Doom

I forgot just how much damn FUN Gallagher was. I just watched The Maddest for the first time in almost 15 years and it's just as funny as it ever was - and by that I mean it's OUTSTANDING. Intelligent comedy, fun FUN use of props, and of course the famous Sledge-O-Matic as the grand finale...

Gallagher used to put on some damn good shows. Too bad no one remembers him for that. Here's hoping the release of his best material (finally) on DVD will help change that view - he really was/is a great comedian.

"I'm not gonna talk to you people for an hour and a half and then close my show... with a mass of stupidity..."

Brilliant? Um, no. Does the ending more or less blow? Sure. But does it have its moments and does it have a serious pair of balls on it? Yep.

Best Defense deserves a (moderately) better reputation than it's been left with. For starters, even though he seems embarrassed to even be IN the movie most of the time, Dudley Moore IS funny in here and has his funny scenes (I miss him). Eddie Murphy (even though his scenes are obviously pasted in) is the 1984 Eddie Murphy that we used to love so much (you can keep the 'Disney' Eddie Murphy of late, thank you) and is worth a few good laughs, and David Rasche (yes... SLEDGE HAMMER!) is a stitch as Jeff (the KGB agent). The scene where David is throwing Dudley all around the bar is worth the price of admission alone (assuming that's a small rental fee for the VHS tape, that is).

It's worth a look, if only because it makes moves that few movies (if any) these days have the guts to make - give it a chance - see it drunk if you have to. :)

Brilliant? Um, no. Does the ending more or less blow? Sure. But does it have its moments and does it have a serious pair of balls on it? Yep.

Best Defense deserves a (moderately) better reputation than it's been left with. For starters, even though he seems embarrassed to even be IN the movie most of the time, Dudley Moore IS funny in here and has his funny scenes (I miss him). Eddie Murphy (even though his scenes are obviously pasted in) is the 1984 Eddie Murphy that we used to love so much (you can keep the 'Disney' Eddie Murphy of late, thank you) and is worth a few good laughs, and David Rasche (yes... SLEDGE HAMMER!) is a stitch as Jeff (the KGB agent). The scene where David is throwing Dudley all around the bar is worth the price of admission alone (assuming that's a small rental fee for the VHS tape, that is).

It's worth a look, if only because it makes moves that few movies (if any) these days have the guts to make - give it a chance - see it drunk if you have to. :)

Wow. Let me start with that. WOW. I was NOT expecting this film to be NEARLY as good as it was. Scary, gory and more or less completely RELENTLESS, Wrong Turn marks a return to the true HORROR movie. It literally kicks ass and takes names.

This film is VERY close in nature (literally) more to the little-known-film JUST BEFORE DAWN - closer in fact than to the other films it has been mentioned most often with: Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Deliverance. I'd be very surprised to find out the writer/director of this film were NOT fans of JUST BEFORE DAWN (a film you should also see).

If you're in the mood for a LOUD, GROSS, well-put together horror film, WRONG TURN is for you. Just don't watch it within 2-3 hours of eating anything. ;)

-FTM

Please remember, everyone, that Jeremy Irons won his "Reversal Of Fortune" Oscar for the film "Dead Ringers". Confused? Let me quickly explain.

The Academy Awards snubbed what was easily the best performance of Irons career (so far - as well as being David Cronenberg's greatest film), not even nominating him for the brilliant turn in "Dead Ringers" when he had been nominated (and won) for the performance by many other film critics circles.

But Oscar 'made-up' for this snubbing 2 years later by giving him the award for "Reversal Of Fortune" in a year when there was no clear 'runaway' winner. Those who doubt this fact need only listen to Irons' acceptance speech when accepting the Oscar ("... and, for those of you who understand, thank you, David Cronenberg..."). Not that his performance in this film was unworthy of praise, but it was quite clear at the time (and still is, for that matter), what performance the Oscar was really awarded for.

Not to take anything away from The Fly (and CERTAINLY not to take anything away from Jeff Goldblum's UNBELIEVABLE performance in that film), Dead Ringers shows Cronenberg finally growing up (though that did not seem to last past this film unfortunately).

Jeremy Irons is simply STUNNING in this film, and it's important to remember that, a couple of years later, while he was awarded the BEST ACTOR Academy Award for Reversal Of Fortune, he actually won the Oscar for THIS role. Yes, a classic case of a "make-up" Oscar (see: Cher, snubbed for Mask and then tragically given an Oscar for Moonstruck). Those who doubt this statement need only to listen to Irons' acceptance speech at the Academy Awards ceremony ("... and, for those of you who understand, thank you, David Cronenberg..." - AWESOME). So rare to see that kind of thing happen.

I can not believe I even wasted a NetFlix rental on this complete piece of CRAP. How long did it take to make this film? 15 minutes? On a budget of what? Fifteen bucks? I can spend a few hours with my Sony Camcorder and come up with something better than this treacherous lump of bile, and it's even available on DVD!?!! A very sad thing to think classics like The Stepfather have not been released on DVD but this chunk of steaming dung makes it to the format. Here's hoping my rating of ONE ONE ONE ONE makes the overall (already) pathetic rating of 2.5 go DOWN.

Let it be known that I never appreciated Silence Of The Lambs as much as Manhunter. Not that I thought Silence was a bad film, far from it, but my heart was with the first film, and there I always thought it would stay. That being said, I went into seeing Hannibal with somewhat less than great expectations. And was I shocked to see the best of the 3 films when the credits started to roll. If you can, like some but not all have, make it past the more gruesome scenes and open your mind up to what Ridley Scott and his masterful cast have accomplished here, you are in for a real treat. A film that somehow manages to twist a killer into a hero. A film that, in it's own demented way, knows the difference between right and wrong. A film with heart. I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but Hannibal... yes HANNIBAL... is a special film. See it.

Yeah, this film can be gross at times, but it's pretty funny most of the time, as well as being hip and has a good heart. Not to mention, it contains the song Lift Me Up by Jeff Lynne (ELO), so what more could you ask for? :)

What, no user comments for Staying Alive? Well then I guess I better add one. :) This movie is entertaining, but I must tell you, I always thought this film was considered a BIG flop until I checked business information here. Hell, it made almost 70 million - that doesn't sound like too much of a flop to me.

Staying Alive is a pretty good film, though not even close to the MONSTER that Saturday Night Fever was years earlier. It has a nice soundtrack (again, how can it compare to the one from the first film - TWENTY MILLION albums sold is no easy feat to match) and manages to make us still love Tony Manero no matter how big of a dork he is at times.

Yeah, the film is unbelievable and silly as hell at times, but it's still a good hour and half of fun to check out when you have time. How many people remember this film was directed by Sylvester Stallone? Not many. Look for his cameo performance (he bumps into Travolta on the street while passing by) as well as hearing someone yell "Yo Adrian! Showtime" while the dancers are preparing for their show toward the end of the film. Corny stuff, but fun, and Tony can still strut. Enjoy!

James Woods hams it up beautifully as the "cop" with a REAL bad attitude, and Charles Durning adds a nice touch as his police buddy.

Over the top, overacted and hard to believe, but pretty damn fun to watch, with one of the greatest "smack you upside the head" endings I've ever seen in my twenty-six years on this planet. Check this one out and have a good time.

OK, just what the HELL is all this supposed to mean??? Halloween 6 (let's just call it that, OK?) is, without a doubt, the most CONFUSING film in the series (and from what I've heard, seeing the original "producers cut" doesn't sound like it makes things any less bewildering than the "official" release). What a mess.

This isn't a really bad film, as some have said. It has its scary scenes and some rather intense moments - it just DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE! Don't tell me that Michael was "engineered" from the beginning to be evil and kill and destroy, and blah blah blah. It was bad enough when they turned Michael into Jamie Lee Curtis' brother (just so they had an excuse to keep her in the second film) - this is too much.

It would seem this is another case of the creators of the film trying to be "too smart" by coming up with a new premise that will shock and impress us all. Bad move, guys. We're not looking for an explanation of why Michael kills, so please don't try and feed us this crap. Show me Michael looking menacing and killing a bunch of people. Show me Dr. Loomis trying to track him down and, as always, coming up just short. Don't waste (what turned out to be) the last performance of Donald Pleasance by telling me (in the most confusing way possible) that Michael was "created" by some cult from hell and that his "seed" will be passed on to another and... oh, brother.

Halloween 6 has its moments, don't get me wrong, and we all know there have been FAR worse sequels than this (Hellraiser, anyone?) so get what you can out of it (the scene toward the end of the film with Michael charging down a deep red corridor is particularly effective) and try to ignore the screwball plot. Hopefully one day we can all see the "producer's cut" and maybe get the chance to make (a bit) more sense out of all of this. Till then, this will have to do...

-FTM

Dance Of The Damned is one of those rare films that comes along once in a GREAT while. Filmed on an EXTREMELY low budget with a VERY small cast, it manages to succeed where other movies (with 10 times the star power and 50 times the budget) have failed miserably.

A man sits in a low-grade strip club and takes notice of one of the women on stage. He senses her mood is dark and later overhears a phone conversation where she pleads (in vain) with her ex-husband to allow her to see her child. He meets her outside and, after a brief introduction (she first mistakes him as someone out to attack her), convinces her to tell him more about herself. Most of his questions concern, strangely enough, the sun and daylight in general (he asks her what it feels like on her face, how the warmth is, etc.).

It's not until later during their conversation that she realizes he is a vampire. The film does an incredible job (via a great script and subtle but strong performances from the two leads) of dealing with issues surrounding anger, fear and love, and eventually leads to a final, sad, dramatic conclusion.

It would appear this film was released directly to video, and it may be difficult to find these days, even as a rental. But if you manage to locate it out there somewhere, I highly recommended spending an hour and a half of your time taking it in - You won't be disappointed.

-FTM