The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)
One of the only Bond movies that I don't recall seeing before although I'm sure that I had when I was a child. A clear reminder that Roger Moore was indeed the better Bond (at least in my world). Go ahead and send me hate mail if you want but Moore is the better of the Bonds as far as I'm concerned. Probably because most of his movies came out in the always reliable 70's. In this installment, Bond has a contract out on him which is to be filled by Scaramanga, the man with the golden gun. Scaramanga also has a diabolical plan to harness solar energy through a crazy-ass device that we only see in Bond movies. So as a recap, we have Moore playing Bond, Christopher Lee playing Scaramanga, and Herve Villechaize ("Fantasy Island") playing Scaramanga's assistant, Knick Knack. What more could you ask for other than Yaphet Kotto, but that has already been done. Well, friends, there is more. We also have Britt Ekland and Maud Adams as Bond girls. I was in heaven. This is now my second favorite Bond flick.
Fred Olen Ray strikes again. Man, this guy ages like wine. Wendy Schumacher (now Alexander Smith) stars as Tara McCormick in this action tale that is similar in subject matter to "La Femme Nikita". Tara has taken a shot at a crime lord named Tommy Stompanato (Jay Richardson) who is a really bad dude. Tara's assassination attempt fails and she ends up in prison where she makes friends with a fellow inmate named Josie (Shauna O'Brien). It does not take long for Tara to be approached by a government agent named James (Tim Abell) who propositions her to finish the job she started in exchange for her freedom. Tara is happy to give it a shot. I really liked this movie for reasons other than simply the fact that Fred Ray directed it. Jay Richardson who has been a Ray staple for years is great as usual as Tommy and plays the part with his usual grace. Richardson is like that Robert De Niro of b-movies as he could be seen as a great b-movie character actor. I would also like to mention Tim Abell who has been in most of the recent Ray movies and seems to get better each time. The guy has grown on me since I first saw him in "Masseuse" and I hope that he continues to get roles in the future. The usual appearances from other Ray regulars such as Ross Hagen, Nikki Fritz, and G. Gordon Baer are also included.
The always reliable John Cusack stars in this story of a hitman who goes home to his high school reunion. Upon arrival, he is also trying to win back the love of his ex-flame (Minnie Driver) who he stood up on grad night. He also has to contend with doing one last hit and having a contract out on himself. This movie has a truly original idea and runs with it and if anyone could pull off the part of Martin Blank, it is John Cusack. I have been a huge fan of Mr. Cusack's since the days of "The Sure Thing" and "Better Off Dead" and have always admired his ability to bring a very human quality to all of his characters. Although Martin Blank is a hitman, Cusack brings it to a level that we can relate to and makes it believable. Part comedy, part action, and part drama, "Grosse Pointe Blank" makes for a fun night at home. It also has a rad soundtrack featuring many an 80's tune from my youth so crank up the volume, kids.
Oh, Miss Tweed, how you can still make an erotic thriller enjoyable. The woman who has made a living off erotic thrillers such as "Night Eyes" stars as Alicia Royale, a fashion mogul who has a dead body in a pool at one of her parties. A friend of the victim hires P.I. Dean Thomas to try and solve the murder. Dean is drawn into the underworld of models having sex. This actually played pretty good as a mystery and there were ample sex scenes to satisfy those "Human Desires". I was at a point where I was sick of watching erotic thrillers because they all seemed the same but lately they have had better acting and writing than they did a couple of years ago. I suppose that we all have guilty pleasures and I guess erotic thrillers, "Beverly Hills 90210", and Beavis and Butthead are mine.
Back in the day when Hollywood gave Mickey Rourke decent roles, he made this little gem. The script was written by Charles Bukowski and the main character is named Henry and is played by Rourke. It is said that Henry is a semi-autobiographical version of Bukowski and Rourke plays the part of the alcoholic writer with confidence and a certain gritty charisma. Henry soon hooks up with a fellow drunk named Wanda and they begin a strange, yet charming, love affair. I found this movie very interesting as it did not seem to be about anything. It started, a bunch of stuff happened, and it ended. A strange peek into the world of bars, alcohol, and violence with a twist of dark comedy. I wish Mickey Rourke could continue to get the roles he got in the 80's with films such as "Angel Heart", "Homeboy", and "Johnny Handsome". He hasn't been able to display his talent in recent years as he is only offered roles in sleepers like "Fall Time" and Van Damme action movies. Granted, these movies still have a certain cult value but I think the guy is one of our coolest actors and it is a shame that he is not able to display this talent anymore. "Barfly" co-stars Alice Krige, Frank Stallone, and Jack Nance ("Eraserhead"). This was another recommendation from my always reliable friend, Kent.
I had been seeking this one out for a long time and then I found it sitting in a bargain bin for a mere $3. Not a bad way to spend my cold hard cash as I was met with the surprise of noticing that one of the stars was named Tom Selleck. Yes, "Magnum P.I." himself plays Dr. Milford in this relatively standard 70's exploitation fare. The story is set on an island off the coast of California where prisoners are sent. There are no guards and no rules. Is this ringing any bells? I think Mr. Carpenter may have seen this when he was younger. The island's inhabitants are basically divided into three groups: good men, bad men, and women. The bad men use the women for sex and work and the good men want to treat them like human beings. The women join up with the good men and the bad men get jealous so violence ensues. It is a good lesson as to what happens to misogynist pigs. I liked this movie as there were a lot of explosions and cool "McGuyver"-type weapons. If this kind of stuff is your cup of tea, check it out. Co-stars Phyllis Davis and Roger E. Moseley.
I must admit that I don't really know much about this movie. I bought it solely for the tag line which read "See home appliances slice and dice!!!... people!". I couldn't really pass this promise up as I had visions of "Maximum Overdrive" dancing through my head so I plunked down $10 and brought this hopefully lost classic home. Well, not really what I was expecting but it is definitely an odd little piece of work. The story is about a newlywed couple who move into their "dream home" that was previously occupied a couple of newlyweds who had a short marriage as it ended in a murder-suicide. Soon after the new couple moves in, knives begin to fly around and people start to die. I guess I was expecting more animated appliances such as toasters and garburators but I was treated to more simple instruments of death such as broken glass and garden shears. This would have been a pretty frightening haunted house movie if the effects were not so horrible. I really hope that they were intentionally like this. It looked like they were coming up with innovative, cheap ways to do the effects but this did not come across as very realistic on screen. Good for a laugh. Directed by Andy Milligan and definitely not to be confused with the Mario Bava film with the same title.
"Where's my wife??!!" screamed the trailer. It screamed it so much that I avoided this flick because of the repetition of the word "wife". My good friend Rees assured me that Kurt Russell only utters the word a few times during the picture and it was actually a decent movie. Well, buddy, I counted and gave up at 15. Now that I am over my little hangup, I must say that this was pretty good if you just want to shut off your brain for 90 minutes. Kurt Russell stars as Jeff Taylor, a suburbanite who it traveling with his marriage partner (Kathleen Quinlan) when their car breaks down. Stranded in the middle of the desert, they are relieved when a trucker (J.T. Walsh) pulls up and asks them if they need help. They obviously do so Kurt's spouse goes with the trucker to find a phone. That is the last time Kurt sees her and he spends the rest of the movie trying to find her through a web of conspiracy. There was some decent action and suspense involved and this movie also co-starred one of my favorite up and comers, Jack Noseworthy. He kind of reminds me of James LeGros and has appeared in such classics as "Barb Wire" and "Event Horizon". Building cool cred, my boy. "Breakdown" was not an Oscar winner but was ok after a hard day at school. It also made me remove a word from my vocabulary.
Don't fall into the trap of thinking this is an "art" film. It is a very cool story about a trio of guys who endure prison and an escape together. You may see the words "indie classic" splashed on the box or see that it is in black and white and run away. Don't! Tom Waits is the star. He is one of the coolest cats around and it shows on the screen. Tom plays Zack, a New Orleans DJ who finds himself arrested. He is joined in jail by a pimp named Jack and a French oddity named Roberto. It is a real treat to see some interesting characters and an interesting story once in a while. Many people also are unwilling to try movies by directors such as Jim Jarmusch thinking the movie may be too "deep". It may be but you can also enjoy it for the simple story of these three unlikely friends. Try it, you'll like it.
Poison Ivy: The New Seduction (1997)
The latest installment in the Poison Ivy series no longer involves Ivy but her sister Violet. Clever, huh? Newcomer Jaime Pressly plays Violet in what I found to be "Friend Of The Family"'s evil sibling. (Now I'm the one being clever). Violet comes to the home of her childhood friend, Joy, and screws everything up for everyone. She is a dominatrix prostitute on the side and just spends the movie making everyone's lives miserable. I don't really think I understood all her motives but I certainly understood the production company's. Let's take the series that gave Drew Barrymore her comeback and that Alyssa Milano screwed up and try and continue it as we can't come up with any new ideas. I'm sorry, that was mean but seriously. Did they really have to make this part of the Poison Ivy series? It's not like the franchise is doing really well (I don't think that Alyssa one was a big cash cow or anything). Ok, I'm blabbering. All in all, this wasn't bad, it's just that I've already seen it a million times. Michael Des Barres co-stars as Joy's dad and Athena Massey makes an appearance.
Let's Scare Jessica To Death (1971)
One of those forgotten horror movies that truly is scary. Not exceptionally scary as in "Boo" while watching it but creeps up in your thoughts when you are lying in your bed in the dark later on. Jessica is a woman who was recently released from an "institution" and wants to start over with her husband in a quiet, rural, lakeside area. The odd townspeople and local legends begin to mess with Jessica's head and she is not sure if she is returning to the land of the crazies or if strange occurrences are real. Her husband certainly thinks she may be getting ill again. A weird hippie girl stays with them at the house and seems to pick at Jessica's sanity a little more each day. What's up? Well, I know and you don't so find out and seek out this puppy. There is a lot of creepy whispering and imagery so you may want to watch this with the doors locked and a pack of smokes. I would say you should watch this with someone you can hold on to but that only leads to misery and pain and you may end up like Jessica yourself.
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