyer , and " Drugstore Cowboy " ' s Max Perlich as a slacker drunk , numerous acts of vicious murder , masturbation , full-frontal shower room nudity , projectile puking by the literal gallon , necrophilia , spray paint-huffing , and a funky , rollicking trashy score that's in equal parts digging rap and ripping surf-rock will always get my vote . |
519,335 | 8,239,592 | 69,890 | 9 | A total vintage 70's blaxploitation treat | Cleopatra Jones ( the stunningly classy and statuesque Tamara Dobson ) , a no-nonsense government agent , ace martial artist and funky fashion plate , is determined to rid the inner city streets of heroin . Cleopatra's crusade against smack incurs the venomous wrath of ruthless lesbian drug kingpin Mommy ( a positively volcanic portrayal by the redoubtable Shelley Winters ) . Director Jack Starrett tackles the wacky plot with his trademark go-for-it panache : he keeps the pace snappy throughout and stages the plentiful action with considerable rip-snorting vigor ( a lengthy car chase qualifies as the definite stirring highlight ) . David Walsh's polished cinematography and J . J . Johnson's awesomely funky score ( the soulful theme song seriously smokes ) are both the authentic gnarly article . The terrific cast have a field day with their colorful roles : Bernie Casey as a dedicated drug rehab center counselor , Antonio Fargas as preening , flamboyant dope pusher Doodlebug , Bill McKinney as a despicable racist corrupt cop , Stafford Morgan as an on-the-take detective , Brenda Sykes as Doodlebug's sexy singer girlfriend , and soft-core film regular John Alderman and a Brit-accented Paul Koslo as two of Mommy's flunkies . Winters in particular has a whale of a time as Mommy : she screams all her dialogue at the top of her lungs , joyfully squeezes the shapely butts of her lovely young female servants , sports a bright red Ronald McDonald fright wig , wears a tight leather outfit , brandishes a riding crop , and totally cuts loose in a rousing , no-holds-barred womano-to-womano physical confrontation with Dobson at the end of the picture . Max Julien of " The Mack " fame not only wrote the zany story , but also co-wrote the witty script . Followed by the equally enjoyable sequel " Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold . " The Warner Brothers DVD offers a nice widescreen presentation of this delightfully dynamic tongue-in-cheek vintage 70's blaxploitation treat . |
519,120 | 8,239,592 | 56,931 | 9 | An excellent and absorbing semi-sequel to the outstanding " Village of the Damned " | This surprisingly strong semi-sequel to the outstanding " Village of the Damned " centers on six highly advanced mutant kids with remarkably sophisticated intellects and acute psychic abilities from all over the globe . They all band together in London at an old rundown and abandoned church seeking refuge from a scared and uncomprehending adult world that wants to destroy them . A very tense and compelling stand-off ensues , with both the kids and the adults alike trying to figure out the proper course of action for this highly unusual and potentially dangerous situation . This film benefits from the same substantial strengths that graced the original : low-key , unflashy direction that wisely downplays special effects in favor of focusing more on the absorbing story and exceptionally well-drawn characters , uniformly fine acting from an excellent cast ( the kid actors in particular are all terrific while Ian Hendry and Alan Badel are superb as the gay couple protagonists ; this latter element is handled with refreshing taste and subtlety ) , a smart and thoughtful script , beautifully crisp black and white photography , a pleasingly eerie and ambiguous tone , and a stimulating subtext about how people automatically feel threatened by and hence want to kill anything they can't easily understand . The uncompromisingly bleak and tragic ending is genuinely heartbreaking . Moreover , the political aspects of the story give the movie an extra stinging edge and the theme of prejudice is effectively addressed with genuinely poignant and provocative results . Overall , this picture is one of those rare glorious instances where a follow-up is every bit as comparable in top-notch quality to the sterling original . |
518,292 | 8,239,592 | 481,565 | 9 | A funny and spot-on seriocomic short film about the hapless plight of the working class | I had the pleasure of catching a screening of this wryly funny and sharply observant seriocomic 28 minute gem of a short at a film festival held in my hometown of Metuchen , New Jersey and thoroughly enjoyed it . The story centers on an antsy and worn-out struggling working class mother ( a charming performance by Tiffany Anne Carrin ) who thanklessly toils away as a cashier at a supermarket . Our endearingly harried protagonist's life gets thrown out of whack by both an obtrusive film documentary crew who are making a movie about her drab everyday existence and the feared arrival of a bunch of corporate executives who are visiting the store to see that everything's running well . I've worked in a grocery store , so I can say with absolute authority that this spot-on little jewel totally nails the petty absurdities and sense of complete irrelevance that's part and parcel to such places with remarkable accuracy . For example , when our main character gets an Employee of the Month Award , we all know just how silly and meaningless this minor honor seems in the grand scheme of life . This movie knows this as well , but to its credit never seems either smug or condescending in its tone . Instead , there's a genuine wit and warmth about the amusing and ridiculous , yet sad and touching plight of your average minimum wage slave which in turn gives this feature a great deal of true heart and appeal . A real treat . |
519,406 | 8,239,592 | 74,279 | 9 | A cross country 70's road race drive-in smash in more ways than one | Following hot on the scorching asphalt skid-marks of the impish " The Gumball Rally , " Paul Bartel's characteristically deadpan , quirky , slyly subversive cross country road race car picture presents a blithely apocalyptic vision that's akin to the anarchic world views shown in the equally madcap " Freebie and the Bean , " the truly twisted " The Mad Bomber , " and the totally gaga " The Candy Snatchers " : All those noisy , tire-yelping , rubber-shredding , metal-bending automobile mishaps featured herein play a crucial role in Bartel's merrily askew and jaundiced presentation of a world in constant uproar , where any sense of balance , tranquility and equilibrium gets messily disrupted on a frequent nerve-frying basis ( a savage gas station fisticuffs scuffle and the wildly chaotic mondo destructo Jersey Turnpike massive car pile-up sequence in particular really hammer this point home ) . Among the race's contestants are David Carradine as stolid , tight-lipped , nerves-of-pure-brass ex-con champ Coy " Cannonball " Buckman , future " Hill Street Blues " regular Veronica Hammel as Buckman's loyal , fretful , karate-chopping police lady gal pal , Archie Hahn as Buckman's trustworthy , but feeble-minded mechanic Zippo , a gloriously crazed Bill McKinney as Buckman's chortling , maniacal , pistol-packing nutso rival Cade Redman ( note the disconcertingly similar first and last names , a chilling blurring of the fine line between good and evil ) , Robert Carradine and the beauteous Belinda Balaski as a sweet , starry-eyed California surfer couple , a hilariously goofy Gerrit Graham as a pathetic no-talent aspiring country-and-western singer / songwriter , Mary Woronov in customary venomous bchy and aggressive sexually ambiguous full-throttle nasty mode , Stanley Clay as a jive-talking hipster soul bro , and a repellently arrogant James Keach as a stuck-up , condescending German driver who meets a fiery untimely end . Among the folks watching the race from the sidelines are Dick Miller as Buckman's shady gambler brother , Bartel as a singing , piano-playing , Cole Porter-loving Mob capo , Martin Scorsese and Sylvestor Stallone as gangster flunkies , Joe Dante and Allen Arkush as geeky car buffs , Robert Altman film regular David Arkin as a timid grocery store counterman , Jonathan Kaplan as a gas station attendant , the eternally vacuous Louisa Moritz in one of her standard bubble-brained blonde bimbo parts , Patrick Wright as the rich guy who sponsors the race , and even legendary B-movie pioneer Roger Corman as an uptight district attorney ( ! ) . The strangely dark , fatalistic tone , rampant amorality , intensely ugly dialogue ( " What the godmn hell are you trying to to do , you fgot moron ! ? " ) , assorted foul play tactics the race's participants gleefully engage in , the useless , ineffective cops , opportunistic ahole media , Tak Fujimoto's madly darting , hyperactive , vertigo-inducing cinematography , the crooked , string-pulling , game-rigging dirty double deals perpetuated by the mob-backed race officials , the general unpleasantness of the mostly mean and despicable characters ( even Carradine's morally ambivalent " hero " isn't very likable or appealing ) , the loose , ramshackle narrative structure , a creepy opening credits nightmare sequence , and especially the murderously ferocious pandemonium on the open freeways cars getting trashed and blowing up real good smash ' em up vehicular carnage create a sense of deliriously out-of-control non-stop bedlam that's as profoundly discomfiting as it is utterly exhilarating . The disgustingly safe and sanitized " Cannonball Run " junkers ain't got nothing on this delightfully diabolical and severely bent gearhead treat . |
518,989 | 8,239,592 | 74,281 | 9 | A real delight | This very funny , lively and engaging comedy hoot offers a slice-of-life seriocomic cinematic snapshot of a single frantic day at an inner city Los Angeles car wash . Michael Schultz directs with great galvanizing zeal and panache , stringing together a wacky and enjoyable series of freewheeling vignettes with a positively breathtaking sense of smoothness and assurance . Joel Schumacher's witty and colorful script offers plenty of warmth and humanity along with the often uproariously raucous humor . The varied and personable cast have a field day with their vivid characters : Bill Duke as an angry Muslim , Ivan Dixon as a wise , hard-working parolee , Sully Boyar as the harried owner , Franklyn Ajaye as an amiable dreamer , Tracy Reed as a sweet waitress , Antonio Fargas as a flamboyant homosexual , Lorraine Gary as a stuck-up upper class white lady , Jack Kehoe as an affable cowboy , Pepe Serna as a jovial Hispanic , George Carlin as a flaky cab driver , Lauren Jones as a sad hooker , Professor Irwin Corey as a middle-aged guy who's mistaken for a pot bottle bomber , Garrett Morris as a jivey hipster , Melanie Mayron as the sexy cashier , Tim Thomerson as a handsome hunk , Richard Pryor as slick hustler reverend Daddy Rich , and the Pointer Sisters as Daddy Rich's gospel singers . Frank Stanley's polished , sparkling cinematography , Norman Whitfield's funky , dynamic , syncopated soul score , Christopher Holmes ' snappy rhythmic editing , and Rose Royce's fabulously groovy classic hit theme song add further bounce and energy to the infectiously frothy , playful and sprightly proceedings . Best of all , there's a constant joy and vibrancy evident throughout which makes this movie an absolute uplifting treat to watch . |
518,161 | 8,239,592 | 60,794 | 9 | A superbly eerie and unsettling supernatural shocker from the ever-reliable Mario Bava | The vengeful ghost of dead little girl Melissa Graps ( portrayed by some genuinely creepy boy in drag ! ) bumps off various folks in a remote rural hamlet in Transylvania . Stalwart Dr . Paul Eswai ( a solid performance by Giacomo Rossi-Stuart ) and feisty Monica Schuftan ( well played by the fetching Erika Blanc ) try to figure out what's going on , but get no help from the scared superstitious villagers . Director Mario Bava does his customary sterling job of creating and maintaining a strong and brooding Gothic gloom-doom atmosphere that seethes with a potent sense of flesh-crawling dread and nightmarish terror . The isolated rustic location projects a frightening feeling of desolation and vulnerability ; the fog-shrouded empty streets and misty cemetery are both especially spooky . Moreover , Bava fills the screen with plenty of his characteristic strikingly unnerving visuals , with the occasional startling image of Melissa appearing at people's windows rating as a prime source of severe goose bumps . This picture further benefits from the uniformly sound acting by a bang-up cast : Fabienne Dali as helpful sorceress Ruth ( in a refreshing break from standard horror feature conventions Ruth is depicted as a sympathetic character rather than the usual evil villainess ) , Piero Lulli as the hard-nosed Inspector Kruger , Giovanna Galletti as the bitter , deranged Baroness Graps , Luciano Catenacci as the fearful Burgonmeister Karl , and Micaela Esdra as innocent teenager Nadienne . Antonio Rinaldi's polished cinematography makes terrific use of fluid tracking shots and rich , bright , vibrant colors while Carlo Rustichelli ' supremely shivery'n'shuddery score greatly adds to the considerable tension . Essential viewing for both Bava buffs and horror film fans alike . |
519,107 | 8,239,592 | 91,853 | 9 | A wonderfully wild'n'wacky retro 60's anti-Establishment satirical hoot | The time : a dystopian near future where right-wing reactionary conservatism reigns supreme . A creaky , just barely together , ready for the scrapyard rattletrap World War II B-52 bomber called Uncle Slam , which has been airborne since the Vietnam war , is still doing its nutty mind-melting " psy-ops " mission , jamming local boob tube airwaves with a jarringly disruptive and disrespectful pirate program named S & M TV ( " You're watching S & M TV whether you like it or not ! " ) that's specifically designed to shock stuffy Middle American folks out of their banal , impassive , unthinking conformist complacency . Commanded by an obsessive loony outlaw captain ( exuberantly played by that perennial anti-establishment fruitcake Dennis Hopper , still crazy and long-haired after all these years ) and crewed by a motley bunch of zany dippy hippie drop-out misfits - - screwy electronics whiz " Doc " Tesla ( merry , puckish imp Michael J . Pollard at his goony best ) , cranky cook / mechanic Ben ( Al Matthews ) , sickly , throaty-voiced cripple Ace ( Eugene Lipinski ) , rabbity co-pilot Jerry ( William Armstrong ) , smooth womanizing reporter Sam ( Derek Homby ) and libidinous French lecher Claude ( James Aubrey ) - - the seriously burnt-out , but loyal and dedicated boys can't land until they do their patriotic duty by successfully foiling the presidential campaign of the insipidly insidious Willa Westinghouse , an uptight lady upholder of oppressive religious right beliefs who'll start World War III if she gets voted into the Whitehouse . Directed in loopy , ramshackle , to - heck - with - subtlety - and - sophistication sledgehammer style by Maurice Phillips , given an additional invigorating shot of sugar rush-like adrenaline and vitality by the jivey , profane slang-slinging dialogue ( " Honk if you're heavy ! " ) , manic pacing , John Metcalfe's sprinting , careening , madly darting hyperactive cinematography , a spectacular blaring rock score ( Jimi Hendrix , Joan Jett and the Blackhearts , Derek and the Dominoes , the Kinks , Gene Pitney , Alice Cooper ) , an infectiously giddy and rambunctious sense of joyfully irreverent humor , a very radical left-wing revolutionary down - with - the - crummy - normal - system mentality , and vibrant performances from an enthusiastic cast , this wildly idiosyncratic sci-fi farce coasts on such a deliriously wired and cooking wave of pure anarchic energy that its retro-60's satiric crudity and sloppy cinematic technique take on an irresistibly deranged and weirdly enrapturing luster . Scott Roberts ' rude , loosely structured all-over-the-sardonic map script takes hilariously broad comedic volleys at such deserving targets as phony smiley greedy televangelists , venal gung-ho army warmongers , repressive right-wing conservative political killjoys , rigidly set in their ways toe-the-line straight-arrow stiffs , smug born-again Christian drips , basically anything square and conventional in general . Sure , this film is a clunky , disjointed , frequently silly and out of control mess of a movie , but there's a wonderfully brash , nose-thumbing , middle-digit-firmly-upraised raspberry to the Man attitude presented here in full freaky force which makes this beautifully berserk baby one pleasurably far-out funky'n'funny gas to watch . |
519,415 | 8,239,592 | 126,886 | 9 | A splendidly wicked satirical treat | Popular , but frustrated high school civics teacher Jim McAllister ( an excellent performance by Matthew Broderick ) locks horns with ruthlessly driven and ambitious overachiever Tracy Flick ( Reese Witherspoon in peak aggressively obnoxious form ) , who's determined to become president of Carver High's student body . McAllister convinces amiable dumb jock Paul Metzler ( played with endearingly goofy charm by Chris Klein ) to run for class president . Complications ensue when Paul's sassy lesbian sister Tammy ( the adorable Jessica Campbell ) decides to join the presidential race . Plus McAllister's personal life is starting to unravel . Director / co-writer Alexander Payne and co-writer Jim Taylor concoct a hilariously savage , cynical and unsentimental no-holds-barred satire on American society as a general whole which ingeniously uses high school as an apt microcosm of the world at large : we've got fiercely barbed commentary on such worthy topics as morals , politics , teen sexuality , marital infidelity , the lonely price of success , how all actions beget consequences that can change the rest of your life , jealousy , and blind ambition run totally amok . Kudos are also in order for the uniformly fine acting from a sound cast : Broderick and Witherspoon spar with each other beautifully well ; they receive top-notch support from Klein , Campbell , Phil Reeves as ramrod principal Walt Hendricks , Molly Hagan as Jim's loving wife Diane , Delaney Driscoll as Jim's sweet and attractive lady best friend Linda Novotny , Mark Harelik as disgraced ex-teacher Dave Novotny , Colleen Camp as Tracy's supportive mother Judith R . Flick , and Frankie Ingrassia as the saucy Lisa Flannagan . James Glennon's slick , agile cinematography makes neat occasional use of freeze frames and superimpositions . Rolfe Kent's jaunty full-bore orchestral score likewise does the trick . An absolute hoot . |
519,117 | 8,239,592 | 96,046 | 9 | An excellent and on the money effective 80's low-budget indie horror sleeper | A motley quintet of thieves and their two hostages are forced to land their plane in a remote rural cornfield when one of their number bails out with the three and a half million in hot loot they just stole from an army payroll . Unfortunately for our five hoods and two hostages said cornfield is the dangerous domain of a ferocious trio of malevolent living scarecrows . Director / editor / co-writer / co-producer William Wesley expertly crafts one dandy doozy of a first-rate flesh-crawling fearfest : the constant headlong snappy pace , nicely drawn characters , Terry Plumeri's ominous shuddery score , enthusiastic , if rather erratic acting from a game no-name cast ( Ted Vernon is especially good as the most humane and likable of the criminals ) , the brilliantly spare and oblique script ( having no thorough explanation ever provided about the exact origins of the scarecrows is an inspired stroke of pure genius ) , Peter Deming's stark , shadowy cinematography , a generous amount of grisly gore , a potent theme about the perils of greed , the tight narrative told in real time ( the film is only 83 taut minutes long ) , the scary murderous monster scarecrows , and the profoundly creepy mood are all smack dead on-target . However , this movie's single most strong and spine-tingling asset is the masterful way Wesley captures and conveys the genuinely eerie , unnerving , frightening and surrealistic anything-can-happen common-logic-be-damned hair-raising ooga booga atmosphere of a particularly vivid and hellish nightmare . A splendidly spooky little zombie horror variant . |
518,221 | 8,239,592 | 91,671 | 9 | A great , gruesome and hugely enjoyable 80's horror anthology winner | One of the most richly cherished memories of my gloriously misspent adolescence stems from seeing this right-on horror anthology flick in some scuzzy second-rate shoebox theater with my younger brother . We both quite enjoyed watching it and today it holds a special place in my heart for the simple reason that in our current depressingly restrictive blockbusters only multiplex monopoly this modest indie fright feature would sadly never see the light of a projector ; instead it would be directly dumped straight to video and cable TV . And that's everyone's loss , man . A snoopy reporter ( an oddly restrained performance by the usually more manic Susan Tyrell ) visits the seedy podunk burg of Oldfield , Tennessee and interviews a kindly librarian ( the late , great Vincent Price , who makes the most off his small , yet pivotal role ) , who informs Tyrell about the town's sordid , depraved , blood-spattered history by relating a quartet of spooky stories . First tale , " Zombie Love Child " - Clu Gulager gives an excellent , gut-busting turn as a clumsy , cloddish , middle-aged milquetoast dweeb who kills a young woman he's been pining for from afar and makes love to her fresh corpse ( gross ! ) . A hideously misshapen , murderous mutant zombie baby is the result of this twisted tryst . Second yarn , " The Secret of the Bayou " - A two-bit crook ( well played with customary slimy aplomb by Terry Kiser ) gets mortally wounded by two hoods he doublecrossed and is brought back from the brink of death by a wise , reclusive ex-slave old black man ( a fine , mesmerizing Harry Caeser ) who has discovered the secret to immortality . Third opus , " Of Glass and Geeks " - A carnival glass eater falls for a winsome young missus and decides to bag out on the freakshow scene , thus incurring the wrath of the carnival's formidable voodoo priestess owner ( juicily hammed to villainous perfection by " The Omega Man " ' s Rosalind Cash ) . Fouth anecdote , " Wrath of the Civil War Orphans " - A ragtag group of brutish , no-count Confederate Civil War soldiers led by a sadistic captain ( the ubiquitous Cameron Mitchell in peak scurvy form ) seek refuge in a dilapidated mansion inhabited by seemingly harmless , deformed orphan kids . Very capably directed by Jeff Burr , with a pretty warped and imaginative script by C . Courtney Joyner ( who later penned the terrific haunted penitentiary pip " Prison " ) , nicely disgusting make-up f / x by Rob Burman ( said splatter includes such choice nasty stuff as splashy gunshot wounds , gory stabbings , a torso being shredded from the inside out by sharp shards of glass , and , most gruesome of all , a severely burned-up limbless body ) , a generally serious tone with appropriately perverse touches of pitch-black humor , and nifty cameos from Hammer horror scream queen Martine Beswicke as a convicted murderess who gets executed at the very start of the film , the ever-imposing Lawrence Tierney as the grim-faced warden who presides over Beswicke's execution , and Angelo Rossitto as an antsy carny midget , " The Offspring " rates highly as pleasingly ghastly and ghoulish omnibus horror fun . |
519,277 | 8,239,592 | 197,849 | 9 | A sobering and fascinating short documentary about a department store Santa Claus | This brief , yet compelling and illuminating documentary short offers an intimate behind-the-scenes glimpse of Art Baldwin , who worked for over twenty years as the night shift Santa Claus during the Christmas holiday season at Chicago's Marshall Field and Company department store . Baldwin was deemed the only authentic Kris Kringle on State Street by the local newspaper " The Chicago Tribune . " The endearingly sour and grouchy elderly retiree Baldwin openly admits that he only does the gig for the money ( he was paid $1 , 300 dollars a month , which was more than his yearly pension ! ) and reveals in the film's most poignant and startling moment that he doesn't have any immediate family members to spend the yuletide season with . We also see Art putting on his beard and Santa suit in his dressing room , dealing with numerous customers during his long and grueling shift , and admitting how relieved he is when it's all over . Shot in raw , grainy black and white with a hand-held video camera by director Scott Jacobs , this movie thankfully eschews the usual sappy sentimentality of the Noel season and instead gives the viewer a stark and gritty depiction of how sad , stressful and heartbreaking Christmas can be for those lonely souls who have no one to celebrate the supposedly joyful festive occasion with . An excellent little gem . |
518,733 | 8,239,592 | 307,431 | 9 | A fascinatingly mysterious documentary | This wonderfully strange , sad and haunting documentary relates the chilling and heart-breakingly tragic tale of Otto Rahn , a restless and sensitive visionary soul whose need for acceptance and obsessive interest in finding the Holy Grail led him down a dark and complex road which ultimately culminates with Rahn becoming an SS officer with the Nazi party in the 1930's . Rahn's time with the Nazi party proved to be fleeting because he simply wasn't tough enough to hack it as an SS officer . Director Richard Stanley tells Rahn's amazing story with tremendous clarity and absorbing urgency , covering everything from Rahn's unhappy school days to his uneasy involvement with the Nazi party to his untimely death from exposure to the cold on one fateful bitter winter night ( Rahn apparently committed suicide due to the fact that he was accused of being a homosexual , but there's some speculation that his death might have been faked ) . Stanley interviews a nicely diverse array of folks about Rahn . Rahn's loyal sister Ingebor Roehmer-Rahn and equally faithful old friend Paul A . Ladame share several especially poignant insights and anecdotes concerning Rahn . Immo Horn's stunningly gorgeous cinematography and Simon Boswell's striking , beautifully eerie score further enhance the overall hypnotic power of this remarkably offbeat and intriguing one-of-a-kind documentary . |
518,033 | 8,239,592 | 420,087 | 9 | A lovely , charming and wonderfully radiant gem of a movie | The dream collaboration between esteemed director Robert Altman and wry humorist Garrison Keillor proves to be every bit as lovely , charming and wonderfully radiant as I had hoped it would be . Altman relates with his trademark unerring acuity , facility and humanity the hectic and eventual last broadcast of a long-running popular radio program that's coming to a close . With his deep , amicable twangy voice , droopy bullfrog face and tall , shambling , gangling build , Keillor makes for a marvelously languorous host who effortlessly exudes a considerable amount of infectiously folksy and whimsical downhome charm . Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin are positively fabulous as a singing sister due , belting out a bunch of terrifically tuneful country songs with irresistibly hale'n'hearty aplomb ( and they both sing beautifully , too ! ) . Kevin Kline gives a delightfully droll portrayal of a dapper security guard with delusions of being a suave 40's film noir-style private detective . Viginia Madsen , looking absolutely smashing in a bright white trench coat , qualifies as the single most attractive and seductive angel of death since Jessica Lange in " All That Jazz . " John C . Reilly and Woody Harrelson are hilarious as a couple of joking singing cowboys with a fine , funny line in uproarious wacky'n'raunchy humor ( their " Bad Jokes " routine is truly sidesplitting ) . Veteran character actor L . Q . Jones , sporting white-silver hair , a sweet Southern drawl , and an amazingly rumpled rough-hewn face , has a nice , moving role as an elderly country singer who bows out with touching grace and style . Why , even Lindsay Lohan acquits herself remarkably well as Streep's troubled and neglected daughter . Rarely has a film about the inevitability of aging and death been done with such stupendously entertaining joy and vigor ; Altman's light , easy touch keeps the film hoppin ' along with magnificently exuberant verve and wit . My sole complaints are that the always welcome and splendid Tommy Lee Jones isn't given nearly enough to do as a heartless corporate bigwig who's pulling the plug on the show and the fact that this movie ends period . But then again that's exactly the film's point : Everything and everyone comes to an end , nothing lasts forever , but as long as you relish life and are happy throughout for the most part it's all good just the same . A real treat . |
518,595 | 8,239,592 | 477,348 | 9 | Almost a great movie | Shrewd , resourceful Vietnam veteran Llewelyn Moss ( the excellent Josh Brolin ) stumbles across a bunch of dead bodies , a pick-up full of heroin , and a bag with two million bucks worth of drug money in it . Moss decides to take the bag . This in turn makes Moss the target of vicious and remorseless psychopath Anton Chigurh ( a splendidly chilling performance by Javier Bardem ) , who engages in a lethal game of cat and mouse with Moss . Meanwhile , cagey , weary Sheriff Ed Tom Bell ( the always fine Tommy Lee Jones ) investigates and tries to find Moss before it's too late . Joel and Ethan Coen have expertly crafted a tense , gripping and understated crime thriller that for the most part works like gangbusters : the sterling performances from a sturdy cast , the bleak , fatalistic tone , Roger Deakins ' crisp , striking cinematography , the startling outbursts of shockingly brutal violence , several inspired moments of pitch black humor ( the scene between Chigurh and a befuddled gas station proprietor is an amusingly edgy little gem ) , Carter Burwell's spare , moody score , the vivid evocation of the dusty , desolate rural terrain and the everyday folks who inhabit the region , the provocative central theme about a dying code of honor and decency , and a few well-staged action set pieces ( a protracted shoot-out between Moss and Chugurh in the empty dark streets of a small town rates as a definite exciting highlight ) are all uniformly spot-on . Brolin , Bardem , and Jones all shine in their meaty parts , with Barden especially memorable as one seriously scary and nasty villain . Moreover , there are nice supporting turns by Woody Harrelson as cocky , amiable hoodlum Carson Wells , Kelly McDonald as Moss ' sweet , concerned wife Carla Jean , Garret Dillahunt as the eager Deputy Wendell , Tess Harper as Bell's sassy wife Loretta , and Barry Corbin as crusty , crippled old coot Ellis . WARNING : Possible SPOILERS ahead . However , the film really falters in the annoyingly vague and meandering last third . Moreover , Moss gets abruptly bumped off in a most frustrating and dissatisfying way . That criticism aside , this is still a highly impressive and engrossing winner . |
518,778 | 8,239,592 | 56,983 | 9 | Francis Ford Coppola's superbly creepy & atmospheric horror gem | After helming a few thoroughly fluffy and disposable nudie cuties in the early 60's Francis Ford Coppola made his legitimate commercial feature debut by writing and directing this moodily Gothic horror mystery thriller under the sage aegis of irrefutable legendary exploitation movie ace Roger Corman , with Jack Hill handling second unit production chores . After her husband suddenly dies of a heart attack , greedy , scheming , venomous femme fatale Luana Anders goes to hubby's moldy old isolated lakeside castle family estate in Ireland to convince her batty , domineering mother-in-law to give her a huge chunk of the inheritance . Unfortunately , a murderous member of the wacko dysfunctional and superstitious clan starts to bump folks off with an axe . Late , great , arrestingly off-beat and unconventionally beautiful cult actress Anders shines in a rare substantial lead role while the always excellent Patrick Magee contributes a lively performance as an astute , sharp-tongued doctor . Handsomely photographed in crisp black and white by Charles Hanawalt , scored to exquisitely lush and brooding orchestral perfection by prolific AIP in-house composer Ronald Stein , further graced by a genuinely flesh-crawling spooky atmosphere and highlighted by several deftly executed murder set pieces ( the scene where an underwear-clad Anders gets her brutal just desserts after taking a midnight swim is both truly sexy and shockingly nasty ) , this marvelously eerie and effective little low-budget beaut stands tall as a sterling early testament to Coppola's significant cinematic prowess . |
518,229 | 8,239,592 | 83,000 | 9 | An excellent , absorbing and totally up to par early 80's Australian " danger on the road " thriller winner | While driving a load of freight across the godforsaken Australian outback from Melbourne to Perth spacey loner American truck driver Pat Quid ( an endearingly eccentric portrayal by Stacy Keach ) begins to suspect that the man ( scruffy top Aussie stuntman Grant Page ) in a van he keeps seeing on the highway might very well be the vicious Jack the Ripper-style psycho who's been murdering attractive lady hitchhikers and leaving their chopped up bodies on the side of the road . The only problem is that Quid can't convince anyone else that this could be the case . Pretty soon Quid finds his own life in considerable jeopardy . Early 80's horror scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis pops up as a brassy runaway rich heiress who's along for the ride . Cunningly combining elements of " Duel , " vintage Alfred Hitchcock pictures ( chiefly " Rear Window " ) , 70's existential road movies and early 80's slasher fare , this spiffy , absorbing and suspenseful mystery thriller works like gangbusters . Richard Franklin ( who next did the surprisingly acceptable " Psycho II " and later faltered with the abysmal killer monkey dud " Link " ) directs with tremendous skill and assurance while both Brian ( " The Road Warrior " ) May's flavorful , harmonica-tinged score and Vincent ( " Thirst " ) Morton's exquisitely expansive cinematography are definitely up to speed . Moreover , the dingy desert locations evoke a frightfully palpable feeling of all-encompassing dread , isolation and vulnerability , the tension steadily escalates to a nerve-wracking fever pitch , there are amusing touches of offbeat humor featured throughout and the final confrontation between Quid and the killer in a cramped back alley delivers one hell of a potent gut punch . The nifty tweaking of your standard average guy in danger scenario in particular is a nice inspired touch ; this scenario is given a fresh and engaging workover by making Quid a likeably quirky oddball . An eerie , understated and above all intelligent stand-out scary sleeper . |
518,771 | 8,239,592 | 60,440 | 9 | A really wild & exciting Japanese giant monster creature feature delight | This wonderfully ridiculous Japanese giant monsters wreaking mucho mondo destructo havoc hoot was originally done as a sequel to " Frankenstein Conquers the World " until American distributors momkeyed around with it and omitted any connections this baby has with that previous picture . That minor issue aside , what's left is quite simply one of the wildest , most energetic and brutally violent behemoth beast bashes to ever grunt , growl and glower its way across the big screen . The titular titanic terrors represent the two radically contrasting polar opposite sides of the existential coin ; i . e . , any living , sentient animal's latent capacity for being either very good or extremely evil . A decidedly malevolent hairy , scaly , uglier-than-dirt green leviathan fights an octopus and ravages the countryside before engaging in a rousingly savage and lengthy toe-to-toe , claw-to-claw , thingo-to-thingo knock-down , drag-out climactic confrontation with its more gentle and benign brown brother . The monster fight seriously smokes something stirring : Our two beastly behemoths vigorously mix it up and lay waste to half the landscape while beating the living tar out of each other like a couple of deranged wrestlers in a totally uninhibited anything-goes cage match . An insufferably smug'n'smirky Russ Tamblyn looks and acts properly embarrassed as the absurdly earnest young scientist who created the leaping , roaring and running simian humanoid Goliaths . Musical guest star Kipp Hamilton warbles the unforgettably atrocious'n'asinine ballad " The Words Get Stuck in My Throat " while doing the twist on stage at a swanky nightclub . A great , delectably dopey humongous creature feature treat . |
517,904 | 8,239,592 | 64,819 | 9 | Jack Hill's excellent & unjustly overlooked race car drama | Surly , thuggishly handsome Dick Davalos superbly carries the day with plenty of rugged , growly , super-slick hipster punk attitude as Rick , a brash , hustling , opportunistic amateur drag racing young turk who willingly compromises what few teensy , faintly held on values he has in order to make it big in the harshly competitive world of professional stock car racing . Backed by pitiless rich sponsor Brian Donlevy ( who's pure icy perfection as a ruthlessly avaricious jerk who strictly cares about money and winning ) , Rick cuts loose his savage , animalistic instincts on the track , taking " dingy , " lunatic rival driver Hawk Sidney ( a typically wired turn by the ever-manic Sid Haig , who appears here sans beard , but with a near complete head of hair ) down a few pegs , romancing sweet , bubbly , gum-chewing wild cat groupie Jolene ( an exuberant performance by the adorable Beverly Washburn , the most catty and spiteful of the Meryl family sisters in Hill's wonderfully warped " Spider Baby " ) , striving to best composed , always in control reigning champion Ed McCleod ( the excellent George Washburn ) , and flirting with McCleod's forlorn , neglected wife Ellen ( movingly played by Ellen McRea in her film debut , who later changed her name to Ellen Burstyn and received a Best Actress Oscar for her remarkable work in Martin Scorcese's " Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore " ) . More of a moody , incisive , stingingly critical and flatly unsentimental film noirish character study centering on the horrible spirit-crushing price fiercely aggressive macho males pay for engaging in a taxingly brutal dog-eat-dog sport like stock car racing than your usual mindless smash ' em up car racing action romp , " Pit Stop " might very well be Jack Hill's most sharply atmospheric and tautly self-contained picture to date , a starkly dramatized stunner that casually oozes a certain pungently thick , heavy , oppressively brooding no-kidding grayish and uncompromising sense of overweening moral blackness . The metal-mangling , tire-yelping , dust and dirt flying everywhere race car sequences possess a tense , kinetic , dangerously loose and truly harrowing quality , depicting the ultra-masculine confrontational world of professional stock car racing as totally crazed mondo destructo demolition derby-style pandemonium . Moreover , the burning male desire to win at any cost and be the greatest at something is boldly shown as a kind of severe , seething , deep-seated psychosis . Sumptuously shot in stark , shadowy , steely black and white by Austin McKinney , with a superlative finger-snapping , kicked-back cool hopping blistering fuzztone guitar-driven beatnik rock score by John Fridge and the Daily Flash , uniformly tops acting from a first-rate cast , and a bracingly caustic , penetrating , rough-edged script by Hill , " Pit Stop " makes many startling insights into the grim , ugly barbarism and cold-heartedness at work in male aggression and competitiveness , courageously stating that winning can come at the cost of one's soul and body . Hard , gritty and flinty , done with real guts and style by Hill , " Pit Stop " rates as a raw , nervy , very daring and unjustly overlooked winner that's well worth seeking out and deserving of substantial cult film status . |
518,887 | 8,239,592 | 78,405 | 9 | A splendidly scuzzy 70's slasher sleaze classic | Cameron " I'll act in any piece of junk for the money " Mitchell's already patchy schlock picture career hits its wonderfully lurid and repugnant all-time skankiest gutter-crawling nadir here with his joltingly frantic , bug-eyed portrayal of a crazed , puritanical superintendent who gruesomely dispatches several " sinful " promiscuous harlot young women residing in a grimy Los Angeles apartment complex . This shockingly gross and disgusting scuzzball 70's grindhouse slasher gem reaches its sensationally sleazy apex in a protracted sequence showing gorgeous porn starlet Kelly Nichols joyfully masturbating in her bathtub prior to Cameron brutally butchering her with a nail gun ! Tireless ace exploitation photographer Gary Graver did the sharp , polished photography . The incredible down and out cast greatly intensifies the film's singularly discomfiting slimy edge : onetime child actress Pamelyn Ferdin ( most famous for doing the voice of Lucy in a few Charlie Brown cartoon TV specials ) , " Land of the Lost " ' s Wesley Eure as Cam's equally demented nephew ( ! ) , and the original " The Blob " heroine Aneta Corseaut . To top it all off , we even got a pertinent and provocative subtext about the fragility of innocence ( as represented by Ferdin's sweet , " pure " character ) , the impossibility of preserving said innocence on a permanent basis ( Cam abducts Pam so she can serve as a surrogate for the daughter he lost in a car crash ) , and how innocence is inevitably corrupted and / or destroyed by the evil outside world ( as personified by the " impure " women Mitchell on his self-appointed murderous moral crusade deems worthy of punishment through savage and untimely death ) . This vile , gritty , resolutely ugly and sordid classic wholly deserves its killer trash legend reputation . |
518,716 | 8,239,592 | 206,634 | 9 | An excellent , exciting and above all intelligent bleakly futuristic science fiction winner | 2027 : Society has collapsed into total violent anarchy and no children have been born in the last eighteen years . Glumly indifferent Theodore Faron ( a superb Clive Owen ) gets shocked out of his morose apathy when his underground revolutionary ex-wife Julian Taylor ( the always fine Julianne Moore ) enlists his aid to get the miraculously pregnant Kee ( beautifully played by radiant newcomer Claire-Hope Ashitey ) out of the country before the authoritarian government finds out about her . Director / co-writer Alfonso Cuaron brilliantly creates a plausibly bleak and depressing future where chaos is the dismal norm and mankind has lost its ability for hope . Cuaron wisely downplays needless flashy special effects in favor of emphasizing both the intriguing plot and equally interesting complex characters ; he brings a sense of true heartfelt emotion and heartbreaking tragedy to the picture that's both poignant and powerful . The sparingly used special effects are seamless and convincing . The action sequences are fast , brutal , thrilling and harrowing as all hell . The uniformly terrific acting from a top-rate cast rates as another substantial asset : Owen delivers a very strong and touching portrayal of a man who regains his capacity to care and feel , Moore shines in her regrettably brief role , Ashitey brings a terrifically brassy'n'sassy strength and humor to her part , and Michael Caine is simply wonderful as Jasper , a blithely irreverent dippy hippie pothead who helps Theodore out when he's on the lam from the police . But what truly makes this movie so special , resonant and remarkable is its thoughtful and affecting central message about the immeasurable value of human life . A real lovely and extraordinary gem . |
518,220 | 8,239,592 | 462,322 | 9 | A terrifically trashy tribute to cheerfully low-grade 70's exploitation cinema | Ladies and gentlemen , welcome to the show . Tonight for your viewing pleasure we have two blithely low-rent Grade B items on a single hugely entertaining double bill . " Planet Terror " - A zombie epidemic breaks out in a dusty backroads Texas armpit community . A motley assortment of folks have to fight their way through a teeming mass of lethal hideous ghouls to safety . Writer / director Robert Rodriguez deftly maintains a constant breakneck pace throughout , gleefully pours on the revolting gross-out gore , and stages the nonstop explosive action with exhilarating aplomb . Rodriguez also perfectly nails the lovably shoddy quality of your standard two-cent schlocky horror splatter romp : the hilariously hokey dialogue , cheesy pulsating synthesizer score , raw , grainy , scratched-up cheap film stock , and in-your-face unflinching graphic violence are a total tacky treat to behold . The lovely Rose McGowan has a ball as Cherry , a down-in-the-dumps stripper ( oops . . I mean go-go dancer ) who has a leg she loses to the zombies replaced with a handy combo machine gun and grenade launcher . The rest of the uniformly excellent cast play their engagingly cardboard characters to the juicy hilt : Freddy Rodriguez as ace two-fisted survivalist Wray , Micheal Biehn as a hard-nosed sheriff , Bruce Willis as a mysterious general , Jeff Fahey as a grizzled diner owner , Stacy Ferguson as an ill-fated motorist , Tom Savini as a bumbling deputy , Josh Brolin as an evil doctor , Quentin Tarantino as an odious would-be rapist , Michael Parks as a rugged Texas ranger , and Marley Shelton as Brolin's faithless wife . This one gets an " Deathproof " - Murderous misogynistic maniac Stuntman Mike ( deliciously played with demented relish by Kurt Russell ) gets his depraved jollies out of killing beautiful young women with his souped-up black muscle car ( both the adorable Jordan Ladd and McGowan pop up as two of Mike's victims ) . Mike more than meets his match when he chooses luscious Rosario Dawson , fiery Tracie Thoms , and the incredible Zoe Bell as his next targets . Writer / director Quentin Tarantino starts the film out slow , ably developing the female characters so we honestly care about what happens to them . The opening third is a might dull and talky , but it culminates with a simply spectacular tire-screeching , metal-mangling , rubber-shredding lump-in-your-throat wild and exciting protracted car chase that rates alongside " Vanishing Point " ( an obvious acknowledged influence ) and " Dirty Mary , Crazy Larry " as some of the best vehicular carnage to ever roar its stirring way onto celluloid . This baby earns an The wraparound stuff : The faux drive-in trailers are mighty tasty indeed . The revenge opus " Machete " starring Danny Trejo as the titular bad hombre comes across like the greatest 70's Charles Bronson flick Bronson alas never did . Eli Roth's so-sick-it's-sidesplitting early 80's seasonal slasher spoof " Thanksgiving " really hits the gut-busting spot . Edgar Wright's equally uproarious " Don't " will have you howling as well . Rob Zombie's " Werewolf Women of the SS " qualifies as a complete outrageous riot , with nifty appearances by Udo Kier , Sybil Danning , Bill Mosely , Sheri Moon , Tom Towles and Nicholas Cage as Fu Mancho ( ! ) . My sole criticism is the unfortunate dearth of gratuitous nudity in the two main features . Gratuitous nudity was a principal base ingredient of 70's grindhouse swill , so its glaring absence in both pictures is a tad disappointing . That minor quibble aside , Rodriguez and Tarantino alike still overall deliver a delightfully down'n'dirty cinematic ode to the gloriously sleazy thrills'n'spills joy and vigor of vintage 70's exploitation fare . |
518,484 | 8,239,592 | 74,533 | 9 | A hilariously bawdy hoot | A hilariously wild'n'raunchy handy dandy combo of both " let's put on a show " 30's vaudeville musical comedy revues and then fashionable cheesy , one note , tongue-in-cheek silly gimmick porno movies ( anyone else remember the porno musical version of " Alice in Wonderland " ? ) . Barely released in theaters by Paramount , this delightfully lowbrow low-budget howler has deservedly acquired a sizable cult following . Struggling studio head Stephen Nathan needs a new hook to snag audiences for the asinine porno flicks he makes his fortune off of . So he comes up with the bright idea to do the first hardcore feature with singing and dancing . Of course , there are several glitches : the cheapskate financiers want the entire picture shoot in a mere two weeks or they will take the studio away from Nathan , director John Smithee ( an obvious pun on legendary pseudonymous director Allen Smithee ) turns out to be a childish , immature , totally wet-behind-the-ears nitwit , and catty , venomous , egocentric prima donna porn star Mary La Rue keeps trying to seduce Nathan and makes life a living hell for everyone else on the set . Gleefully dirty-minded without ever becoming too sordid , " The First Nudie Musical " manages to be quite likable , expectedly uproarious , and strangely endearing despite the nonstop onslaught of often profane dialogue , simulated sex and full-frontal nudity . The direction by Mark Haggard and Bruce Kimmel nicely maintains a light , airy and playfully good-natured tone throughout . The performances hit just the right note of cutesy burlesque hamminess , with especially winning turns from Nathan , Cindy Williams ( a short step away from hitting the big time on the popular long-running sitcom " Laverne and Shirley " ) as Nathan's loyal , but sarcastic secretary , an almost unbearably funny Kimmel ( who not only co-directed and co-wrote the witty script , but also penned all the songs and lyrics ) as the feckless Smithee , the adorable Leslie Ackerman as a naive , virginal ingénue , the beauteous Alexandra Morgan as La Rue , " Soap ' ' s Diana Canova as a lusty , vavavoomish Latin singer , Frank Doubleday ( the scary dude who shoots the little girl in " Assault on Precinct 13 " ) as Canova's insecure , switchblade-wielding leather-clad punk biker boyfriend , " Mantis in Lace " ' s Susan Stewart as no-talent bleach blonde starlet Joy Ful , Alan Abelew as a stuck-up would-be lady's man , and Hy Pyke ( the unforgettably creepy bus driver in " Lemora - A Child's Tale of the Supernatural " ) as a greedy , cigar-puffing sleazebag producer . The wonderfully ribald'n'ridiculous songs smoke in no uncertain terms ( the incredible " Dancing Dildos " number in particular is absolutely sidesplitting ) . Ron Howard makes a quick cameo during the audition sequence and Annette O'Toole supplied Ackerman's singing voice . A tremendously amusing and totally off-the-wall wacky hoot that's not to be missed . |
518,287 | 8,239,592 | 416,315 | 9 | A strong , scary and above all suspenseful Aussie " danger on the road " knockout | The set-up is deceptively familiar and unpromising : Three attractive young people - - one hunky guy and two hottie girls - - go driving cross country through the dry , dusty and desolate Australian outback . Their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere . A seemingly friendly motorist stops by and offers them a tow . Unbeknownst to the kids , said guy turns out to be a crazed , albeit disturbingly robust and jovial lunatic with an unsavory penchant for sadistically preying on stray motorists . Sure , the basic story in and of itself is admittedly trite and obvious , but what we got here is a sterling example of how a deft and steady execution can make even the most shopworn premise both gripping and brutally effective . Writer / director Greg McLean starts the film out slowly , carefully setting up the characters and situation before thrusting you into a truly jolting and ferocious nightmarish ordeal that's guaranteed to shred your nerves . The initially spooky tone eventually gives way to full-bore all-out savage violence and barbarism . The abrupt shift in tone captures the viewer off guard and thus is all the more shocking for this very reason . Moreover , the stunning cinematography vividly conveys a harrowing sense of isolation and vulnerability , making the Australian outback seem like a very eerie and foreign landscape akin to the surface of Mars . Frank Tetaz's sparingly used score likewise does the trick quite nicely ; there are several particularly nerve-wracking sequences in which music isn't used at all , which gives said moments an added bloodcurdling element of scary credibility . The dearth of both irony and especially that always annoying " Scream " - style self-conscious " it's just a movie folks " self-referential nonsense qualify as substantial additional assets ; it's both heartening and refreshing to see a recent horror film made by people who honestly believe in what they're doing . The fact that the movie gets more progressively bleak and despairing as it unfolds was another tremendous plus . The performances are uniformly excellent as well . Nathan Phillps , Kestie Morassi and Cassandra Magrath are all genuinely likable as the luckless imperiled trio ; you really care about these kids and are concerned about what happens to them . Best of all is the terrific and positively terrifying performance by John Jarratt as the back-roads psycho who hides his true lethal and heinous nature behind a disarmingly hale'n'hearty " just a regular scruffy Aussie outback bloke " facade . What makes Jarratt so absolutely chilling is the way he continues to project this perverse jollity even while committing these horrible acts of unsettling brutality . He's without a doubt a splendidly sick piece of murderously messed-up work and one severely frightening customer . My sole criticism is the rather dubious claim that it's based on a true story . I frankly just don't buy it , but that minor quibble aside overall I must say that " Wolf Creek " in my book rates as one of the best damn fright films of 2005 . |
518,361 | 8,239,592 | 92,147 | 9 | A very cool , clever and hugely enjoyable 80's horror comedy hoot | Mild-mannered college student Keith ( affable Chris Makepeace ) , his more brash smooth-talking best buddy A . J . ( the equally engaging Robert Rusler ) and hopelessly geeky wannabe hip nerd Duncan ( a hilariously dweeby Gedde Watanabe ) venture into a dark , remote and dangerous Los Angeles neighborhood in search of a stripper for an upcoming fraternity party . The trio discover the seedy and sinister nocturnal establishment the After Dark Club , where our protagonists find out much to their dismay that the diabolically enticing and exotic main attraction Katrina ( a mute , but stunningly effective and alluring portrayal of pure animalistic evil and raw sensuality by Grace Jones ) and the rest of the club's staff are all vampires who are eager to take a lethal bite out of the boys . Writer / director Richard Wenk offers a winningly quirky and clever blend of offbeat black humor and straightforward gruesome horror , ably creating and sustaining a properly seamy and spooky oddball nighttime atmosphere , keeping the pace snappy and steady throughout , and staging the shock scenes with a considerable amount of grisly aplomb ( the moment where Katrina calmly tears a bumbling minion's heart out and her fatal seduction of A . J . are especially startling sequences ) . Popping up in nifty supporting parts are Dedee Pfeiffer as an endearingly ditsy waitress , Sandy Baron as the sleazy club emcee , the ever-reptilian Billy Drago as a creepy albino street gang leader , and Hy Pyke ( the unforgettably nutzoid bus driver in " Lemora : A Child's Tale of the Supernatural " ) as a vampire hotel clerk . Elliot Davis ' stylishly garish cinematography , Jonathan Elias ' funky score , and Greg Cannom's excellent make-up f / x further enhance the deliciously macabre merriment of this extremely cool and enjoyable fright flick . |
518,724 | 8,239,592 | 69,729 | 9 | A hugely enjoyable & original 70's distaff drive-in movie variant on " Spartacus " | Roger Corman's tough , engrossing , skillfully executed proto-feminist $1 . 98 drive-in version of " Spartacus , " an early New World Pictures production reuniting the dynamic distaff duo of Pam Grier and Margaret Markov , who previously formed a sparky , highly charged rat-a-tat-tat chemistry together in Eddie Romero's excellent Filipino " The Defiant Ones " variant " Black Mama , White Mama . " Ancient Rome , Italty : Desperate for a little variety and bored with your standard mano a mano gladiatorial combat , the gross , idle , decadent rich captors of a culturally diverse assortment of slaves decide to let their much abused female servants engage in vicious one winner per battle to the death gladiator fights . The female fighters , who include the gutsy Mamawi ( the one and only Pam Grier , in typically ferocious fit'n'physical fighting mode ) , the compassionate Bodicia ( beauteous , blue-eyed unsung favorite firebrand blonde Margaret Markov ) , and the flighty Diedre ( lovely redhead cupcake Lucretia Love ) , understandably disgusted with the foul , ignoble , dehumanizing treatment they receive from their odious oppressors , stage a violent , rousing climactic revolt in which men and women alike savagely fight for their freedom . Ably directed by Steve Carver ( who also helmed the bang-up Depression-era corker " Big Bad Mama " for Corman ) , with quick pacing , snappy editing , a pungent , convincing period atmosphere , a tightly constructed narrative that thunders along with tremendous drive , and a fine , brooding score by Francesco De Masi , " The Arena " really makes the cut as top-of-the-line high concept 70's exploitation cinema at its most quirky and inspired . The solid , unusually intelligent script by John William and Joyce Carol Corrington ( who previously wrote the funky end-of-the-world sci-fi / action hoot " The Omega Man " ) poses an extremely challenging and provocative moral question : Would you willingly kill another person in order to stay alive ? And how much abuse would you endure before finally deciding that enough's enough ? Furthermore , the truly terrific B-movie twosome of Pam and Margaret make for strong , smart and sympathetic heroines whose desire for independence is both genuinely admirable and even inspirational . Sara Bey , a striking brunette actress who's most fondly remembered as the titular perverted character in " Lady Frankenstein , " makes for an eminently hateful villainess as the bitchy , overbearing , cold-hearted wealthy wench Cordelia . The gladiatorial combat scenes seriously cook : they're brutal , sweaty and bloody , the kind of splendidly staged down'n'dirty swords and battle axes a swinging fights that are quite exciting in a fiercely visceral , kick-you-in-the-guts sort of way ( Pam in particular wields a mean trident ) . A genuine oddity from the Glorious Golden Era of the Grindhouse , " The Arena " partially succeeds on the basis of its sheer strangeness alone and largely because it's simply a very well-done consummate pro job all around . |
518,745 | 8,239,592 | 64,888 | 9 | A beautifully chilling Spanish horror winner | Something is seriously amiss at a fancy French boarding school that's run with the proverbial iron fist by strict head mistress Madame Fourneau ( splendidly played to the steely hilt by Lili Palmer ) . Several of the catty , bitchy , backbiting , high-strung problem girl students have mysteriously disappeared . Did they run away ? Or have they been killed by some crazed psycho ? Writer / director Narciso Ibanez Serrador does an outstanding job of creating and sustaining a potently eerie and brooding atmosphere that practically seethes with pent-up carnal longings and deadly menace . Moreover , Serrador stages the stunningly stylized murder set pieces with remarkable breathtaking skill and flair . Kudos are in order for the first-rate acting from a uniformly tip-top cast : Palmer excels as a most austere and formidable battle ax , the adorable Cristina Galbo makes for a highly charming and fetching heroine as the sweet innocent Theresa , John Moulder-Brown likewise impresses as Fourneau's neurotic peeping tom son Luis , and ubiquitous character actor Victor Israel has a nice , yet small part as creepy handyman Brechard . Manuel Berenguer's fluid , polished widescreen cinematography gives the picture a gorgeously glossy look . Waldo de los Rios ' exquisitely lush'n'lovely orchestral score hits the bull's eye as well . Better still , there's a severely warped undercurrent of startling sexual perversity that runs the gamut from lesbianism to voyeurism to even incest . The socko sicko surprise ending packs a very strong and lingering gut punch . This spooky and intriguing precursor to both Bob Clark's " Black Christmas " and Dario Argento's " Suspiria " rates as absolutely essential viewing for hardcore aficionados of supremely skin-crawling fright fare . |
518,841 | 8,239,592 | 92,112 | 9 | The best of the 80's heavy metal rock horror films | Undoubtedly the best heavy metal horror item made in the manically headbangin ' 80's , which admittedly doesn't sound like much considering how utterly abysmal many other entries in this odd little fright film sub-genre like " Hard Rock Zombies , " " Blood Tracks , " " Terror on Tour , " and the especially ungodly Jon-Mikl Thor-starring stinker " Rock'n'Roll Nightmare " tended to be . That aside , this one still deserves props for downplaying the excessive splatter and needlessly flashy special f / x razzle-dazzle in favor of focusing on adolescent high school characters who are depicted with greater acuity and plausibility than the norm for a mid-80's teen-targeted scarefest . Moreover , the film's pointed sardonic parodying of both ridiculously overblown 80's heavy metal stupidity and the nauseating self-righteousness of the uptight killjoy conservative stiffs who claimed it was the devil's music are very clever and on the money funny ( famed Greed Decade heavy metal god Ozzy Osbourne has a hilarious bit as a smarmy anti-metal TV evangelist ! ) . Marc Price ( the hopelessly dweeby Skippy on " Family Ties " ) gives a surprisingly strong and winning performance as Eddie " Ragman " Weinbauer , a geeky , socially awkward and severely persecuted heavy metal aficionado who's constantly picked on by the stuck-up jerk preppie bullies who make up the majority of the student body at Lakeridge High School ( the cruelty and mean-spiritedness of the high school kids is nailed with painfully credible accuracy ) . Eddie's life takes a turn for the worse when his rock star idol Sammi Curr ( an impressively whacked-out portrayal by Tony Fields ) perishes in a hotel fire . Hip local disc jockey Nuke ( KISS front-man Gene Simmons in a cool cameo ) hooks Eddie up with Sammi's final , unreleased album , which when played backwards resurrects Curr's malevolent spirit back from the dead . Sammi encourages Eddie to sic him on all the vile scumbags who make poor Eddie's life the proverbial living hell , only to have meek Eddie prove to be a most reluctant would-be accomplice . It's up to Eddie , assisted by token nice girl Leslie Graham ( likeably essayed by the lovely Lisa Orgolini ) , to stop Sammi before things get too out of hand . Ably directed with commendable thoughtfulness and sensitivity by character actor Charles Martin Smith ( who also briefly appears as a nerdy school teacher ) , smartly written by Michael S . Murphy , Joel Soisson , and Rhet Topham , and capably acted by a uniformly up-to-snuff cast , this surefire sleeper even comes complete with a handful of nifty " jump " moments ( an outrageous attack in the back of a car by a grotesquely lecherous long-tongued mutant thingie rates as the definite highlight ) , a rousing " Carrie " - style high school dance slaughter sequence , a neatly utilized Halloween setting , revenge being correctly shown as a truly ugly business , and a solid central message that you shouldn't make a particular over-hyped person your hero strictly because of the calculated anti-establishment posturing said fellow does to qualify for that special status . |
518,071 | 8,239,592 | 87,170 | 9 | A very cute , charming and even touching cartoon | Adorable and intrepid little redhead girl Dot bravely ventures into the Australian outback in search of a missing baby kangaroo . Assisting Dot on her perilous quest is a comically mischievous rabbit called " funny bunny , " who constantly makes amusingly ill-advised and unsuccessful attempts at passing himself off as the missing kangaroo ( " funny bunny " also supplies the lion's share of the engagingly quirky and deadpan humor ) . During her lengthy and eventful odyssey Dot encounters a colorful array of off-beat and interesting local wildlife which includes lazy koalas who only want to eat and sleep , a busy platypus who doesn't have any time to talk , a cranky possum who hates noise , slithery snakes , cunning and unctuously sinister crocodiles , a kindly flying fox , a chatty and gregarious crab , a helpful turtle , a weary wombat and speedy emus . This is a very sweet and good-natured cartoon kid's feature which blends animation with live action quite well ; it's technically a bit rough and crude by today's more sophisticated standards , but the animation possesses a certain irresistible plain'n'pretty appeal all the same . Moreover , the film itself is refreshingly bereft of any cynicism or irony ; it's got a purity and innocence to it that's genuinely endearing . There's a real warmth evident as well which makes this lovely little gem extremely touching ( the plot revelation that " funny bunny " is only trying to find a surrogate mother to love and take care of him because both of his parents were killed by hunters is quite moving ) . The lively and catchy songs ( my favorite is the hilarious " Termites " ditty ) , the beautiful nature photography , the gorgeous scenery and especially the overall pleasant and upbeat tone further add to the movie's considerable charm . |
518,097 | 8,239,592 | 74,739 | 9 | A sweet little seriocomic indie sleeper | 12-year-old Kenny ( an engaging portrayal by Dan McCann ) hangs out with mischievous best buddy Doug ( the very likable Michael Baldwin ) , tries to figure out girls , musters up the courage to face mean , fearsome bully Johnny Hoffman ( an effectively hateful Willy Masterson ) , learns about death and mortality ( Doug's sickly dog has to be put to sleep ) , and prepares for Halloween night . Writer / director Don Coscarelli delivers a charming and warm-hearted little gem about 70's suburbanite adolescence that's remarkably bereft of both sour cynicism and cloying sentimentality ; instead the rambling episodic narrative ambles along in a most delightfully breezy'n'easy manner and offers plenty of spot-on moving and / or amusing moments . Better still , the cute cast of personable kid thespians all come through with appealingly naturalistic performances : McCann and Baldwin positively shine in the leads , receiving fine support from Jeff Roth as pesky , yet lovable little squirt Sherman , Terrie Kalbus as fetching blonde babe Marcy , and Eswin Cajas as foreign exchange student Paco . Plus there are nice turns by Reggie Bannister as friendly , understanding teacher Mr . Donovan , Ralph Richmond as Doug's jolly government agent father Big Doug , Kenneth J . Jones as hot-tempered football coach Mr . Soupy , and Clay Foster as amiable old timer Mr . Brink . Fred Myrow's mellow and melodic score totally hits the groovy spot . Coscarelli's sunny cinematography gives the picture an attractive bright look . A lovely and poignant treat . |
518,930 | 8,239,592 | 734,739 | 9 | Tim Thomerson is outstanding as a shameless hack stand-up comedian | I've been a huge fan of Tim Thomerson every since he portrayed tough-as-nails detective Jack Deth in " Trancers . " He's one of my all-time favorite character actors who's appeared in such excellent movies as " Uncommon Valor , " " Near Dark , " " Nemesis , " and " Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas . " He usually plays laconic rough'n'tumble macho guys or goofy tongue-in-cheek parts , but Tim really shows his substantial dramatic range here as shameless hack stand-up comedian Billy Diamond , who steals whole bits and pieces of his act from other comics ' routines . One fateful day Diamond gets fatally shot by a struggling comic he stole a gag from . He winds up in a particularly ironic kind of hell in which he's forced to talk about the worst things that happened in his life while an audience laughs uproariously at his abject pain and misery . Thomerson was a stand-up comedian prior to embarking on his acting career . He brings a real pathos and conviction to the role of the smarmy Diamond that's both surprising and impressive . His acting in this terrific episode rates highly as some of the best he's ever done and offers proof positive that Tim Thomerson is one tremendously talented and versatile actor who doesn't get the attention and accolades he deserves as often as he should . |
518,239 | 8,239,592 | 78,492 | 9 | An excellent and exciting action adventure treat | Hard-nosed mercenary Colonel Allen Faulker ( a superbly steely Richard Burton ) gets an assignment to rescue African president Julius Limbani ( well played Winston Ntshona ) from a prison camp . Faulker rounds up his best men for the tough and demanding job : flippant dandy Lieutenant Shawn Flynn ( the ever-suave Roger Moore ) , crusty Captain Rafer Janders ( a splendid Richard Harris ) , and cynical racist Lieutenant Pieter Coetze ( a fine performance by Hardy Kruger ) . Faulkner and his troops manage to spring Limbani without a hitch , but are double-crossed by their employers and subsequently find themselves stuck in Africa with a vicious army of angry Simbas after them . Expertly directed with utmost brisk and tight efficiency by Andrew V . McLagen , with a sharp , witty script by Reginald Rose , a hard , gritty , no-nonsense tone ( Flynn makes a snotty young drug dealer eat a whole bag of bad smack ! ) , several stirring and well-mounted action sequences , a rousing score by Roy Budd , a wickedly sardonic sense of dry humor , handsome , polished cinematography by Jack Hilyard , and shocking outbursts of raw'n'bloody violence , this rip-roaring affair makes for hugely enjoyable all-star epic entertainment . The uniformly stellar acting from a tip-top cast rates as another major asset : Burton , Moore , Harris , and Kruger are all outstanding in the leads ; they receive sterling support from Stewart Granger as smarmy , stuffy banker Sir Edward Matherson , Jack Watson as hearty , but ruthless drill instructor Sandy Young , Kenneth Griffith as fey medical officer Arthur Witty , Frank Finlay as the feisty Father Geoghagen , Ronald Fraser as the scrappy Jack McTaggart , and Barry Foster as diplomatic liaison Thomas Balfour . Moreover , the characters are very complex and engaging ; you really learn to care about this rough'n'ready misfit band of professional soldiers for hire , which in turn makes all the combat and carnage that much more potent and gripping . An absolute corker . |
519,095 | 8,239,592 | 182,996 | 9 | A hilariously horrendous and thus quite entertaining early 80's " wackos in the woods " slasher hoot | Wacko in the woods body count splatter slaughterfests became all the rage in the early 80's after " Friday the 13th " hit it big at the almighty box office . This staggeringly sloppy'n'slipshod shot-in-Utah no-budget atrocity could very well be the most unbelievably inept and unintentionally sidesplitting entry in this frequently pretty pathetic horror sub-genre . A grimy , husky , deranged , murderously misanthropic survivalist mountain man maniac nastily butchers assorted hideously obnoxious and unappealing chowderheads who unwisely venture into his lethal section of the forest . A nerdy ornithologist has his arm yanked out of its socket ; hilariously fake-looking blood squirts out of the even more hilariously phony stump . A fat jerk gets tossed off a cliff so he can be turned into a mushy pulp when he lands on the jagged rocks below . The fat jerk's equally rotund whiny mom likewise buys it in a similarly gruesome fashion . A jarringly ugly middle-aged couple who are trying to do just what you think in their RV have their would-be sexual encounter rudely disrupted by Mr . Nutso . A painter erupts with a virtual geyser of the red sauce when she's repeatedly stabbed by our sanguinary sicko . A backwoodsman accidentally impales a luckless hick on a tree branch and tries to make amends by blubbering " I'm sorry ! " three times in a row . Four insufferably irritating backpackers gripe , moan , bicker and generally get on each other's nerves while aimlessly ambling through the woods . A girl who stumbles into the killer's lair eats some machete . Two folks dozing in their sleeping bags are savagely offed . In arguably the most mean-spirited scene a helpless cripple in a wheelchair gets decapitated ! Meanwhile a plodding , obscenely oafish and obese hillbilly sheriff investigates various disappearances to no avail . The slackly plotted narrative meanders from gory kill scene to gory kill scene sans reason or rhythm . The unlistenably abominable score alternates between eardrum-rupturing high-pitched synthesizer blaring and st-kickin ' , banjo-pluckin ' , dung-a-dung-dung hayseed bluegrass music . The shaky 16 mm cinematography features lots of nauseating whiplash pans and unsteady hand-held camera-work . The dreadful post-sync sound makes the whole shoddy shebang seem like a poorly dubbed foreign flick . The rambling direction suffers from a crucial lack of both focus and finesse . The acting by the no-name rank amateur cast is absolutely abysmal . None of the astonishingly irksome characters are even remotely likable . The gore effects are uproariously cheesy and unconvincing . And the incredibly asinine ending credits theme song concludes the marvelously messed-up merriment on a properly pitiful note . |
518,337 | 8,239,592 | 78,490 | 9 | One of the great unsung sleeper gems of the 70's | Disaffected journalist John Converse ( superbly played by Michael Moriarty ) enlists the aid of his gruff , weary and unsociable ex-Marine friend Ray Hicks ( a fine and commanding performance by Nick Nolte ) to smuggle a stash of heroin from Vietnam into the United States . When the drug drop goes sour , Hicks and John's sad , neurotic pillhead wife Marge ( an excellent Tuesday Weld ) go on the lam . Director Karel Reisz , working from a gritty and incisive script by Judith Rascoe and Robert Stone , astutely nails the pervasive cynicism , bitterness , moral erosion , paranoia , and disillusionment of the Vietnam-era early 70's while maintaining a steady pace throughout and expertly building a considerable amount of gut-wrenching tension . This film further benefits from the uniformly exceptional acting from a top-drawer cast : Nolte , Weld and Moriarty are all outstanding in the leads ; they receive sterling support from Anthony Zerbe as ruthless corrupt federal narcotics agent Antheil , Richard Masur as ferocious psycho thug Danskin , Ray Sharkey as Danskin's jittery , sniveling partner Smitty , Gail Strickland as smooth connection Charmain , Charles Haid as slimy Hollywood dope dealer Eddie Peace , and David Opatoshu as helpful farmer Bender . Robert H . Kline's grainy , yet still polished cinematography , the bleak , harsh , depressing and unflinchingly nihilistic tone , Laurence Rosenthal's rousing score , a wickedly sardonic sense of pitch-black humor , the first-rate soundtrack , the profane , but poetic dialogue , an exciting and well-staged climactic shoot-out , and the devastating downbeat ending are all spot-on as well . An absolute powerhouse . |
518,330 | 8,239,592 | 95,863 | 9 | An excellent sequel to the terrific original | Mike ( likable James LeGros ) and Reggie ( the equally affable Reggie Bannister ) hit the road in search of the Tall Man ( superbly essayed with sinister aplomb by Angus Scrimm ) . During their travels they pick up sassy hitchhiker Alchemy ( sultry brunette knockout Samantha Phillips ) and rescue sweet Liz ( gorgeous blonde babe Paula Irvine ) from the Tall Man's evil clutches . Writer / director Don Coscarelli maintains a constant brisk pace throughout , stages the action scenes with lipsmacking gusto , and expertly creates a potently brooding macabre gloom-doom atmosphere . Moreover , Coscarelli gives this picture a dreamy , funky , surreal free-form flowing vibe that's both hypnotic and compelling . In addition , there's a wealth of stunning visuals : a cemetery full of empty graves and the desolate abandoned streets of a dead ghost town are especially eerie and striking . LeGros and Bannister make for hugely appealing and convincing everyday guy heroes , Scrimm scores as a marvelously creepy villain , Irvine and Phillips are both absolutely lovely , and Kenneth Tiger lends fine support as weak alcoholic priest Father Meyers . Daryn Okado's glossy cinematography , the rousing spooky full-bore orchestral score by Fred Myrow and Christopher L . Stone , and Mark Shostrom's splendidly gruesome make-up f / x are all on the money strong and effective . Notable highlights include a hilarious rodeo sex scene between Reggie and Alchemy , Reggie engaging in a wild to-the-death chainsaw duel with one of the Tall Man's minions , and Reggie blowing away four of those nasty little dwarfs with a quadruple-barreled shotgun . A superior sequel . |
519,297 | 8,239,592 | 87,054 | 9 | A sly , sexy and stylish treat | Neurotic Nancy ( superbly played by Genieve Bujold ) gives advice to the lovelorn in Los Angeles over the airwaves of her popular radio program under the guise of husky-voiced talk radio host Dr . Anne Love . Nancy rents a room from sultry bar owner Eve ( a marvelous performance by Lesley Ann Warren ) , who doesn't know that Anne is Dr . Love . Both Nancy and Eve become involved with charming mysterious drifter and pathological liar Mickey ( a terrific and charismatic portrayal by Keith Carradine ) , who's a mental hospital escapee with an enigmatic past . Writer / director Alan Rudolph deftly concocts an utterly intoxicating seriocomic cinematic meditation on the constant pursuit of love , lies and deception , the complexities of human communication , and the disappointments of romantic relationships . Moreover , Rudolph does a masterful job of creating and sustaining a deliciously smoky and jazzy retro 40's film noirish romantic atmosphere that's significantly enhanced by the throbbing and sensuous bass voice of Teddy Pendergrass on the soundtrack and Jan Kiesser's beautifully glowing neon-lit cinematography . The uniformly first-rate acting from a tip-top cast constitutes as another substantial plus : Bujold , Warren , and Carradine are all wonderful in the leads , with sterling support from Rae Dawn Chong as frustrated would-be poet Pearl Antoine , Patrick Bauchau as Pearl's smooth heel husband Zack , and John Larroquette as smitten bartender Billy Ace . One of the key pleasures of this smart and sophisticated adult entertainment is the clever , crazy and surprising ways the characters ' lives continually intersect throughout the intricate and unpredictable narrative . Better still , there's a genuine freshness and spontaneity evident throughout that's a true joy to behold . Granted , the languid pacing and quirky tone take a little getting used to , but this film overall casts an extremely enchanting spell that's impossible to either dislike or resist . Highly recommended . |
518,295 | 8,239,592 | 82,619 | 9 | A superb and stirring unjustly overlooked car race knockout | Here's a quintessentially rough'n'tumble early 80's high testosterone macho-posturing men being men gruntfest that John Milius would have been proud to make . Overconfident garage mechanic Steve ( solid Harry Hamlin ) , engagingly impudent aspiring songwriter Buddy ( the ever-puckish Joseph Bottoms ) , and stuffy junior record company executive Roger ( essayed with utmost gravity by Richard Cox ) are three longtime buddies who regularly engage in car races on the steep , winding and highly perilous mountainside roads of L . A . ' s Mulholland Falls in order to alleviate the grim , unrewarding tedium of their everyday lives and inject some much-needed excitement into their otherwise second-rate existences . Steve's cockiness and unbeatable status as the current King of the Mountain raises the intense ire and fiery jealousy of scraggly , burnt-out , washed-up , pony-tailed hippie and former champ Cal ( a deliciously wacky Dennis Hopper in one of his patented moody loony parts ) . Cal challenges Steve to a big high stakes race so he can regain his title and status . Sultry go-getter would-be singer Tina ( a superbly sparky turn by the tantalizing Deborah Van Valkenburgh of " The Warriors " fame , who belts out a couple of songs in a terrifically tart'n'torchy blues wail ) gets caught in the middle of this fierce competition . H . R . Christian's rugged , no-kidding sinewy script , heavily suffused with manly man deep-think introspection and inspired by David Barry's " Thunder Road " article in " New West " magazine , trenchantly examines the many intriguing facets of male obsessiveness : the obdurate refusal to grow up , pushing yourself to the limit ( " Ya gotta ride the edge in order to win " ) , not compromising your values , succeeding in life on your own terms , the deep-seated desire to amount to something in life and achieve a certain lofty stature , hyper-masculine competitiveness , and even knowing when you're beat and just learning to accept your losses , especially when said losses may very well mean the possible untimely end of your life . Donald Peterman's garishly bright , glowing , neon-hued cinematography vividly captures the steamy and crackling California night life . The thrillingly quick and dangerous no-holds-barred car race scenes are handled cinema verite style : no music , short , snappy edits , and unfancy ground level camera-work . Nice bits by Seymour Cassel as an obnoxious hipster record company president , Dan Haggerty as a gruff mechanic , Cassandra " Elvira " Peterson as an annoying neighbor , and the late , great Steve James as a meddlesome cop . Director Noel Nosseck treats the potentially silly subject matter with laudable seriousness , injecting a strong sense of underlying despair , a feeling of going nowhere fast and wanting something more out of life which transcends the mundane and explicable , which makes this mighty fine and satisfying unsung sleeper one hell of an excellent car race drama . |
518,667 | 8,239,592 | 79,138 | 9 | David Cronenberg's excellent , exciting and engrossing racetrack drama | Almighty B-movie he-man William Smith calls his own shots , fights to keep his integrity and stubbornly refuses to knuckle under to the Man's rigid stay on the narrow path and just do what you're told nonsense as fiercely autonomous and uncompromising champion professional race car driver Lonny " Lucky Man " Johnson , a rugged individualist in excelsis who butts heads with venal crudbag big company greedy jerk Phil ( John Saxon in peak snaky , slimy , lizard charisma oozing from every scuzzy pore form ) and attempts to rekindle the flame with supportive , but long-suffering erstwhile old lady Sammy ( a lively , luminous performance by late , great , simply gorgeous 70's drive-in movie goddess Claudia Jennings in her final film role ) . David Cronenberg's typically precise , meticulous direction , ably abetted by Mark Irwin's sparkling , slicker-than-fresh-motor-oil cinematography , Fred Mollin's vivacious banjo-plucking and harmonica-wailing country and western score , rough-thrashing rock tunes by Michael Stanley , superlative acting , a firm , moving camaraderie between Smith and his pit crew , such always pleasing exploitation picture ingredients as a little nudity and soft-core sex , wild fisticuffs , gritty , ragged-around-the-edges iconoclastic characters , hard-hitting profane dialogue , and the expectedly thrilling pedal - pushed - to - the - near - breaking - point - medal neck-snappingly fast and dangerous racetrack action ( said racetrack action smokes more than the faulty exhaust fumes on a freaky souped-up funny car ) , offers a tantalizingly vivid and absorbing evocation of the racetrack milieu and its funky subculture ( fawning groupies , harshly competitive male rivalry , on the take race officials , grimy , incredibly loyal and courageous pit crews , faceless fascistic corporate sponsor scum ) that's so exact and credible that it will overpower the viewer's nostrils with the fetid stench of hot sweat , filthy petrol , stale beer and greasy engines . Better still , the gutsy , heartfelt script Cronenberg co-wrote with Phil Savoth and Courtney Smith tackles head-on the eternally winning and right-on theme of a " be your own self and to hell with anyone who tries to cramp my style " - type loner nonconformist daring to stand up to and willingly defy the staid , restrictive , it-don't-do-no-one-any-good sectarian code of conduct that anal retentive conformist bilge naturally epitomizes . A rowdy , rollicking and boisterously romping break-from-the-mold grindhouse feature departure for Cronenberg , this extremely entertaining and damn satisfying , but alas unjustly obscure and underrated motorhead outing deserves to be both better known and more widely seen . Fortunately , the outstanding Blue Underground DVD gives this honey the deluxe treatment : It's a beautiful widescreen presentation along with a fine and informative Cronenberg commentary , delightful interviews with William Smith , John Saxon , and Mark Irwin , the theatrical trailer , and a pretty extensive still and poster gallery . |
518,087 | 8,239,592 | 236,216 | 9 | A fine and informative documentary about the legendary 70's British punk band the Sex Pistols | Julien Temple's slick mock rock doc " The Great Rock'n'Roll Swindle " was a delightfully irreverent , but extremely embellished and thus less than accurate depiction of the Sex Pistols ' 26 legendary months of unmitigated excess , success , pandemonium and inevitable failure . This far more scruffy and honest down-to-earth documentary sets the record straight sans huckster impresario Malcom McLaren's gross self-serving distortions of the truth . The surviving band members - - angry , fiercely snide and abrasive working class anti-star front-man Johnny Rotten , fellow surly band members Steve Jones and Paul Cook , token happy average guy out Glen Matlock - - are all interviewed , saying in their own shockingly candid , open , often profane and hilariously spiky words their savagely upfront thoughts and feelings about the whole bloody two year fracas that was the band's abrupt and chaotic , yet still glorious and influential reign . We learn about the individual band members ' sad , crappy childhoods , the gray , decaying , trash-littered rot and social upheaval of mid 70's London , the group's musical influences ( glam rock and heavy metal ! ) , how the punk movement initially encouraged raw displays of individualism and equalized the sexes , the Sex Pistols ' primitively rattling three-chord sonic assault was purposefully ugly , sludgy , tuneless and egalitarian , the Pistols ' infamous ( and truly riotous ) foul-mouthed interview on an insipid morning TV chatshow , the band's disastrous record contract with EMI , the Thames River party , how the song " God Save the Queen " put Rotten's life in considerable jeopardy , Sid Vicious beating up punk journalist Nick Kent , punk's unfortunate downslide into trendy chic mainstream nullity , Nancy Spungen's fatal hold on Sid ( the other band members vehemently abhorred her ) , the abortive feature film " Who Killed Bambi ? " ( with Sting in his film debut ! ) , Sid's tragic untimely death from a heroin overdose , and the Sex Pistols ' horrendously unsuccessful final nail-in-the-coffin American tour ( the frightfully hostile yank audiences expected a freakshow ) . Moreover , we find out that Sid popularized pogoing at punk clubs , McLaren never paid the band a dime , and that a ' 77 Christmas benefit gig was probably the Sex Pistols ' best ever show . The grainy , gritty , usually ratty and washed-out mostly color , sometimes black and white unpolished archival footage of the band at its supremely rowdy and astonishingly outrageous peak possesses an irresistibly grungy and oddly intimate appeal while the crude blaring music - - such killer classic numbers as " Anarchy in the U . K . , " " God Save the Queen , " " Pretty Vacant , " and " Holidays in the Sun " among ' em - - roars away with a furiously brutal abandon . Johnny Rotten sagely comments at the very end that the Sex Pistols were probably too good for their own good to last very long , but luckily this first-rate picture vividly immortalizes their notorious exploits and substantial legacy for posterity's sake . |
517,927 | 8,239,592 | 74,806 | 9 | Jodie Foster shines in this exceptional psychological thriller | Feisty , fiercely self-reliant 13-year-old Rynn Jacobs ( a stand-out early lead performance by the remarkable Jodie Foster ) lives all by herself in a swanky house on the remote rural outskirts of a sleepy coastal village . Following the death of her father , Rynn has convinced everyone in town that dear dad's away on business , but will be returning soon . Rynn befriends and falls in love with nice , but gimpy teen magician Mario Podesta ( winningly played by Scott Jacobs of " Bad Ronald " fame ) . When her snoopy landlady Ms . Hallet ( a perfectly irritating Alexis Smith ) and her creepy pedophile son Frank ( a splendidly slimy portrayal by Martin Sheen ) threaten to ruin her adult-free self-contained existence , Rynn resorts to drastic violent measures in order to retain her independence . Tautly directed with laudable taste , restraint and aptitude by Nicholas Gessner , with a clever , witty script by Laird Koenig ( adapting his novel ) , an elegant score by Christian Gaubert , handsome cinematography by Rene Verzier , and first-rate acting from a top-drawer cast ( Mort Shuman is especially fine as a friendly sheriff ) , this exceptionally eerie and absorbing thriller covers all the bases with striking deftness . What truly makes this film special and noteworthy is the sweet , touching and sensitive romance at the heart of the story about unconditional love between two highly atypical and appealing adolescents . Moreover , the final confrontation between Rynn and Frank is both chilling and disturbing . An excellent picture that's absolutely essential viewing for both fans of well-done thrillers and aficionados of Jodie Foster alike . |
519,114 | 8,239,592 | 74,792 | 9 | A terrifically trashy and thrilling Italian punk kids on the rampage doozy | The awesome title " Young , Violent and Desprate " promises to really deliver the lowdown trashy exploitation teens-running-horribly-amok juvenile delinquent goods and boy does this wonderfully wild Italian crime action thriller treat ever do the trick with a splendidly sleazy and straightforward unapologetic aplomb . The central premise seriously smokes in no uncertain terms : a trio of bitter , disaffected and amoral rich teen snotnose nihilist guys who feel neglected and unloved by their inattentive wealthy parents embark on an abrupt and senseless handy dandy combo crime and killing spree ; they hold up a gas station ( they blow away four cops who bungle an ambush ) , rob a bank ( they blast the assistant manager into the next dimension ) , stick up a supermarket ( they waste the four other youths who help them out on this particular gig after the dirty deed is done ) , and blithely bump off folks as they tear across the country eluding the cops at every turn . It's up to a hard-nosed Dirty Harryesque police detective ( superbly played to the stern'n'steely nines by the redoubtable Tomas Milian ) to nab these no-good sociopathic hooligans before things get too out of hand . Eleanor ( tasty blonde looker Eleonora Giorgi ) , the girlfriend of one of the kids , helps the police out as best she can . Director Romolo Guarieri ( who also gave us the brutal futuristic sci-fi " The Most Dangerous Game " variant " The Final Executioner " ) keeps the breakneck pace hurtling along at a breathless clip and stages the copious action sequences with rip-snorting brio and skill ( a frantic extended car chase between the kids and the cops is especially exciting ) . Better yet , Guarieri even tosses in a penchant and provocative heavy duty message about how the kids are toxic products of poor parenting , slamming the point home in a simply stupendous scene where Milian ruthlessly rakes the various negligent dads and moms through the coals for not talking and listening to their kids enough and thus making them feel loved and wanted . Wow , now that's some truly profound food for thought to chew on and digest . |
518,824 | 8,239,592 | 86,984 | 9 | One of Brian De Palma's most engrossing , enjoyable and ingenious thrillers | Amiable down on his luck actor Jake Scully ( a solid and likable performance by Craig Wasson ) gets a job taking care of a posh Hollywood high-rise home by fellow thespian Sam Bouchard ( splendidly played to smarmy perfection by Gregg Henry ) . Jake watches gorgeous rich neighbor Gloria Revelle ( a sympathetic turn by ravishing brunette beauty Deborah Shelton ) do a nightly striptease and becomes obsessed with her . After he witness Gloria's brutal murder at the hands of a mysterious Native American prowler , Jake decides to investigate said killing and soon discovers that there's more going on than meets the eye . Director Brian De Palma and screenwriter Robert J . Avrech concoct a dandy 80's thriller variant on Hitchcock's " Vertigo " and " Rear Window " that not only delivers the expected suspense and excitement promised by the clever and riveting premise , but also works as a smart and highly cinematic meditation on illusion , reality , voyeurism , and perception . De Palma shows tremendous skill relating various plot points through music and visuals alone . Moreover , he stages individual set pieces with tremendous panache : the grisly butchering of Gloria with a giant drill , a delightfully bawdy large scale musical production of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's gnarly hit song " Relax , " and a tour-de-force climax involving an open grave and a roaring river . Better still , this picture pokes sly self-mocking fun at both schlocky low-budget fright flicks and raunchy adult hardcore fare alike . The acting is uniformly tops : Wasson makes for an appealingly flawed and vulnerable protagonist , Henry oozes scuzzy charm , Melanie Griffith impresses with a superbly brash and winning portrayal of jaded porno starlet Holly Body , Guy Boyd steals the few scenes he's in as sardonic homicide detective Jim McLean , and Dennis Franz is his usual excellent self as slimy director Rubin . Popping up in nifty bits are Barbara Crampton as Jake's unfaithful girlfriend Carol , Brinke Stevens as an extra in a porn film , and Slavitza Jovan ( Gozer in " Ghostbusters " ) as a clothing store saleslady . Stephen H . Burum's slick , fluid , glittery cinematography pulls out the gloriously outrageous stylistic stops : tilted camera angles , gliding Steadicam tracking shots , and dazzling 360 degree circular tracking shots . Pino Donaggio's lush , rousing , pulsating score likewise hits the spot . Essential viewing for both De Palma fans and thriller buffs alike . |
519,142 | 8,239,592 | 152,989 | 9 | A total riot | Everyone's favorite myopic solipsist Mr . Magoo ( wonderfully voiced with tremendous hearty aplomb by the great Jim Backus ) gets a surprise visit from the camera crew of a local TV show that want to shoot a feature about his home . Trouble occurs when a cat burglar and his hulking trained gorilla Wilfred also show up to steal all the valuables in Magoo's abode . This delightful cartoon offers plenty of great laughs without ever becoming cynical or mean-spirited ; the good-natured sense of gleefully nutty humor goes a long way in making this animated short both amusing and endearing in equal measure . Moreover , Muzzy Marcellino's infectiously bouncy score and the vibrant , colorful animation greatly enhance the superior quality of this often hilariously wacky romp . Single funniest moment : Magoo opens up the blinds to his living room window and thinks that everything he sees outside are various different TV programs on his television screen . A real hoot . |
518,381 | 8,239,592 | 79,219 | 9 | A lovely and touching seriocomic gem | Feisty Joe ( a marvelously sprightly performance by George Burns ) , jolly Al ( a terrific Art Carney ) , and mopey Willie ( the excellent Lee Strasberg ) are three old retirees who share an apartment in Queens , New York . The guys decide to pull off a daring and outrageous bank robbery in order to alleviate the stultifying tedium of their dreary and uneventful twilight years . Writer / director Martin Brest , who was only 28 when he did this picture , offers a moving and amusing seriocomic delight about the plight of the elderly and the need to go out with a bang instead of a whimper . Among the notable highlights in this often funny and sometimes surprisingly poignant winner are Al's impromptu street dance , the hilarious heist sequence ( our heroes all wear Groucho Marx glasses ! ) , Joe crying while looking at an old black and white photo of his deceased wife , and Joe and Al living it up in Las Vegas . Burns , Carney and Strasberg all shine in their roles ; Burns in particular is simply superb . Charles Hallahan lends nice support as Al's amiable nephew Pete . Billy Williams ' bright , polished cinematography , Michael Small's catchy , jaunty score , and the warm , gentle , upbeat tone all further enhance the overall sterling quality of this sweet little treat . |
519,220 | 8,239,592 | 74,875 | 9 | School's out forever in this excellent , intelligent and wickedly subversive 70's exploitation drive-in gem | School's out forever for a brutish and reprehensible gang of snobby stuck-up preppie bullies who maim rebellious iconoclastic new kid Derrel Maury ( who gives a superbly intense and subdued performance ) . Maury bumps off the vile troublemakers in assorted clever ways only to see the other previously oppressed adolescents rise up and take their place . The vicious cycle never seems to stop . Writer / director Rene Daalder offers a provocative social allegory on the failure of revolution , the abuse of power , and how violence basically begets more violence with no real end or change in sight . Furthermore , Daalder ingeniously shows how easily victims can become victimizers if given the opportunity to do so . The high school setting in this sublimely sharp , smart and subversive winner is nothing less than an insightful microcosm of society at large with its rigid caste system and power plays and exploitation of one group by another group being brutally played out by teenagers sans adult supervision ( the grown-ups are conspicuous by their glaring absence throughout most of the picture , thereby suggesting how unimportant they are to kids trying to figure out what they are going to do with the rest of their lives after high school ends ) . This downbeat and shocking 70's exploitation masterpiece further benefits from its stand-out B-movie cast : the ubiquitous Andrew Stevens , the star and producer of countless cheesy 80's and 90's direct-to-video trash features , Robert Carradine , the ever-lovely and charming angelic blonde goddess Cheryl " Rainbeaux " Smith , future daytime soap opera star Steve Bond , " Friday the 13th : The Final Chapter " heroine Kimberly Beck , and " Eight Is Enough " sitcom regular Lani O'Grady . The late 80's cult black comedy " Heathers " ripped this movie off a lot , right down to the main story and literally explosive ending . Still , the original remains untouched and unequaled to this very day . And the incredibly mawkish theme song really must be heard to be believed ! |
519,206 | 8,239,592 | 64,055 | 9 | A really happening late 60's drive-in exploitation blast | Frustrated middle-aged Deputy District Attorney George Maxwell ( a fine performance by George E . Carey , who also produced this picture ) can't stand his naggy , frigid wife Edith ( a perfectly bitchy Anne Bellamy ) anymore . Worse yet , poor George is further saddled with a newborn baby sun and a lascivious lesbian teenage daughter ( dishy brunette Sheri Jackson ) . George has an adulterous fling with lovely , enticing and free-spirited swinging hippie babysitter Candy Wilson ( delightfully played with sexy aplomb by yummy blonde knockout Patricia Wymer ) . Complications ensue when George finds himself being blackmailed by the bitter Julia Freeman ( a nicely venomous turn by Kathy Williams ) , who wants George to spring her psychotic biker boyfriend Laurence Mackey ( a frightening Robert Tessier , who sports a head full of hair here ) from jail . Director Tom Laughlin ( yep , the same dude who portrayed Billy Jack ! ) and screenwriter James McLarty cram the splendidly seamy story with a winning and highly entertaining surplus of delicious female nudity , sizzling soft-core sex , and raw violence . Moreover , they accurately peg the whole wild'n'easy uninhibited sensibility of the 60's youth culture and relate the plot in a tight 75 minute running time , thus ensuring that this movie doesn't overstay its welcome . One definite highlight occurs when Candy invites her groovy friends over the Maxwells house for an impromptu basement bash complete with pot smoking , wailing rock music , and , of course , hot naked dancing chicks . Robert O . Ragland's funky score hits the gnarly spot . Stanton Fox's stark black and white cinematography adds an extra gritty edge to the deliriously sleazy goings-on . Best of all , this flick rates as a marvelous showcase for the utterly charming and fresh-faced pixie Patricia Wymer , who positively lights up the screen with her sweet , bubbly personality and captivating beauty . A total trashy treat . |
519,235 | 8,239,592 | 417,148 | 9 | A great deal of wildly tongue-in-cheek fun | Easygoing surfer Sean Jones ( a likable portrayal by Nathan Phillips ) witnesses a mob hit and agrees to testify in court against the gangster who committed said hit . The mob tries to bump off Sean prior to the trial by unleashing a plethora of lethal poisonous snakes on board the plane Sean's on . It's to up super smooth FBI agent Neville Flynn ( splendidly played with cool self-assurance by Samuel L . Jackson ) to protect Sean and all the other passengers on board the plane . Director David R . Ellis and screenwriters John Heffernan and Sebastian Gutierrez fortunately don't take the gloriously ludicrous premise with total seriousness ; instead they treat the story with a deliciously knowing sense of self-parodic humor that keeps things appropriately swift , funny , and exciting throughout . The snake attack sequences are every bit as brutal and gruesome as they ought to be ; nasty highlights include an amorous young couple being killed while doing just what you think and one poor guy getting bitten right where it hurts most ( ouch ! ) . Moreover , Ellis adeptly develops a tremendous amount of gripping suspense and maintains a furiously brisk pace throughout . The passengers are an engagingly colorful bunch : Julianna Phlllips as the plucky Claire Miller , Sunny Mabrey as the perky Tiffany , Bruce James as the affable Ken , and Lin Shayne as the brave Grace are the flight attendants , plus there's high strung rap star Three G's ( an amusingly neurotic Flex Alexander ) and his bodyguards Troy ( lovable lug Kenan Thompson ) and Big Leroy ( burly Keith Dallas ) , two little boys , cheery rich bimbo Mercedes ( lovely blonde sprite Rachel Blanchard ) , a newlywed couple , and arrogant British snob Paul ( a perfectly hateful'n'haughty Gerald Plunkett ) . Adding to the already infectiously crazed merriment is the highly lively and inspired mix of elements from the action , horror , comedy , and disaster genres . Granted , the animated CGI snakes are pretty hokey , but that only adds to the considerable wacky charm . Okay , we're not talking Oscar-worthy cinematic masterpiece here , but this much-hyped flick certainly delivers the promised hugely enjoyable over-the-top goods with a heady blast of sheer galvanizing go-for-it joy and energy that's impossible to either dislike or resist . A real rip-roaring pip . |
518,654 | 8,239,592 | 71,617 | 9 | A superb & thoughtful horror sleeper about the plight of the elderly | Six feisty old folks - - blind Peter Brocco , hard-working superintendent Ian Wolfe and his nagging wife Ruth McDermott , kindly writer William Hansen , agoraphobic eccentric Frances Fuller and fierce , formidable old battle ax Paula Trueman - - refuse to leave their crumbling tenement building despite the fact that it's going to be demolished to make way for expensive high-rise apartment complexes . The extremely loyal , hidebound and resourceful over-the-hill group resort to murder so they can remain in their beloved brownstone , bumping off a condescending young woman social worker , a greedy jerk land developer and various hapless construction workers who are victims of random fatal " accidents . " Director / co-writer Larry Yust , who also helmed the bang-up funky blaxploitation blast " Trick Baby , " fashions this absorbingly off-kilter plot into a delightfully quirky and deadpan black comic horror oddity , skillfully alternating between shocking moments of brutal violence and inspired bits of uproarious wackiness in a deft , screwy , throwaway style which proves to be both amusingly nutty and occasionally quite unnerving in comparable measure . The murder set pieces are truly jolting and the climactic poky last reel paddle boat chase sequence is nothing short of brilliant . Better still , Yust shows a genuine warmth and compassion for the elderly , scoring points for his incisive critique of our society's gross disregard for senior citizens and how said elderly are among those luckless and powerless people who often don't benefit a bit from progress and urban renewal . Brocco , Wolfe , McDermott , Hansen , Fuller and especially the marvelously sassy and sprightly Trueman ( who was also great as Sondra Locke's redoubtable granny in " The Outlaw Josey Wales " ) all give lively , colorful , thoroughly engaging and touchingly dignified performances as the shrewd , lethal , lovably stubborn and indomitable geriatric protagonists . Beautifully photographed in the rundown Cincinnati slums by Isidore Mankofsky , this splendidly singular and whimsical fright film tale of inner city blight and the resilience of the elderly rates as a definite fabulously off-beat and original must-see sleeper . |
519,362 | 8,239,592 | 403,990 | 9 | A fiendishly clever & wickedly amusing seriocomic thriller | Wimpy , weary , stressed-out workaholic research scientist Michio Hayasaki ( superbly played by Koji Yakusho ) ain't having a good time of it : he's totally fried and exhausted by his job because he can't make that necessary breakthrough to perfect a spiffy new automated wheelchair he's designing for some big company . Worse yet , if Michio doesn't produce some solid results pronto his overbearing greedy jerk of a boss is going to cut his funds . Things get even more complicated when Michio's exact double suddenly materializes in the flesh . Whereas Michio is seriously meek , responsible and unassertive , his doppelganger is pure bad news : brash , crude , aggressive and blithely irresponsible , a toxic product of Michio's repressed id who cheerfully proceeds to further mess up Michio's already wildly unstable life . Director / co-screenwriter Kiyoshi Kurosawa offers up a deliciously clever and incisive seriocomic thriller which works beautifully as a marvelously off-beat and original meditation on the duality of human nature , keenly exploring how all of us have both positive and negative traits existent in our personalities which we must come to terms with or otherwise denial can ( and , most frightfully , inevitably will ) get the best of us . The film starts out on a deceptively dark and disturbing note , eventually giving way to a more playful and farcical sensibility that's always entertaining and often wickedly funny . Better yet , Michio's journey of self-discovery ultimately proves to be quite helpful and uplifting , concluding things with a very touching and heartening finale that's a joy to behold . Koji Yashuko delivers an outstanding performance in a most difficult and demanding role , endowing Michio with a certain hangdog appeal and even investing his ne'er-do-well double with an irresistibly rascally charm . The supporting cast likewise makes the grade , while the state-of-the-art digital effects which allow Michio and his double to interact on screen together are both splendid and seamless . A fiendishly sharp and smart delight that's well worth checking out . |
518,077 | 8,239,592 | 74,923 | 9 | A very funny & underrated seriocomic sleeper | Long before weary , burnt-out Nicholas Cage trolled around a crack-ravaged Hell's Kitchen in search of spiritual redemption in Martin Scorsese's hauntingly gloomy " Bringing Out the Dead " the choice happening trio of Billy Cosby , Raquel Welch and Harvey Keitel pounded an outrageously freaky , stressful and eventful Los Angeles beat as harried paramedics working for a low-rent ambulance service in this darkly humorous , often quirky and hugely underrated " M . A . S . H . " - style seriocomic sleeper . Bill Cosby , prior to his sad degeneration into terminally cutesy middle-of-the-road blandness in the 80's with the lamentable " The Cosby Show , " is in fine , funky form as hip , assured , sardonic crackerjack wheelman and smartaleck supreme Mother ( next to the super , hard-boiled , unjustly neglected private eye picture " Hickey and Boggs " this flick rates as the coolest feature the Cos ever acted in ) , the phenomenally gorgeous Raquel Welch excels in an all-too-rare substantial part as stand-offish , yet still desirable dispatcher Jugs , and Harvey Keitel contributes his usual solid performance as moody ex-cop Speed . The eclectic supporting cast is likewise smack dab on the money excellent : Allen Garfield as the antsy , frazzle-nerved ambulance service owner , Larry Hagman as a smarmy , desperate libidinous loser , Bruce Davison as a naive rookie , L . Q . Jones as a laid-back local lawman , Toni Basil as a shotgun-wielding heroin addict , Dick Butkus as an amiable good ol ' boy cowboy , and the ever-divine Severn Darden doing a deft reprise of his shameless shyster lawyer role from " Cisco Pike . " Director Peter Yates , working from Tom Mankiewicz's sharp , brash , wildly episodic script , keeps the pace storming along at a furiously dynamic clip , staging car crashes with considerable aplomb and boldly veering the tone from hilariously raucous to alarmingly serious with frequently on-target , sometimes surprising and always genuinely eccentric results . Ralph Woolsey's glittering nighttime cinematography and the groovy , lively , pulsating soul score vividly capture the harrowing nonstop lunacy of both inner city blight and the intrinsic highly intensified pressure found in the paramedic profession . The loose , easy and funny camaraderie between Cosby , Welch and Keitel in particular really hits the spot something sweet . There's no denying that they make for a pretty unlikely threesome - - and it's the very oddballness of this engagingly flaky bunch which in turn gives the film its irresistibly off-center appeal . |
518,498 | 8,239,592 | 963,194 | 9 | A gloriously offbeat and inventive one-of-a-kind futuristic sci-fi musical marvel | In the bleak and hopeless near future a worldwide epidemic causes an alarming array of organ failures . The mighty and amoral biotech company GENECO rises to power by offering the desperate masses new organs . Folks who fail to keep up on their payments for their organs are targeted by the dreaded Repo Man . Bitter and ruthless GENECO founder Rotti Largo ( an excellent portrayal by Paul Sorvino ) is dying of a terminal disease . His grotesque kids - - vain , plastic surgery-obsessed daughter Amber Sweet ( a shockingly good Paris Hilton ) , deranged , bad-tempered son Luigi ( the always creepy Bill Moseley in his freaky element ) , and Luigi's infantile disfigured sibling Pavi ( the fine Ogre Nivek ) - - squabble amongst each other over who's going to inherent the family business . Meanwhile , frail and sickly teenage innocent Shilo Wallace ( an appealing turn by Alexa Vega ) is locked away in her house by her protective and overbearing doctor father Nathan ( a remarkable performance by Anthony Stewart Head ) . Unbeknownst to Shilo , Nathan works for Rotti as the Repo Man . Everything eventually comes to a full head at the incredible grandiose operatic conclusion . Director Darren Lynn Bousman , working from Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich , expertly crafts a bold , wildly stylized and insanely imaginative brooding Gothic vision of a bleak and decaying future while relating a captivating story of love , betrayal , loyalty and dark family secrets . The cast sink their teeth into their juicy roles with tremendous go-for-it gusto and belt out the songs with comparable rip-snorting relish : Sorvino and Head shine as the two main adversaries , Hilton acquits herself well with her sizable supporting part , Zdunich has a total ball as the ghoulishly charming Graverobber , and Sarah Brightman is terrific as forlorn , yet glamorous GENECO spokeslady Blind Mag . Joseph White's dazzling cinematography gives the picture a stunning garish look ; the use of comic book panels for the flashbacks is an especially inspired touch . The songs are uniformly tasty and rousing , with the fiercely ripping " Testify " rating as the definite stirring stand-out tune . Moreover , we also get a handy helping of grisly gore to further spice up the already deliciously outrageous celluloid stew . A truly unique and impressive oddball cinematic achievement . |
518,500 | 8,239,592 | 75,005 | 9 | Worthy of its classic status | Ambitious American ambassador Robert Thorn ( an outstanding and dignified performance by the inestimable Gregory Peck ) begins to suspect that something is amiss with his adopted son Damien ( well played by gifted child thespian Harvey Stephens ) following a troubling series of odd and fatal " accidents . " Thorn and cynical photographer Keith Jennings ( the always excellent David Warner ) embark on an investigation which takes them all over Europe in order to uncover the truth about Damien's possibly satanic origins . Director Robert Donner and screenwriter David Seltzer give the fantastic supernatural premise a semblance of plausibility by firmly grounding said story in a believable everyday world . Moreover , Donner maintains a steady pace throughout , keeps the tone resolutely creepy and serious ( there's a welcome absence of any dumb and obtrusive humor ) , and stages a few elaborate murder set pieces with breathtaking go-for-it verve ( an impalement on a huge spike and a stunning decapitation by a large runaway pane of glass are especially effective while a cheery young nanny happily hanging herself at a birthday party proves to be genuinely shocking and disturbing ) . Better still , the special effects are used in an admirably judicious manner and the picture overall primarily relies on developing and sustaining a potently unsettling gloom-doom mood to get under the viewer's skin . The tension gradually builds to a nerve-wracking fever pitch and culminates in a truly harrowing last third . The uniformly sterling acting by a first-rate cast qualifies as another major asset : Peck and Lee Remick as Torn's sweet , yet frail wife Katherine bring a tremendous amount of class to the film , Billie Whitelaw gives a positively chilling portrayal of sinister governess Ms . Baylock , Patrick Troughton excels as intense priest Father Brennan , and Leo McKern contributes a neat cameo as occult expert Carl Bugenhagen . Kudos are also in order for Gilbert Taylor's glossy cinematography and Jerry Goldsmith's supremely shivery'n'spooky Oscar-winning score . A superior mainstream horror hit . |
519,310 | 8,239,592 | 82,522 | 9 | Dead bodies by Jake | Just what the world needs : a hilariously horrendous early 80's seasonal slasher fright flick about a brawny , berserk , bug-eyed chortling homicidal lunatic who escapes from an asylum and heads for the hills to bump off an extremely obnoxious dysfunctional family celebrating Thanksgiving in some remote woodland cabin ( said family members include a loutish drunken uncle with a severe gambling habit , one hot tamale of a sexy Mexican maid , and an especially irritating KISS-loving wannabe rock musician teenage spazz sporting pasty white mime make-up and a portable electric guitar ) . Wow , what a shockingly novel and original premise for a slice'n'dice film ! Can you say blatant " Halloween " rip-off ? Yeah , so can I . Anyway , what makes this terrifically tacky'n'terrible turkey ( a bad pun I know , but I just couldn't resist ) such a gut-busting unintentional laugh riot is the fact that the crazed killer is wildly overplayed with considerable unrestrained scenery-scarfing hambone relish by famous musclehead Jake " Bodybuilder to the Stars " Steinfeld . Yep , you got it : Dead bodies by Jake ! Big Brother Jake goes bonkers and gets bloodthirsty ! Jake's introduction scene alone is an absolute hoot : Jake strangles some guy drinking beer in his car , shoots PCP into the underside of his tongue with a needle ( gross ! ) and gleefully mows down a little old lady crossing the street while cutting loose with this unbearably annoying and high-pitched teeth-rattling demented cackle the whole time . Best-ever murder set piece : Jake fries the KISS kid with his own electric guitar . If only Anchor Bay would release a gorgeous widescreen digitally remastered Special Edition DVD - - preferably with an interview with and / or commentary by Big Jake - - then my life would be complete . |
518,371 | 8,239,592 | 71,240 | 9 | A gritty and hard-hitting 70's made-for-TV classic | Sullen and forlorn 14-year-old incorrigible runaway Chris Parker ( a touching and terrific performance by Linda Blair ) gets declared a ward of the state . She's placed in a juvenile reform school where she not only begins to feel even more dejected and alienated because of the cold bureaucratic system , but also runs afoul of nasty , disturbed Denny ( chillingly played by Janit Baldwin ) and dumpy , aggressive lesbian Moco ( the equally scary Nora Heflin ) . Director Donald Wrye , working from a gritty and uncompromisingly realistic script by Gerald Di Pego , relates the grimly plausible and compelling story in an admirably straightforward and nonexploitative manner . The uniformly fine acting from a top-notch cast qualifies as another substantial asset : Joanna Miles as concerned , caring counselor Barbara Clark , Allyn Ann McLerie as strict , but compassionate house mother Emma Lasko , Richard Jaeckel as Chris ' stern , volatile , overbearing father , Kim Hunter as Chris ' neurotic , ineffectual mother , Mitch Vogel as Chris ' supportive , but unhelpful brother Tom , Tina Andrews as the friendly , spunky Josie , and Sandra Ego as the depressed , suicidal , pregnant Janet . Fred Karlin's beautifully moody'n'melancholy score and David M . Walsh's plain , yet polished cinematography are likewise solid and impressive . But what truly gives this hard-hitting made-for-TV drama its considerable impact and poignancy is the welcome and commendable sense of restraint , conviction and raw honesty evident throughout . The potentially lurid plot stays on a steady and tasteful course ( although the infamous plunger rape scene is indeed quite shocking and disturbing , its thankfully more suggested than shown ) , sharply revealing plenty of bleak truths about troubled teens in the process and culminating in a hauntingly downbeat ending . A real powerhouse . |
517,933 | 8,239,592 | 82,869 | 9 | A superbly gritty and exciting science fiction action thriller | There's something sinister afoot on Jupitor's third moon of Io . The workers of a bleak mining colony are becoming crazy and killing themselves because they are being fed an amphetamine which not only increases their productivity , but also causes them to become psychotic . It's up to stalwart , morally sound and responsible Marshal William T . O'Niel ( a characteristically strong and personable performance by the always dependable Sean Connery ) to lay down the law and put a stop to things before they get any worse . Writer / director Peter Hyams creates a plausibly grim'n'grimy future where greed and profit take precedent over morality and human lives , expertly generates plenty of tension from the absorbing premise , maintains a steady quick pace throughout , and deftly stages one cracking corker of a rousing last third with two assassins arriving at Io with the specific intent of killing O'Niel . Connery effortlessly carries the picture with his considerable charismatic presence , receiving terrific support from Frances Sternhagen as a cranky , sarcastic doctor , Kila Markham as his fed-up , long-suffering wife , Peter Boyle as the blithely corrupt general manager , James B . Sikking as a cynical , wisecracking on the take deputy , and Steven Berkoff as a crazed miner who flips out . Jerry Goldsmith's beautifully moody and stirring score , the first-rate special effects ( the miniatures in particular are amazing ) , Stephen Goldblatt's rough , grainy cinematography , and the grungy set design are all likewise uniformly fantastic . Moreover , the film earns bonus accolades for neatly avoiding certain tiresome clichés . For example , the villains never threaten to either kidnap or murder Connery's wife and son . In addition , Sternhagen comes to Connery's aid instead of the other way around . Intelligent , engrossing and above all exciting , " Outland " sizes up as one of the best and most shamefully underrated adult science fiction movies made in the early 80's . |
518,259 | 8,239,592 | 71,295 | 9 | A splendidly sleazy slice of 70's drive-in slasher trash | If anyone was to ask me who's my all-time favorite delightfully dweebish 70's B-horror flick actor , my answer would have to be the ineffably gauche , yet still bizarrely riveting Andrew Prine . With his tall , lanky , ungainly build , gaunt hangdog face , quivering voice , and often antsy , uneasy disposition , Andy was basically a poor man's Anthony Perkins for the Me Decade . Prine established himself as the early 70's twitchy psycho pic performer par excellence with his spot-on spaced-out portrayals of an evil , world-weary warlock in the trippy " Simon , King of the Witches " and a disgusting , desert-dwelling , mother-hating bargain basement misogynist Norman Bates-like oedipal wreck lunatic in the sublimely skanky " Barn of the Naked Dead . " " The Centerfold Girls " finds our boy Andy in first-rate fidgety , fumbling , beeped-in-the-head freakazoid form as Clement Dunne , an awkward , bespectacled , sexually repressed and thoroughly nerdy nutjob sporting a ghastly Beatles shag haircut , equally ugly rumpled leisure suits and unsightly two-tone Buster Brown shoes . The only thing worse than Dunne's hideous coiffure and horrendous wardrobe is his nasty murderous propensity for brutally carving up the assorted sinful scarlet harlots who've posed in the buff for the sleazy skin mag " Bachelor . " Dunne's luscious lady victims are a veritable distaff who's who of 70's grindhouse cinema : the gorgeous Tiffany Bolling of " The Candy Snatchers " fame , " Bummer " ' s Connie Strickland , Jennifer Ashley ( who was previously terrorized by Prine in " Barn of the Naked Dead " ) , future " The Young and the Restless " daytime TV soap opera series regular Jaime Lyn Bauer , busty brunette Janet ( " The G . I . Executioner , " " Angels Hard As They Come " ) Wood , Talie ( " The Love-Thrill Murders , " " I Spit on Your Corpse " ) Cochrane , onetime " Penthouse " Pet Anneka di Lorenzo , and no-name lovelies Kitty Carl and Ruth Ross , most of whom do gratuitous nude scenes before Andy bags ' em . The male supporting cast coughs up a similar roll call of down and out exploitation hack perennials : the ubiquitous Aldo Ray as a repulsive would-be rapist , Jeremy Slate as a crusty homicide detective , Ray Danton as a droll adult magazine publisher , huge , hulking , granite-faced veteran tough guy Mike Mazurki as a grouchy mansion grounds keeper , and fat guy character actor Dan Seymour as a motel manager . John Peyser's tight direction , the almost constant avalanche of bared female flesh , and the harsh , bloody violence add immensely to the deliciously deviant junky fun , while the minimal music , crude cinematography and grainy film stock give this trashy treat the irresistibly seedy aura of a scuzzy no-budget porno feature . Perhaps the film's oddest , most startling and notable aspect is its shockingly blunt , in-your-face vile , sneering and hostile misanthropy and mean-spiritedness : Practically every last character , especially the largely creepy and unpleasant guys , comes across as really hateful , antisocial and unsympathetic aholes ; even Bolling's much-abused stewardess heroine is a snippy , stuck-up bitch . As a result , Prine's wonderfully warped wacko inadvertently seems like more of a semi-justified anti-hero instead of a full-fledged villain . It's this latter alarmingly off-kilter element which truly makes this depraved drive-in dreck one to relish . |
519,429 | 8,239,592 | 71,275 | 9 | Mario Bava's marvelously rough and hard-hitting crime thriller knockout | A trio of brutal criminals - - ruthless ringleader Doctor ( superbly played by Maurice Poli ) , vicious psycho Thirty-Two ( an incredibly feral and frightening performance by Luigi Montefiori ) , and his equally nasty buddy Blade ( a memorably vile Aldo Caponi ) - - barely manage to pull off a payroll heist . With one of their number shot down by the cops and every minute of the essence , the dangerous hoodlums are forced to take three hostages : middle-aged Riccardo ( the excellent Riccardo Cuciolla ) , his sickly infant son , and lovely young lady Maria ( the fetching Lea Lander ) . They all go on the lam in Riccardo's car . Director Mario Bava , working from a tight and bleak script by Alessandro Parenzo , relates the gripping story at a relentless barnstorming pace , does a masterful job of creating a hard , gritty , no-nonsense tone , and wrings plenty of nerve-wracking suspense from the claustrophobic confines of the constantly moving automobile . Moreover , Bava's trademark black humor is notably absent here ; in its place there's a mean and unsparing nihilism that's a true savage and shocking wonder to behold . Stelvio Cipriani's thrilling , pulsating score further enhances the grungy excitement while Emilio Varriano's plain , yet polished cinematography likewise does the trick . Starting with a deliriously messy opening robbery sequence , given an extra stinging edge by several startling outbursts of raw , ugly violence , the extremely coarse dialogue , and the fierce sweltering hot summer day setting , and perfectly capped off with a great surprise bummer double twist ending , this simply stupendous crime thriller winner makes the grade with flying colors . Absolutely astounding . |
519,092 | 8,239,592 | 71,276 | 9 | A truly terrific Hammer horror / action / adventure hybrid winner | Evil elderly vampiress Lady Durward ( comely blonde Wanda Ventham ) preys upon numerous fair maidens in a small English village , draining the luscious damsels of their youthful lives and turning them into withered old crones . Concerned Dr . Marcus ( the fine John Carson ) calls upon handsome , dashing and courageous expert swordsman and vampire hunter supreme Captain Kronos ( a charming portrayal by Horst Janson ) , his loyal , friendly , erudite hunchbacked assistant Professor Grost ( an engaging performance by John Cater ) , and fiery gypsy girl Carla ( the stunningly beautiful Caroline Munro in splendidly spirited form ) to thwart the pernicious bloodsucker before it's too late . Writer / director Brian ( " And Soon the Darkness " ) Clemens has an infectiously grand time blending elements of horror , action , fantasy , Western , adventure and dryly witty humor into a truly fresh , inspired and imaginative cinematic brew , nicely sustaining a constant unflagging pace throughout , staging the action and shocks with considerable rip-roaring élan , offering a few marvelously eerie images ( I really dug the shadow of the cross wilting on a church wall as the vampiress approaches the place ) , and coaxing excellent acting from a game cast ( Ian Hendry in particular has an absolute ball as a mean , browbeating no-count thug hired by the Durwards to kill Kronos ) . Moreover , the film's lively and incessant go-for-it sense of pure vigor and boundless creativity add immensely to its entertainment value . Clemens ' clever tweaking of standard vampire lore is quite tasty and spot-on innovative : the foul undead fiends can be killed in a plethora of different ways ( hanging , immolation , the usual stake through the heart bit ) , bring dead toads back to life , feed on people's lifeforce instead of their blood , and can walk around in broad daylight . Kudos are also in order for Ian Wilson's bright , vibrant , dynamic cinematography and Laurie Johnson's jaunty , rousing , robust score . A total treat . |
518,590 | 8,239,592 | 196,373 | 9 | A terrifically trashy compilation of choice cheesy drive-in exploitation film trailers | The wonderfully lurid lay it all out on the table outrageous title does not lie ! This resolutely seamy pip does indeed spew forth 28 of the most spectacularly loopy , torrid and trashy 70's and 80's exploitation trailers to ever ooze their slimy way across the big screen . In fact , this blithely brazen schlockfest is often downright mesmerizing in all its marvelously meretricious magnificence . There's plenty of sexy , shapely and positively succulent unclad distaff skin on gloriously abundant display throughout : Among the luscious ladies who doff their duds and bare their beautiful bodies are the adorable Cheryl " Rainbeaux " Smith ( the soft-core musical version of " Cinderella " ) , vampy Russ Meyer starlet Edy Williams ( " Dr . Minx " with William Smith ) , superb six foot drink of dirty blonde water Dixie Lee Peabody ( " Bury Me An Angel " ) , the perpetually naked Laura Gemser ( " Emmanuelle Around the World " ) , a pre-Prince Vanity ( " Tanya's Island " ) , and a double dose of the delectable Claudia Jennings ( " The Singles Girls " and the rowdy redneck romp " Truck Stop Women ; " the latter also features Uschi Digard ) . Fans of the awesomely bountiful Phyllis Davis get to see a lot of this under-appreciated actress ' substantial assets in the memorably sleazy trailers for " Sweet Suger " and " Terminal Island . " Even better still , the ravishing Cassandra " Elvira " Peterson shows off her considerable smoking hot stuff in the fantastic promo for " The Working Girls . " Other transcendently tacky trailers include the eerie " Tourist Trap , " the enjoyably dippy " Beyond Atlantis , " the simply daft " Fairytales " ( one of Linnea Quigley's first-ever flicks ) , the still quite disgusting after all these years immortal jewel " I Spit On Your Grave , " the histrionic " Zombie " ( " If you loved ' Dawn of the Dead , ' you'll just eat ' Zombie ' ! " ) , and much more . The biggest laughs stem from the uproariously insane " Dr . Black and Mr . Hyde " spot , thanks to said plug's inspired use of profane free-form proto-rap phrasing ( " Don't give him no sass / Or he'll kick yo a ! " ) . However , the arrogant Rudy Ray Moore's mighty troika of over-the-top ridiculous ads for " Dolemite , " " The Human Tornado , " and the especially gut-busting " Disco Godfather " ( " We're flying high on a disco trip ! " ) are likewise totally sidesplitting . Hosted by an obnoxiously supercilious and seriously under the weather John Carradine ( sons David and Keith briefly pop up at the very end ) , directed by Ken Dixon of " Filmgore " infamy , produced by the tireless Charles Band , scripted with a wince-worthy emphasis on dreadful puns by Frank Ray Perilli ( who also wrote " Laserblast , " " Parasite , " and " Mansion of the Doomed " for Band ) , and topped off with a hard-thrashing Richard Band rock score , this cheerfully degenerate cavalcade of pure rancid cinematic swill qualifies as essential viewing for hardcore fans of celluloid depravity . |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.