a survey of summer movies that just didn’t catch on
It was July 19, 1996, and there were four new movies in theaters: the action movie with Laurence Fishburne, the genie movie with Shaquille O’Neal, the clone movie with Michael Keaton, and the ghost movie with Michael J. Fox. That last one did the best of the batch, but more people went to see previous releases INDEPENDENCE DAY, PHENOMENON, COURAGE UNDER FIRE and THE NUTTY PROFESSOR.
Not that surprising. Normal people didn’t know what the hell THE FRIGHTENERS was, or have any reason to give it much thought. Universal couldn’t make that big a deal about BACK TO THE FUTURE’s Marty McFly reuniting with Robert Zemeckis (as a producer) because it’s not that kind of movie. Whiz bang special effects movie, yeah, but rated-R, with some grossness and disturbing flashbacks to a realistic spree killing. Like the one we looked at last week, WOLF, there was no McDonalds tie-in (although the skeletal face imprint on the movie poster would’ve looked cool coming out of the side of those glass mugs!). (read the rest of this shit…)
TOY SOLDIERS is a kid’s movie clashing with an action movie. It’s rated-R and surprisingly legit, opening with chaos in Colombia, where Luis Cali (Andrew Divoff, WISHMASTER), the son of a captured narco-terrorist, has a court room held hostage. Within the first four minutes of the movie they throw a woman out of a high window and a judge out of a helicopter (an impressive skydiving stunt). Later they will take over a boarding school full of the children of American politicians and super-riches, and being that Columbine has not happened they will have no compunction about shooting the place up.
But when we meet our young protagonists jogging into The Regis School and spray painting it to say “The Rejects School”, Robert Folk (POLICE ACADEMY)’s score goes from sounding like a Chuck Norris movie to an episode of Amazing Stories or The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. Oh, youth. They have self-owned themselves as rejects because they’re supposed to be the fuckup rich kids who got kicked out of every other prep school. Now they will endure the gauntlet of action-movie-scenario to prove their true worth. (read the rest of this shit…)
Isaac Florentine’s third movie (after FAREWELL TERMINATOR and DESERT KICKBOXER) is a western starring Olivier Gruner as Joseph Charlegrand, a Frenchman trailing somebody through the American west. The box claims it’s a true story, but the internet disagrees.
In the grand spaghetti tradition, Charlegrand is a mysterious stranger wandering through the desert on his horse. Some cowboy assholes knock him off his horse and he drops his gun, so he busts out the kickboxing. They know all about punching, of course, but this shit blows their minds. It’s like he came down from space. (read the rest of this shit…)
BEST OF THE BEST 2 was an unexpected classic. The only slight hesitation I had was that he SPOILER killed the bad guy MORE SPECIFICS OF SPOILER at the end. I mean it was an evil guy, but the typical “he forced me to kill him” conclusion seems like kind of a cop out after part 1’s unorthodox peace and brotherhood ending.
Well, it turns out Tommy Lee (Phillip Rhee) agrees. Killing Brakus “went against everything I believe,” so he quit teaching, left Eric Roberts behind and seems to be driving across the country visiting his sister to rediscover himself, just like Seagal did at the beginning of MARKED FOR DEATH. Actually it’s weird because Tommy gets sideswiped and his car gets fucked up, which is a classic way of stranding an action hero drifter in the middle of nowhere to have an adventure. But then it turns out he was headed there anyway because that’s where his sister lives. This might be because it was originally written as a standalone movie but director/star Rhee had it modified to somewhat fit his BEST OF THE BEST character. (read the rest of this shit…)
Honestly, I didn’t even have the energy to write this one up. I am depressed by how much I disagree with Harry and anyone else who gave this a pass. This is what we’re settling for now in horror? I think it’s a huge mistake to demystify something as potent as Leatherface, and I think this is every bit as rotten and bankrupt as Nispel’s remake a few years ago.
But why take my word for it? Here’s Vern, who I trust to explain it for you:
My friends,
Against all odds, this is actually alot better than anyone could’ve imagined. Admittedly, a prequel seems like a bad idea, and the director has only done one movie (that even he says is bad), and he told the Fangoria horror magazine he never even saw any TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE movies before he signed on. But somehow this movie is good ol’ horrory fun!
That’s how my review would start if I was a lying scumbag. But I tell it like it is, so I gotta tell you, if you hated the remake like I did you should skip this one. It’s the same old shit. The best compliment I can muster is “It has a couple funny lines.” Or how about, “I haven’t decided if it’s as bad as the remake or not.” That would make a good quote on the poster I think. (read the rest of this shit…)
Hey, everyone. “Moriarty” here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
Wow. Bob and David are everywhere right now, and it sounds like they’re having a great time. I still don’t know if I’m going to be able to get into the insane benefit show they’re part of in a few weeks, and I missed this. Still, if we had to have anyone cover it for us, thank god Vern was the one who went. You’ll see why when you read this…
Boys–
I know how you feel about film festivals. You’re for them, right? I think one of you said you were. I’ve seen a couple good pictures at the Seattle International Film Festival but that’s about it for me. Until today, when I decided to venture south to the Olympia Film Festival. And I’m real glad I did.
Usually I avoid Olympia. I know it’s our state capital, it once had a fine brewery and they got lots of college kids who brag because the rock band Sleater-Kinney was named after a street they still have near there. But I mean come on. The street isn’t even that good. In the downtown area the buildings are too far apart, and everything is closed. At least on Sunday. Anyway today they finally got a reason for me to go there: ON DEADLY GROUND. (read the rest of this shit…)
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Recent commentary and jibber-jabber
Pacman2.0 on Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves: “I wonder what the last year was where a film like this could be so successful and not get a…” Jun 15, 02:36
Ben on Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves: “This movie really felt like the one that defined its summer. I remember it getting a lot of attention when…” Jun 15, 01:02
Franchise Fred on Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves: “Perhaps the most lasting legacy of this movie is that Affleck had to change the name of his Chuck Hogan…” Jun 14, 22:31
Zombo on Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves: “I had a friend that could not stop laughing at Will Scarlet’s “Daddy always liked you better” reveal. I’m not…” Jun 14, 21:10
RBatty024 on Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves: “It’s pretty crazy that there are so few good Robin Hood movies. Prince of Thieves is a mess, Ridley Scott’s…” Jun 14, 17:44
Mr. Majestyk on Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves: “Do THE THING and THE FLY count? And if so, wouldn’t INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS be the O.G.?” Jun 14, 16:03
Pacman2.0 on Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves: “To backtrack on a Mr Subtlty comment from earlier, I’ve long thought GREYSTOKE was the first gritty\”realistic” reboot (and has,…” Jun 14, 16:01
SolarGarlic on Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves: “My brother had a handful of movies he liked putting on after school and this was in heavy rotation. I…” Jun 14, 15:15
Mr. Majestyk on Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves: ““I saw it in the extended cut on DVD, and when I looked up which scenes were added I felt…” Jun 14, 15:13
Pacman2.0 on Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves: “I remember when the Scott\Crowe ROBIN HOOD came out it amused me that they were pushing it as a darker,…” Jun 14, 14:35
CJ Holden on Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves: “Yeah, music charts these days are weird. Recently a random autotune mumblerapper broke the record for most #1 hits in…” Jun 14, 13:20
Pacman2.0 on Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves: “CJ- I think it got really ridiculous in the second half of the 90s; in 1992 we had 10 weeks…” Jun 14, 13:02
Mr. Subtlety on Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves: “The most interesting thing to me about RH:PoT is that at the time, the movie was roundly criticized as being…” Jun 14, 13:01
CJ Holden on Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves: “Pacman, if I remember right, rarely a song held its position in the UK charts for a long time in…” Jun 14, 12:03
Pacman2.0 on Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves: “I mentioned way back at the start of this mission that the Summer of 1991 seems to me like a…” Jun 14, 11:42
VERN’S “I RECOMMEND THE SHIT OUT OF THIS PRODUCT” CORNER:
TOY SOLDIERS is a kid’s movie clashing with an action movie. It’s rated-R and surprisingly legit, opening with chaos in Colombia, where Luis Cali (Andrew Divoff, WISHMASTER), the son of a captured narco-terrorist, has a court room held hostage. Within the first four minutes of the movie they throw a woman out of a high window and a judge out of a helicopter (an impressive skydiving stunt). Later they will take over a boarding school full of the children of American politicians and super-riches, and being that Columbine has not happened they will have no compunction about shooting the place up.
Isaac Florentine’s third movie (after FAREWELL TERMINATOR and DESERT KICKBOXER) is a western starring Olivier Gruner as Joseph Charlegrand, a Frenchman trailing somebody through the American west. The box claims it’s a true story, but the internet disagrees.
SPOILER ALERT !!
SPOILER ALERT !!
