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Post by masterofallgoons on Feb 8, 2021 14:37:08 GMT
Cool, I look forward to the updates. That alternative poster is hilarious. It's clearly going for a terminator ripoff, but it has nothing to do with the movie at all. But movie is pretty entertaining. It's absurd and kinda dumb, but I was struck by how big the budget was. It feels kinda cheap in parts, but when you get to the climax some crazy stuff goes down and there are tons of explosions, tons of deaths, helicopters, military, motorcycle chases, and it all happens in and around the state capitol building. It's kinda crazy. It may not be a particularly high quality movie, but it's pretty enjoyable for it's absurdity. I think there were a few who did that back in the day, as I knew that alternative Stone Cold artwork looked familiar, not just The Terminator reference, but some italians acutally managed to "beat" James Cameron to it, when it came to delivering a Terminator 2, by almost 2 years, I believe with this "masterpiece": Speaking of Stone Cold, I sure miss those days, when even b-movies would star cool guys like Forsythe, Lance Henriksen and come with a fairly impressive budget, special effects and manage to be just as enjoyable, or sometimes even more, than the bigger guns within the action genre. These days, we have terrible CGI overdose, almost zombielike versions of former action heroes (Bruce Willis is a shockingly sad example) just handing out, one turd straight from the DTV/VOD assambly line, after another. Of course, I guess someone might have tried real hard to make sure that Brian Boswell had a potential career in front of him, as an action star, maybe not among the A-list of that time, but still enough, so he could compete within the video market for a while. Not sure if I have seen any of his other films, but might check out if some of his other movies is available. I saw Terminator 2: Shocking Dark in a theater projected from a VCR like a year and half ago. Hilarious. It's so shameless, but also more of an Alien ripoff than Terminator ripoff for most of the runtime. The other big time attempt at turning a big football star into an action movie star was Howie Long in Firestorm. He's got a good guy air about him, but he's not an actor at all and he doesn't have that charisma. But the Boz does well enough in, this movie at least.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Feb 8, 2021 14:55:13 GMT
I saw Terminator 2: Shocking Dark in a theater projected from a VCR like a year and half ago. Hilarious. It's so shameless, but also more of an Alien ripoff than Terminator ripoff for most of the runtime. The other big time attempt at turning a big football star into an action movie star was Howie Long in Firestorm. He's got a good guy air about him, but he's not an actor at all and he doesn't have that charisma. But the Boz does well enough in, this movie at least. I believe many producers and moneymen, saw that guys like Arnie, Van Damme, Norris, Seagal and Lundgren, often came from having a background in sports, either body builders, martial arts or something else, and thought they could easily continue on with handing out several "similar" tough guys roles, and keep on pushing out action films. But as you said, having that special charisma/charm is not something that everybody has, at least when it comes to getting infront of the camera and trying to keep "cool" and calm. In Europe, I guess two of the more famous football/soccer players of the 90s and who both have went on to have quite a successful career as actors, is Eric Cantona and Vinnie Jones. The latter is probably more famous with his acting "skills", as he has done some absolute classic films with Guy Ritchie, and fitted well into his former hardman attitude. Where as Cantona has actually managed to portray some very impressive dramatic roles, and showcased that he has a lot more to offer than Jones, or at least of what I have seen from him that is.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Feb 9, 2021 9:54:50 GMT
Not sure if any of these films deserves to be brought up in this thread, as "recommendations". Still, I did watch them last night, and I thought at least I could just write down a few things about them, and then put them under the spoiler-tag, so those interested in watching them, can enter at their own risk: Leader of the Band (1987) Plays out like a School of Rock (2003) meets Police Academy (1984), just without the comedy and talent. Still, it did feature some half-funny moments, spread all over. Here you meet up with an out of luck musician, who in order to make some money, ends up taking the job as a school marching band leader, and of course his students are all seemingly hopeless and lost cases. That is, until he manages to get their attention and turn them into contenders for a big upcoming marching band festival.
As with many of these comedies, there is not much new or different. Well, maybe the budget, as this film feels very much as a made for video release, still you have a few familiar faces and names, such as Gailard Sartain and Mercedes Ruehl. The latter has sadly not much to do here, beside being the desperate romantic interest, who almost threw herself at the leading man, the very first moment they meet up.
All in all, a pretty dull and lighthearted b-comedy, that never really offers more than a few half decent laughs, here and there.
4/10
Camouflage (2001)
This one, I guess I have actually wanted to see for a while, as I am a fan of Leslie Nielsen, and also because the stunning Vanessa Angel had a part here. In other roles, you find William Forsythe (who seemed to show up in a whole lot of terrible comedies during the early 00s). The plot is not all that, where a seemingly tired Nielsen teams up with a younger comedian, to locate a potential mystery in some small redneck town, and are all of a sudden deep into the case, but the comedy never really takes off, and was another poor letdown.
4/10
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Post by masterofallgoons on Feb 9, 2021 13:00:50 GMT
I saw Terminator 2: Shocking Dark in a theater projected from a VCR like a year and half ago. Hilarious. It's so shameless, but also more of an Alien ripoff than Terminator ripoff for most of the runtime. The other big time attempt at turning a big football star into an action movie star was Howie Long in Firestorm. He's got a good guy air about him, but he's not an actor at all and he doesn't have that charisma. But the Boz does well enough in, this movie at least. I believe many producers and moneymen, saw that guys like Arnie, Van Damme, Norris, Seagal and Lundgren, often came from having a background in sports, either body builders, martial arts or something else, and thought they could easily continue on with handing out several "similar" tough guys roles, and keep on pushing out action films. But as you said, having that special charisma/charm is not something that everybody has, at least when it comes to getting infront of the camera and trying to keep "cool" and calm. In Europe, I guess two of the more famous football/soccer players of the 90s and who both have went on to have quite a successful career as actors, is Eric Cantona and Vinnie Jones. The latter is probably more famous with his acting "skills", as he has done some absolute classic films with Guy Ritchie, and fitted well into his former hardman attitude. Where as Cantona has actually managed to portray some very impressive dramatic roles, and showcased that he has a lot more to offer than Jones, or at least of what I have seen from him that is. I know nothing of Vinnie Jones the player, but he does have a good tough guy persona on screen. There are lots of American football players that you could find that pop up in movies, but one guy who is getting some notice this year is a Nnamdi Asomugha. He was once an excellent player and star in the NFL, but his career plummeted at a certain point and he's since retired. But he also married Kerry Washington and so he likely had an easier way into the business, and has been acting and producing. But he's not trying to be a tough guy action star. He seems to be doing smaller dramas and romantic leads. I see that he was also on several seasons of the series Friday Night Lights, and while I don't think I've actually seen him in anything, I know his new movie for Amazon, Sylvie's Love, has been getting some small buzz.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Feb 15, 2021 10:01:14 GMT
Another recently visited gem, that just happend to lie around for free, totally uncut on Youtube: Secret Admirer (1985) by David Greenwalt I felt the need for something a bit sugarcoated and fun 80s romantic comedy last night, and wanted to try out something I had not seen yet, and happened to "stumble" upon this sweet, charming and very funny teen-comedy, which seems to go for a similar theme of the later Steve Martin romantic comedy Roxanne (1987), where I guess both are based heavily upon the classic Cyrano de Bergerac, but I thought both Secret Admirer and Roxanne managed to make great use of a far more updated version, even if they might go at times, a little too much for the cute and safe approach. Anyway, Thomas C. Howell plays a typical high school kid, who one days cleans out his locker, only to find out that someone have sent him a love letter, but the big question is who wrote it? Of course by then, things seems to go its natural course, as the one sweet letter, suddenly takes a life of its own, creating both a bit of chaos and confusion in the way. I really had a good time watching this film. Some great casting and performances and damn, Kelly Preston was sure fine, but yeah, Lori Loughlin were not "bad" either. The soundtrack by Jan Hammer matches so well with the film, by giving it a sweet and dreamy, feel good tone, right from the start. And I kind of want to check up on that one a bit further on. All in all, I feel this is one that I just have to try and hunt down a DVD or Blu-ray copy of, as I believe it is yet another one, that comes with the classic re-watchability factor, and I rate it with a: 7,5/10
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Post by Captain Spencer on Feb 15, 2021 15:25:46 GMT
Another recently visited gem, that just happend to lie around for free, totally uncut on Youtube: Secret Admirer (1985) by David Greenwalt I felt the need for something a bit sugarcoated and fun 80s romantic comedy last night, and wanted to try out something I had not seen yet, and happened to "stumble" upon this sweet, charming and very funny teen-comedy, which seems to go for a similar theme of the later Steve Martin romantic comedy Roxanne (1987), where I guess both are based heavily upon the classic Cyrano de Bergerac, but I thought both Secret Admirer and Roxanne managed to make great use of a far more updated version, even if they might go at times, a little too much for the cute and safe approach. Anyway, Thomas C. Howell plays a typical high school kid, who one days cleans out his locker, only to find out that someone have sent him a love letter, but the big question is who wrote it? Of course by then, things seems to go its natural course, as the one sweet letter, suddenly takes a life of its own, creating both a bit of chaos and confusion in the way. I really had a good time watching this film. Some great casting and performances and damn, Kelly Preston was sure fine, but yeah, Lori Loughlin were not "bad" either. The soundtrack by Jan Hammer matches so well with the film, by giving it a sweet and dreamy, feel good tone, right from the start. And I kind of want to check up on that one a bit further on. All in all, I feel this is one that I just have to try and hunt down a DVD or Blu-ray copy of, as I believe it is yet another one, that comes with the classic re-watchability factor, and I rate it with a: 7,5/10Did you ever see Mischief? It's another good 80s teen comedy with Kelly Preston. It's also available on YouTube uncut.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Feb 15, 2021 15:51:45 GMT
Did you ever see Mischief? It's another good 80s teen comedy with Kelly Preston. It's also available on YouTube uncut. Oh yeah, that one is hard to miss out, as I remember it went by the hilarious translated title "Helskrudd på sex" when it was sent, very late at night on cable tv in Norway, and I guess if one had to translate the norwegian title, once again back to english, it would be something like "Crazy hooked on sex" or something not that far off. I picked up an Anchor Bay DVD set, which contained 4 80s teen-sex titles, two of the Hardbodies releases and Spring Break, but of course, where Mischief surely was the best of the lot, and one I thought had held up very well, since the last time I saw it, waay back in the early 00s. Solid cast, charming and a lot of fun, also helped out by having not only Preston, but also Catherine Mary Stewart as well, and I guess for Kelly, she seemed to be typecasted pretty much as the seductive dreamgirl, bimbo/babe/cheerleader, but once the leading guys gets into the sack with her, something is just not all right with the chemistry or lack off it, and I thought Secret Admirer were the better/funnier film of the two. Speaking of Jan Hammer and the soundtrack he did for Secret Admirer, I really enjoyed the floating/dreamy synth-score at the beginning, but also the more upbeat and pulsating Miami Vice style theme, that went on much later. I almost expected to see Sonny and Tubbs, chasing some bad guys in a fast speedboat, in the channels of Miami at night time, when it hit off.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Feb 22, 2021 12:33:59 GMT
I have posted a few of the latest visits towards a few not that bad films uploaded on Youtube, in other threads, but for those who enjoy 70s and 80s horror films, and gritty crime-thrillers, these might be worth to give a look: Cop (1988) by James B. Harris Finally, I got around to see this gritty and nasty crime-thriller, where James Woods delivers one hell of a performance, as yet another sleazy and cynical scumbag, but one who still brings forward, a certain likeable and charming sleazebag attitude/personality, and who you end up cheering for. But I guess that is just your ordinary Woods movie character, and why I have always been a fan of his work, specially the ones he did back in the 80s. The film centers around the grisly murders of several young women. But still, not everyone are all too convinced, that they are dealing with a potential serial killer, and it causes frictions at the local Police department, especially when one of the Homicide Officers decides to take it upon himself, to hunt down and finish off, what he believes is the work of a serial killer. While the film might need a second visit later on, I did enjoy watching Woods deliver justice, not that far off some of the vigilante/revenge themed films from Cannon Pictures, where even the final climax, kind of felt like it was not that far off what Charles Bronson thought of as justice from 10 to Midnight (1983). Sure, it dragged on, a bit here and there, but still I really liked this film, and where one of the best scenes, surely arrived early on, first when Woods investigated the appartment of a recent murder victim, who still were hanging from the ceiling, and a calm Woods, sits down, smokes and just looks around, while the bloody body hangs behind him, and I almost expected it to suddenly burst into a move or something, which made the scene even more unsettling. Then, next up, we see Woods arrive at his appartment where is he is greeted by a "beloved" wife, and ends up telling his little daughter, a "sweet" fairytale before she goes to sleep. Of course, his wife is not too impressed, but as Woods puts it, a lot of girls grow up with far too big hopes and dreams, expecting some knight in white shining armour, coming for their rescue at the end of the day, and he only wanted to give his daughter a bit of a "heads up", instead of feeding her with sweet and heart warming lies and bullshit, when he sees everyday through his work, a lot of these once sweet and innocent "princesses", and how their "fairytales" ended very badly. Another thing, beside James Woods, is that solid appearances of Charles Durning, (loved the drunken trick) and of course Raymond J. Barry, as yet another smug douchebag behind the desk (seems to love portraying these asshole parts, love his role in Falling Down) and not to forget the lovely Lesley Ann Warren, who looked really good here, even though she smoked a whole lote, damn. I mean, I think in almost every scene I saw of her, she either smoked or held on firmly to a cigarette. Then you also had James, who also smoked ton of times as well, but I guess it kind of added that extra bit of crime-noir style/atmosphere in there as well. All in all, a well acted and enjoyable late night thriller, glad I finally saw it, and might have to pick it up on DVD or Blu-ray, for another go someday. 7/10 Mutant (1984) by John "Bud" Cardoz Two brothers from the big city, is taking a roadtrip towards the country, but gets no "warm" greetings, instead they are soon driven off the road by a bunch of wild rednecks, and which then forces the brothers to walk for the rest of the way, into the nearest town. One which just happens to be even less "friendlier", and where dead bodies suddenly starts to show up, only to then disappear the next minute. I am not sure how I got to this one last night, I believe I was in search for another Wings Houser film, but thought Mutant or Night Shadows looked like it got some potential for a fun sci-fi/horror movie, and I gotta say, the first 25-30 minutes seemed very promising at times. I thought Wings Houser delivered once again, a great (at least set in a b-movie) performance, and helped out by regular character actors such as Bo Hopkins as the local Sheriff and Jennifer Warren as the town doctor. Still, I think the film would have suited better, if it were mostly filmed during the night, as I loved the atmosphere for the first half hour, but the daylight scenes, along with those ridiculous mutant creatures, who looked like they had not seen the sun, for a lifetime, kind of ruined a bit of the setting, but still, not bad for a b-movie. Also, I did notice that some of the screaming/monster sound effects, were very similar to those from the first Phantasm movie, which makes me wonder if there is such a thing within the horror films, as the Wilhelm or Howie scream effect? Sadly, those sounds from the mutants, were far more terrifying than the clownish and goofy mutants themselves, and here in this small town paranoia situation, less is more, would in my opionion, been far more useful. Anyway, I guess I cannot complain too much, Wings Houser delivers once again a solid part, but it felt like the film had so much more going on at times, then just ended up throwing that away for the usual sci-fi stuff during the last scene. 6/10Horror High (1973) by Larry N. Stouffer Another impulse watch, thanks to the enormous free movie archive that is on Youtube, and this one was probably the best or most enjoyable film from last night. The story of a young man who is bullied and blackmailed by everything from his fellow class "mates" to teachers, is probably not groundbreaking stuff, but I thought for such a (most likely) low budget release (loved the crackling sounds and the grainy drive-in picture) it was well handed and acted out. I could see the similarities towards later high school horror films where an outsider is driven into madness, as Carrie (1976), Christine (1983) and maybe also Trick or Treat (1986) at least shares a few of the same style and setting, that and The Nutty Professor. 6,5/10
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Post by masterofallgoons on Feb 23, 2021 13:00:22 GMT
I have posted a few of the latest visits towards a few not that bad films uploaded on Youtube, in other threads, but for those who enjoy 70s and 80s horror films, and gritty crime-thrillers, these might be worth to give a look: Cop (1988) by James B. Harris Finally, I got around to see this gritty and nasty crime-thriller, where James Woods delivers one hell of a performance, as yet another sleazy and cynical scumbag, but one who still brings forward, a certain likeable and charming sleazebag attitude/personality, and who you end up cheering for. But I guess that is just your ordinary Woods movie character, and why I have always been a fan of his work, specially the ones he did back in the 80s. The film centers around the grisly murders of several young women. But still, not everyone are all too convinced, that they are dealing with a potential serial killer, and it causes frictions at the local Police department, especially when one of the Homicide Officers decides to take it upon himself, to hunt down and finish off, what he believes is the work of a serial killer. While the film might need a second visit later on, I did enjoy watching Woods deliver justice, not that far off some of the vigilante/revenge themed films from Cannon Pictures, where even the final climax, kind of felt like it was not that far off what Charles Bronson thought of as justice from 10 to Midnight (1983). Sure, it dragged on, a bit here and there, but still I really liked this film, and where one of the best scenes, surely arrived early on, first when Woods investigated the appartment of a recent murder victim, who still were hanging from the ceiling, and a calm Woods, sits down, smokes and just looks around, while the bloody body hangs behind him, and I almost expected it to suddenly burst into a move or something, which made the scene even more unsettling. Then, next up, we see Woods arrive at his appartment where is he is greeted by a "beloved" wife, and ends up telling his little daughter, a "sweet" fairytale before she goes to sleep. Of course, his wife is not too impressed, but as Woods puts it, a lot of girls grow up with far too big hopes and dreams, expecting some knight in white shining armour, coming for their rescue at the end of the day, and he only wanted to give his daughter a bit of a "heads up", instead of feeding her with sweet and heart warming lies and bullshit, when he sees everyday through his work, a lot of these once sweet and innocent "princesses", and how their "fairytales" ended very badly. Another thing, beside James Woods, is that solid appearances of Charles Durning, (loved the drunken trick) and of course Raymond J. Barry, as yet another smug douchebag behind the desk (seems to love portraying these asshole parts, love his role in Falling Down) and not to forget the lovely Lesley Ann Warren, who looked really good here, even though she smoked a whole lote, damn. I mean, I think in almost every scene I saw of her, she either smoked or held on firmly to a cigarette. Then you also had James, who also smoked ton of times as well, but I guess it kind of added that extra bit of crime-noir style/atmosphere in there as well. All in all, a well acted and enjoyable late night thriller, glad I finally saw it, and might have to pick it up on DVD or Blu-ray, for another go someday. 7/10 Mutant (1984) by John "Bud" Cardoz Two brothers from the big city, is taking a roadtrip towards the country, but gets no "warm" greetings, instead they are soon driven off the road by a bunch of wild rednecks, and which then forces the brothers to walk for the rest of the way, into the nearest town. One which just happens to be even less "friendlier", and where dead bodies suddenly starts to show up, only to then disappear the next minute. I am not sure how I got to this one last night, I believe I was in search for another Wings Houser film, but thought Mutant or Night Shadows looked like it got some potential for a fun sci-fi/horror movie, and I gotta say, the first 25-30 minutes seemed very promising at times. I thought Wings Houser delivered once again, a great (at least set in a b-movie) performance, and helped out by regular character actors such as Bo Hopkins as the local Sheriff and Jennifer Warren as the town doctor. Still, I think the film would have suited better, if it were mostly filmed during the night, as I loved the atmosphere for the first half hour, but the daylight scenes, along with those ridiculous mutant creatures, who looked like they had not seen the sun, for a lifetime, kind of ruined a bit of the setting, but still, not bad for a b-movie. Also, I did notice that some of the screaming/monster sound effects, were very similar to those from the first Phantasm movie, which makes me wonder if there is such a thing within the horror films, as the Wilhelm or Howie scream effect? Sadly, those sounds from the mutants, were far more terrifying than the clownish and goofy mutants themselves, and here in this small town paranoia situation, less is more, would in my opionion, been far more useful. Anyway, I guess I cannot complain too much, Wings Houser delivers once again a solid part, but it felt like the film had so much more going on at times, then just ended up throwing that away for the usual sci-fi stuff during the last scene. 6/10Horror High (1973) by Larry N. Stouffer Another impulse watch, thanks to the enormous free movie archive that is on Youtube, and this one was probably the best or most enjoyable film from last night. The story of a young man who is bullied and blackmailed by everything from his fellow class "mates" to teachers, is probably not groundbreaking stuff, but I thought for such a (most likely) low budget release (loved the crackling sounds and the grainy drive-in picture) it was well handed and acted out. I could see the similarities towards later high school horror films where an outsider is driven into madness, as Carrie (1976), Christine (1983) and maybe also Trick or Treat (1986) at least shares a few of the same style and setting, that and The Nutty Professor. 6,5/10I remember preferring Return to Horror High over the original, but I'm not sure they much to do with one another.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Feb 23, 2021 15:31:12 GMT
I think Horror High actually goes under several different titles, or alternative ones, where I believe Twisted Brain or something close to that, is another take. I guess Horror High seemed more like a title that might cause some attention.
Have seen Return to Horror High several years ago, but do not remember much from it, beside that it featured George Clooney.
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Post by masterofallgoons on Mar 3, 2021 17:02:02 GMT
Just watched the Andy Sidaris movie Guns form 1990 the other day. I saw it on Amazon Prime, but I see that it's on youtube, and in pretty much the same mediocre quality.
It's a gloriously stupid good time of an exploitation movie. I know loads of other people have seen these movies, but I'd never heard of this one, and have never seen Hard Ticket to Hawaii, which I'm familiar with as a trash classic but still need to watch.
It's just hot women, hot men, boobs, biceps, guns, explosions, bad dialogue, shoddy filmmaking, goofy music, lame performances, terrible jokes, and essentially no logical plot. But it's loads of fun.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Mar 3, 2021 17:17:54 GMT
Just watched the Andy Sidaris movie Guns form 1990 the other day. I saw it on Amazon Prime, but I see that it's on youtube, and in pretty much the same mediocre quality. It's a gloriously stupid good time of an exploitation movie. I know loads of other people have seen these movies, but I'd never heard of this one, and have never seen Hard Ticket to Hawaii, which I'm familiar with as a trash classic but still need to watch. It's just hot women, hot men, books, biceps, guns, explosions, bad dialogue, shoddy filmmaking, goofy music, lame performances, terrible jokes, and essentially no logical plot. But it's loads of fun.I am not sure if I have ever seen it, but it sounds familiar thought. Sure, I went through most of my Andy Sidaris 12 movie collection back in summer of 2017, and have been thinking of re-watching, at least those I felt were among the more enjoyable and fun ones. Looks like Guns (1990) is one I have yet to see. I guess Sidaris found his style or ways cashing in the 80s action craze, but instead of having all these musclebound supermen, he decided to spice it up, with hot babes, wearing little (if anything) of clothes, set in tropical and sunny locations, lots of sex and sleaze, and yeah, somehow for a while he really were the king of making sexy b-movie action. I guess one of my last reviews of some of his much later films, also were summed up in a similar way, sadly for my part, without much of the fun factor: The Dallas Connection (1994)Another Sidaris production, and this time I fell a sleep twice before it had reached the one hour mark, as it was a complete snoozefest, that felt like it took forever to finish off. I ended up turning it off, before the last 10-15 minutes, as I could just not take it anymore. Not horrible, just very boring. Sure, the tits and ass is all over, but not as much as in the other films by Andy, and there is not a lot natural goodies to see here, just the typical fake silicone stuff, that looks like two giant footballs hidden beneath the skin, and they look more nasty than sexy. The action is garbage, not even so bad it is funny or enjoyable. Again, the plot is nowhere to be found, with some big titted bimbos with no charm or personality, taking on forgettable bad guys. The only scene that was close to fun, is when one of the babes fools some business man playing golf, first by seducing him and his pal, with her short mini-skirt and lovely behind, then she ends up taking the guy out with the help of an explosive golf ball. I feel it should be down to a 2/10, since this was almost unbearable stuff, but then again, I fell a sleep and did not bother to watch the ending, so I well it ends with a very kind 3/10 and I once again, another Sidaris production that I will never watch again. Damn, I guess I was kind of harsh, but during that period, I saw way too many bad and terrible films, and the only ones that I remember really enjoying or getting something out of, in the entertainment deparment, was Malibu Express (1985) and Hard Ticket To Hawaii (1987), which I still thinks are Sidaris "finest" hour, and the whole reason to why I picked up the 12 movie DVD set.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Mar 23, 2021 9:41:43 GMT
12:01 PM (1990) by Jonathan Heap Well I'll be damned. Now this was a truly great surprise, as I had never even heard of it, until I browsed through some random reviews of the far lesser and rather dull tv movie remake, 12:01 (1993) a few days ago. And thought I might just give this interesting short film, starring Kurtwood Smith as an everyday man, who is stuck inside a seemingly hopeless and nightmarish time loop, or bounce, which just happens to last for an entire hour. Now this is what I used to love about the old IMDb forums/boards, you would watch a film, then just either look up the board/comment section or some of the reviews, and end up picking up some interesting titles, and from time to time, you would discover a true gem. It is impossible to not think of Groundhog Day (1993), and I guess it most likely were influenced by this novel or short film, but of course, the latter one happened over the course of an hour, not a whole day. Sure, 12:01 PM got a remake itself, with the mentioned 12:01 (1993) starring lots of likeable names, such as Jonathan Silverman, Helen Slater and Martin Landau, but the film was just so dull and flat, the characters too safe and cute, where as you really felt bad for Kurtwood Smith, and that short film was sure a much more horrific and darker themed tale, of how awful it must be, to end up stuck in that kind of hopeless situation, or more fitting, hellish nightmare. Kurtwood delivers a great and sad performance, and somehow, knowing he must have re-lived the same hour, for so many times, he still comes of as very kind and gentleman like, sure he has a bit of an outburst, and things begin to go real dark towards the end, but yeah, this is a very well made/acted/written little short film gem, that I am thankful of finally getting to watch, and it would certainly not be the last time.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Mar 28, 2021 16:02:12 GMT
I guess I might just have to post this little, but fun filled and quite original post-apocalyptic 80s gem in here: Radioactive Dreams (1985) by Albert Pyun Having lived most of their childhood, being sheltered away from the "ordinary world", because of the big nuke. Some 15 years later. Two young men, who have grown up together, along with their love of 1940s crime-novels, have absolute no idea, of what might lie outside the walls of safety. But decides that it is time to finally leave home, and head out, into the real world, or what little is left of it.Well, I am glad I finally caved in, and gave this very exciting and fun filled post-apocalyptic adventure, a chance. As with Albert Pyun, I sadly seem to have found little luck, with most of my picks of his films, at least of recently. Vicious Lips (1986) was another post-apocalyptic title, that looked like fun, and as I went through it, last fall, it started as with so many of his movies, very promisingly. Often lots of attention to details, lightning and music, clothes, hairstyles and stunning women, but where the plot and characters, sadly often tend to be the least of interest, and there on and out, films like Vicious Lips turned from fun, straight into, complete boredom. Thankfully, that never did happen, last night. As Radioactive Dreams managed to keep me on my toes, from the beginning till the end, something which only the late 80s Van Damme movie, Cyborg (1989) has done, at least of the directors work of films, that I have seen as of now. The whole film, just oozes of cool, thrilling and colorful madness, of everything from the characters, the sets, the city and wasteland, and yeah, it sure helps having such a fun and catchy soundtrack as well, where it melts in punk, disco and new wave, and where Sue Saad surely steals the show, once more (she seems to have done quite a few films along with Albert Puyn), and I also dug her work with the underrated 80s sci-fi/thriller, Looker (1981). In fact, the film feels and looks very much like a big and overlong music video, but I guess musical/fantasy is maybe more fitting. Another important reason to why the film succedeed, where so many other of Pyun and his films failed (for my part, that is), is the great chemistry and acting to the two main leads (John Stockwell and Michael Dudikoff), and where the latter surely steals the show. I have mostly seen him, in the usual b-movie martial arts roles, but here he combines comedy, slapstick and a bit of drama, and you also get a few scenes with likeable veterans as George Kennedy and Don Murray. The film is surely one I might have to re-watch, as I believe it comes heavy with a re-watchability factor, but I was surprised to learn that this little gem, has not yet been given a DVD or Blu-ray release. What is up with that? I mean so many of Pyun and his way worse turds have been given some solid looking and sounds DVD releases, even Vicious Lips, but I really hope, that day might happen, as this film I would surely love to have a copy of, in my post-apocalyptic collection. 6,5/10
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Apr 2, 2021 3:53:43 GMT
The Call of the Wild: Dog of the Yukon (1997) by Peter Svatek Well, having just finished the rather shortlived canadian tv-show, Call of the Wild (2000), one which had a certain feel-good tone to it, but at times managed to provide some surprisingly well done episodes, still came off as a bit too cozy and cute. However, the main reason, to why I purchased the scandinavian DVD box-set, a few months back. Was surely, knowing it featured the made for tv film, The Call of the Wild: Dog of the Yukon, which I had only seen, years ago, on the scandiavian version of Showtime (Showtime Nordic), and I remembered it, first and foremost, because Rutger Hauer starred in it. Anyway, I guess they have made the "same" film, about a few hundred times already, even back in the 90s, I am sure there were quite a few similar and far more successful or famous ones, being put out. Yet, few managed to capture the harsh, brutal and thrilling adventures, (at least of those I have seen) of the sled dog, Buck. The film is seen or narrated/told by (Richard Dreyfuss) and from the dogs point of view, which I thought were well done, and by cutting away the cute and glossy style of many other similar dog/winter movies, this tv film, hit a bit harder and of course also came with some fine actors, fitting in well, specially Rutger, whom sadly did not get too much time on screen, but again, the main star, is not the humans, but Buck, and he puts on quite the display. People and animals gets killed, hurt and some of the dog scenes were kind of hard to behold, but again, they showcased how tough and cruel the climate and condition were out in the wild, and that only the strongest would survive. And this film made sure to not hold back, as where so many others, often tend to go the other way around, and for a tv film, this is surely one to watch, if you are a fan of nature/survival films, or a fan of Rutger Hauer. 7/10
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Sept 28, 2021 14:35:16 GMT
With the upcoming month arriving very soon now, I thought this thread could be of some help. Sadly, several of the great or very impressive Youtube channels, where I stumbled upon some really good/great surprises, every now and then. Are now suddenly gone. And of course, I forgot the title/name of a few of those. I have noticed, how some often returns, but under a new name, but with the same kind of films, re-uploaded in a very fast manner.
The one I enjoyed the most, was one which focused on uploading VHS tapes/films, several very hard to find releases, and I loved getting the whole VHS experience, from the crackling noises, shaky picture, even the entire "warning" information with trailers for other films, before the main attraction arrived. Well, I guess there are probably a ton of other similar sites available, but kind of a bummer, when you found one site, that so much seemed to have so much love for the 70s and 80s b-movies, and I would always look in, to see whatever might be uploaded next.
For the next few days, I am probably gonna try to make a little watchlist, of those I have often been meaning to see, sooner or later, or just find a few channels, with a promising display of both potentially good titles, or just those that looks kind of entertaining.
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Post by masterofallgoons on Sept 28, 2021 14:43:13 GMT
With the upcoming month arriving very soon now, I thought this thread could be of some help. Sadly, several of the great or very impressive Youtube channels, where I stumbled upon some really good/great surprises, every now and then. Are now suddenly gone. And of course, I forgot the title/name of a few of those. I have noticed, how some often returns, but under a new name, but with the same kind of films, re-uploaded in a very fast manner. The one I enjoyed the most, was one which focused on uploading VHS tapes/films, several very hard to find releases, and I loved getting the whole VHS experience, from the crackling noises, shaky picture, even the entire "warning" information with trailers for other films, before the main attraction arrived. Well, I guess there are probably a ton of other similar sites available, but kind of a bummer, when you found one site, that so much seemed to have so much love for the 70s and 80s b-movies, and I would always look in, to see whatever might be uploaded next. For the next few days, I am probably gonna try to make a little watchlist, of those I have often been meaning to see, sooner or later, or just find a few channels, with a promising display of both potentially good titles, or just those that looks kind of entertaining. It is a shame, but it's part of the deal. A lot of these videos are allowed to stay up because it's the only place they are available so nobody comes after them, but then if one of the bluray companies wants to put some of those titles out and acquire the rights they scrub them off of the internet wherever they can. I will say that Tubi has a lot of these kinds of movies. The downside is that if you only use the free version then there are ad breaks, but I think it's worth it for their selection.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Sept 28, 2021 14:54:04 GMT
I will say that Tubi has a lot of these kinds of movies. The downside is that if you only use the free version then there are ad breaks, but I think it's worth it for their selection. Thanks for mentioning Tubi. I guess I have not really payed that site much attention, or I have got it mixed up with Shudder, which will sadly not work for me, as it says something in the line of "This does not function with your country/region". However, Tubi (I just searched up Basket Case for fun) and it played right away. It has a pretty impressive sound/picture quality and all. So yeah, this might work very well.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Oct 2, 2021 13:05:13 GMT
Well, I guess I just have to seek out other "hunting grounds". As several few more, very solid and horror film dominated channels, have all of a sudden been deleted. I begin to suspect that someone is just doing this, to screw around with those on the hunt for unseen horror films, as I can swear that most of the newly removed sites, have been there for many years (some almost 10 years back), and boom, two days into this month, and they are done and long gone.
However, I try to save the names of the those I find and put into playlist or favorites, as if they are suddenly removed/deleted, I at least has their title to go for, and in many cases, I notice it does not take more than a few days, and several are back uploaded, but of course, either from someone completely else, or the same old uploader, just now under a new name, in order to avoid getting in any problems.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Apr 12, 2022 13:59:51 GMT
With easter coming up very fast, and having decided not to purchase any DVDs or Blu-rays for a while. I guess it is not such a bad time for trying to search up a few potential gems, on either Youtube, Tubi or other places. I have noticed, that a few of the very massive and horror/cult movie related channels, which was brought down, a while ago, is back up, with maybe even a bigger collection of titles, constantly growing bigger, each week. Anyway, for a few solid and very enjoyable horror films recommendations, that is uploaded on Youtube and some in VHS quality, which is of course meant to try an have a bit of the nostalgia in both sounds and picture, but if the film is good, I guess most folks would not be much bothered. For myself, I love some of these channels/uploaders, who post full length films, with straight from VHS format over to Youtube, as that is probably as close to getting the old 80s and 90s video tape experience, one can get hold of, unless its the real thing. Here are a few of those I would say is well worth, to give a further look, or re-watch, as there is a whole lot of garbage one can easily waste time on, and I hope some of these would come in handy, and also if someone else, might have a bit of horror films recommendations themselves, I sure would love to hear about them: Alone in the Dark (1982)
This little gem, I just recently visited, for the first time in a long while, and really loved it, even more than ever. A solid and fun combination of home invasion, dark comedy, slasher and well, it comes with a solid cast of talents, and really is way above the "ordinary" slashers of that era. The Wizard of Speed and Time (1989)
Okay, so not exactly a horror movie, but a damn charming, fun and very creative little film, which I had not heard of, until a few months ago, and such a shame, that it has not gotten an official DVD release, but at least it is up online, and yeah, well worth a go, for fans of 80s comedies and rather "quirky" but sweet ones. Full Eclipse (1993)Have a feeling, I posted this earlier, or maybe in a similar thread, about 2 years ago, when I finally begin looking up films from Youtube, as before that, my main source, where pretty much always DVDs, VHS and Blu-rays I had purchased or borrowed, but yeah, when it lies around for free, and so much that maybe never will be released or re-released on a physical format, then it would be quite stupid, not to just dig in and see where it might go from there. Anyway, not every time is a big "success", in fact I can probably count with one hand, those few, that have been so good or entertaining, that I want to own a copy of them. Yeah, Full Eclipse is not one of those, but it was a rather fun and explosive mix of action, horror and budd cop comedy, and comes with lots of familiar faces, and where probably a product of straight to video at the time of release, but yeah, one I would not mind re-watching some time. Bat 21 (1988)Well, again, not a horror film, but a pretty good war-action movie, with Gene Hackman and Danny Glover, and while maybe not as great as another Hackman warfilm of that decade, in Uncommon Valor (1983), Bat 21 is still a very watachable 80s film. Death Mask (1998)I think I got around this one, last year, and quite enjoyed it, for what it was. Nice to see Linnea Quigley getting to play a bit more serious, and also having a much larger part, rathet than just be killed off while in the shower or yeah, not that I complain about her taking a shower, but a nice change from her lesser roles, and it is a bit of horror, comedy, romance and also tragedy. Meet the Hollowheads (1989)While it seems at first, like some quirky slapstick comedy or parody, it does offer lots of really weird and rather nasty moments, which would not feel way off, if they had been put into a horror film. Still, it is somewhat entertaining, and comes with quite a lively cast of talents, and one of those which feels like it should have become a cult movie.
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