From Far & Wide, From High & Low Vol 18
100 titles you'd see in my video library from an assortment of genres
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- DirectorRidley ScottStarsHarrison FordRutger HauerSean YoungA blade runner must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their creator.Hampton BLADE RUNNER 2049 Fancher & David 12 MONKEYS Peoples based their screenplay for this ambitious science fiction cult classic on the 1968 Philip K. Dick novel; Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? It's an evocative tale painted against a lavish neo noire futuristic landscape where artificial replicants live out their brief, sub human lives as slaves. Rutger THE HITCHER Hauer, Joanna HOTEL MALIBU Cassidy & Daryl KILL BILL VOL. 2 Hannah star as a terrifying group of escaped replicants who intend to storm the workshop of their creator at the Tyrell corporation. Harrison INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE Ford is the private detective hired to hunt them down. The lovely Sean DUNE Young plays a domestic replicant programmed by Eldon Tyrell with human memories who forms a bond with Ford's bounty hunter character; Rick Deckard. Ridley ALIEN: COVENANT Scott is at the top of his game as an artist and director. BLADE RUNNER is essential viewing for anyone who loves the fantastic or just admires bravura film-making. As an achievement in cinema it's of the magnitude of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND without question. Douglas THE STARLOST Trumbull & Richard EVENT HORIZON Yuricich provided the eye popping and endlessly influential special effects. BLADE RUNNER bombed despite an army of vocal admirers and unanimous praise from critics around the world heralding it as one of the best films ever made. BLADE RUNNER remains stubbornly obscure although elements are scattered throughout popular culture even today. A stronger showing at the Oscars may have helped elevate this wildly under-appreciated masterpiece. A poorly received sequel sank like a stone at the box office in 2017.
- DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsHarrison FordRyan GoslingAna de ArmasYoung Blade Runner K's discovery of a long-buried secret leads him to track down former Blade Runner Rick Deckard, who's been missing for thirty years.Ryan YOUNG HERCULES Gosling starred in this much antisipated sequel to the 1982 cult classic; BLADE RUNNER from Hollywood legend Ridley Scott who lends his hand here as a skilled producer. Denis DUNE Villeneuve handled the directorial duties with considerable grace and dexterity. At times this beautiful homage feels as if it were directed by Scott. The Oscar winning special fx go a long way to establishing a strong continuity to the original. BLADE RUNNER 2049 is a breath-takingly beautiful mystery set in a distant future where synthetic humans called replicants exist as slave labor. Replicants who break the law are 'retired' by blade runners. Gosling is a replicant himself named K & just about the best blade runner on the force. K's investigation into the reistance movement leads to the discovery of a set of human bones belonging to a skinjob who went missing decades before; Rachael (Sean A KISS BEFORE DYING Young in the original and who reappears in the sequel via some expertly applied CG.) Forensics conclude Rachael died during childbirth which is a fact that could shake the political/economic world and advance replicants human rights. Key members of the human establishment want K stopped from revealing the truth including the captain of the police force (Robin THE PRINCESS BRIDE Wright) and a corporate guru heavy into the reprduction of clones and artificial memories. Jared THE SUICIDE SQUAD Leto gives an odd performance as the Christ-like successor to Eldon Tyrell manufacturing slaves for offworld colonization and deadly assassins like Luv (Sylvia THE GIRL IN THE SPIDERS WEB Hoek) to keep his secrets. Harrison STAR WARS Ford and Edward BATTLESTAR GALACTICA James Olmos reprise theie roles as Deckard and Detective Gaff while Ana WAR DOGS de Armus tackles the role of K's holographic girlfriend. Despite generably favorable reviews and 5 Orcar nominations to vouch for BLADE RUNNER 2049's exceptional quality it BOMBED around the world but may yet find a 2nd life as a cult item. It deserves a much wider audience.
- DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerSharon StoneMichael IronsideWhen a man goes in to have virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars implanted in his mind, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real - or is he?Arnold TERMINATOR: DARK FATE Schwarzenegger continued to dominate the box office with this lavishly produced science fiction extravaganza based on the Philip K. Dick short story; We Can Remember It For You Wholesale. ALIEN scribes Ronald Shusett & Dan O'Bannon loaded their screenplay with action & left plenty of opportunity for the special effects department to showcase their Oscar winning work. Schwarzenegger plays a man named Quaid who believes he's experiencing symptoms of mind control because he knows too much about a Mars colony and an ancient civilization who once resided there. Sharon BASIC INSTINCT 2 Stone plays Quaid's formidable wife or a deadly assassin depending on which memories are real. To get to the truth Quaid travels to Mars where psychic mutants & humans live in slums under the tyrannical rule of the Martian industrial complex. This high octane adventure from Paul SHOWGIRLS Verhoeven will leave fans clamouring for more although neither the short lived TV series spin off TOTAL RECALL 2070 nor the 2012 Colin Farrell remake left much of an impression.
- CreatorPhilip K. DickArt MonterastelliStarsMichael EastonKarl PrunerCynthia PrestonA detective for a police agency is teamed with a naive new officer, who is secretly an android, and often conflicts with the Assessor's Office and the security forces of "the Consortium", a small number of extremely powerful companies.Michael MUTANT X Easton played a sophisticated detective in the world of the future investigating the dangerous activities of the Rekall corporation and other shady businesses umbrellaed by the collective name; The Consortium. It seems the detective's wife (Cynthia PROM NIGHT III: THE LAST KISS Preston) may have been fed false memories by the scientists at Rekall. Karl Pruner co-starred as an android cop partnered with the detective after a series of killings committed by self-aware robots. This average syndicated sci-fi series from Canada survived one season. Fans of the film discovered a show so dissimilar to the source material it doesn't warrant an on screen credit for Phillip K. Dick as having authored the short story on which it was based. The production team preferred the visual motif of BLADE RUNNER to TOTAL RECALL so attempted to mimic it's look on a woefully insufficient budget. The pilot film was initially released on disc separately from the series box set.
- DirectorDean DevlinStarsGerard ButlerJim SturgessAbbie CornishWhen the network of satellites designed to control the global climate starts to attack Earth, it's a race against the clock for its creator to uncover the real threat before a worldwide Geostorm wipes out everything and everyone.It's hard to drum up any excitement for a disaster movie if you don't know exactly what the disaster is. I know what a geo magnetic storm is but that's not what this is about. I watched the damned thing and still couldn't tell you what a GEOSTORM is. All I know is that Dean Devlin directed this spectacularly staged claptrap very much in the tradition of Roland Emmerich's THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW or the end of the world pic THE CORE. Unlike those films however GEOSTORM isn't having any fun with the cliches it's screenplay is built upon and neither did I watching. The characters are strictly stock and badly written defeating this reasonably talented cast which includes Gerald THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Butler, Andy DEAD AGAIN Garcia & Ed CREEPSHOW Harris. The studio was forced to shoot an additional 15 million of action scenes after this bit of climate change junk science porn tested badly with preview audiences. The story concerns treasonous Democrats turning a satellite controlled weather grid into a climate changing terrorist WMD named Dutchboy. GEOSTORM eventually lost the studio close to 75 million and the reason why isn't hard to see.
- DirectorGuillermo del ToroStarsIdris ElbaCharlie HunnamRinko KikuchiAs a war between humankind and monstrous sea creatures wages on, a former pilot and a trainee are paired up to drive a seemingly obsolete special weapon in a desperate effort to save the world from the apocalypse.A rift opens up at the bottom of the pacific ocean allowing giant kaiju monsters to emerge from a portal to another dimension. Industrial Light and Magic designed these magnificent creatures with state of the art CG animation while the artists who designed the Iron Man armor constructed the equally impressive Jeagers. Jeagers are giant mecha created by mankind as a last line of defense against the monstrous clones dispatched by an alien civilization called The Precursers in order to conquer our world. Two pilots are required to pilot the robots and they must be able to work together in sinc. Charlie KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD Hunnam & Rinko 47 RONIN Kikuchi are two such hotshot pilots with a score to settle against the invaders. Others assembled on their team are IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA's Charlie Day & Burn Gorman who appeared in THE DARK NIGHT RISES. They co-star as doctors Newton & Gottlieb and serve mostly as comic relief. Ron ALIEN: RESURECTION Perlman has a role as a kaiju brain salesman operating a shop in the black market. Be sure to stick around through the closing credits to find out what happens to his likable character. Everything however takes a back seat to the jaw dropping special effects as these behemoths tear through cities and each other with a ferocity that would make GODZILLA proud. Action fans are gonna love this!
- DirectorSteven S. DeKnightStarsJohn BoyegaScott EastwoodCailee SpaenyJake Pentecost, son of Stacker Pentecost, reunites with Mako Mori to lead a new generation of Jaeger pilots, including rival Lambert and 15-year-old hacker Amara, against a new Kaiju threat.Set 10 years after the sealing of the Pacific rift the Jeager program is being decommissioned & the defense of earth farmed out to a Chinese corporation which has hired co-star Charlie IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA Day to oversee construction of a new breed of mecha augmented with kaiju blood. Unfortunately the nerd who tapped into the living brain of an alien also became possessed by it causing him to program the made in China Jeagers to attack mankind and open a new rift from which a 'catagory 5' kaiju emerges from the ocean floor determined to destroy mankind. John STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER Boyega is the son of the original developer of the Jeager program who returns to battle after his father's death in PACIFIC RIM. Clint Eastwood's son Scott who starred in THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS is a pilot partnered with a clever 15 year old hacker who built her own mini Yeager from scrapyards. Burn CRIMSON PEAK Gorman also returns as an eccentric scientist named Gottlied who may have the brains to outwit Dr Newton and prevent the destruction of earth. Guillermo PAN'S LABYRINTH del Toro passed the directorial torch to Steven Deknight who is mostly known for episodic work on series like BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER & SMALLVILLE. The kaiju/Jeager combat is exceptionally staged and imaginatively realized through the magic of CG and in 3D! Recommended for fans of everything from ATTACK ON TITAN TO GAMERA THE INVINCIBLE. Netflix is working on an animated sequel series.
- DirectorHenri-Georges ClouzotStarsSimone SignoretVéra ClouzotPaul MeurisseThe wife and mistress of a loathed school principal plan to murder him with what they believe is the perfect alibi.Henri-Georges Clouzot directed this French suspense masterpiece which starred his real life wife; Vera Clouzot as the fragile, abused spouse of a cruel headmaster. Christina Delassolle forms a close bond to her husband Michel's mistress Nicole Horner played by the iconic Simone Signoret in one of her signature roles. The women conspire to murder the man they have come to despise and do appear to have gotten away with the crime until students begin reporting having seen the headmaster around the boarding school. As if the tension wasn't making everyone squirm enough, a detective named Fichet arrives to investigate the disappearance. Charles Vanel is especially fine as the observant sleuth and manages to stand out even among that exceptional cast; many of whom worked with director Clouzot on THE WAGES OF FEAR. The screenplay was written by Pierre Boileau who gained even greater fame for his adaption of VERTIGO for Alfred Hitchcock. Filmed in B&W. Two television remakes followed in 1974 & 1993 called; REFLECTIONS OF MURDER and HOUSE OF SECRETS. A big budget Hollywood reboot hit theaters in 1996 as a star vehicle for Sharon Stone.
- DirectorJeremiah S. ChechikStarsSharon StoneIsabelle AdjaniChazz PalminteriThe wife and mistress of the sadistic dean of an exclusive prep school conspire to murder him.DIABOLIQUE was designed as a star vehicle for the still white-hot Sharon CATWOMAN Stone who is very good as a vengeful lover who conspires with his long suffering wife to commit murder. The very lovely Isabelle NOSFERATU: THE VAMPYRE Adjani plays the abused wife of a sadistic headmaster at a private school in a very aloof manner which contrasts badly with Stone's ballsy protagonist. The two women believe they've killed Chazz JADE Palmintery's character until one of the boys swears he saw the teacher alive & a detective played by the poorly cast Kathy AMERICAN HORROR STORY: COVEN Bates arrives to investigate the disappearance. Jeremiah THE AVENGERS Chechik should take the lion's share of the blame for this respectable remakes' inability to build suspense the way a good thriller ought to. it's predictable.
- DirectorJohn CassavetesStarsGena RowlandsBuck HenryJulie CarmenWhen a young boy's family is killed by the mob, their tough neighbor Gloria becomes his reluctant guardian. In possession of a book that the gangsters want, the pair go on the run in New York.John Cassavetes directed his wife Gena THE NOTEBOOK Rowlands in the Oscar nominated role of Gloria; a New York gangster moll who goes on the run with a small boy when his entire family has been marked for death over the discovery of a secret accounting ledger. Gena Rowlands is perfectly cast as a tough talking dame who hates kids but grows to love the one she's stuck with and becomes his fierce champion against the mob. Julie FRIGHT NIGHT PART II Carmen & Buck TOWN & COUNTRY Henry play the parents of The child entrusted to Gloria's care who was played by John Adames. The Razzies tried to shame Adams with a Worst Actor award which he shared with Lawrence Olivier for THE JAZZ SINGER. GLORIA is so deftly written and clever it can be enjoyed as a comedy or a drama because it does a tightrope dance between the genres. It's superior entertainment no matter how you care to view it. Highly recommended.
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsSharon StoneJean-Luke FigueroaJeremy NorthamAfter serving three years in prison covering for her gangster boyfriend, Kevin, Gloria returns to New York City for the money she was promised. Inside Kevin's base of operations, she finds 7-year-old Nicky, whose family has been killed.Sharon BASIC INSTINCT Stone starred as GLORIA in this sanitized, aerobicized remake of the cultish Gena Rowlands/John Cassavetes classic. Sidney DOG DAY AFTERNOON Lumet is stuck with a backstory to build up Stones' character which begins leeching the energy and impulsiveness this tale should have straight out of the opening credits. Stone plays an ex con who took the fall for a 2nd rate goon. The goon is now planning to kill a young boy who's father was a traitor to the mob. Stone is OK but at that point in her career she as a star carried with her a lot of baggage so her Razzie nominated performance is too glamourous. It's also a very serious film & a regrettably well behaved one for the action genre. George THE CHANGELING C. Scott co-stars as a powerful gangster who can help Gloria save the life of the child she's sworn to protect. Heartbreakingly average.
- DirectorAaron OsborneMichael DeakStarsFranklin A. ValletteDon YananPeter LooneyAn "average" postal worker is informed by a tiny alien hologram which looks like a teenage girl that he is the "choosen one" to destroy a giant reptile to save the Earth.Michael Deak who provided the special effects for HULK & Aaron Osborne who has had a long career as production designer for projects like RUNAWAYS & DICK TRACY co-directed this cultish low budget American Kaiju for Charles Band's Full Moon Entertainment. A young man receives a holographic message warning of a 150 foot tall monster named Zarkorr set to be released by aliens to destroy the cities of the earth. In order to stop the impressive looking man in a rubber suit rampaging through poorly rendered city streets our hero must solve a riddle. This not-bad homage to the giant monster genre can't rise above it's tiny budget. Even 30 year old Gamera movies make it look cheap by comparrison.
- DirectorAaron OsborneDave ParkerStarsMichael GuerinJerry LentzJon SimantonPlanet Patrol agent Mogyar allies with a team of human planetary guardians to stop the plans of evil galactic overlord Lord Doom when he sends a gargantuan monster called Kraa to destroy the Earth.Dave THE DEAD HATE THE LIVING Parker & Aaron CAGED HEAT 3000 Osborne co-directed this slightly kitschy Kaiju about an alien warlord named Doom who dispatched a sea monster named Kraa to conquer our world. This low budget suitmation sci-fi pic was an interesting attempt by Charles Band to create a monsterverse patterned after Toho's famed GODZILLA franchise. Like it's spiritual predecessor ZARKORR THE INVADER! the special effects are too low end to sell the concept and doled out sparingly. I like the design of the monster but everything else is substandard.
- DirectorJohn Llewellyn MoxeyStarsPeter GravesGeorge O'Hanlon Jr.Kathleen QuinlanAfter a catastrophic solar flare decimates almost all life, reducing people to powdery substance, a group of survivors treks across the devastated Earth.John THE NIGHT STALKER Llewellyn Moxley directed this interesting ABC MOVIE OF THE WEEK chronicling the aftermath of cataclysmic seismic event & devastating solar flare. A small family exploring caves survived the initial disaster & turned out to be immune to the mysterious virus which subsequently spread like wildfire turning 99% of the population to dust. Peter KILLERS FROM SPACE Graves starred as the father struggling to keep his children safe in a world of the future suddenly alive with danger.
- DirectorEdward D. Wood Jr.StarsGregory WalcottTom KeeneMona McKinnonEvil aliens attack Earth and set their terrible "Plan 9" into action. As the aliens resurrect the dead of the Earth, the lives of the living are in danger.PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE is ESSENTIAL viewing for cinematic masochists such as myself. It was written/directed by the infamous Edward D. Wood, Jr. who toiled for years in obscurity on pictures like GLEN OR GLENDA, THE SINISTER URGE & JAIL BAIT before finding post-humous fame as the worst film maker who ever lived. This DOG is Wood's magnus opus. THE CREATION OF THE HUMANOIDS's Dudley Manlove plays a sinister alien circling Hollywood in what appears to be a pie plate. To end the threat of atomic weapons production the commander of the UFO orders the resurrection of three ghouls to conquer mankind. Swedish wrestler Tor THE BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS Johnson & TV horror movie hostess Vampira (aka: Maila Nurmi are alternately fun & ridiculous as the supernatural army although the ORGY OF THE DEAD's Criswell lends a hammy hand offering narration from beyond the grave. Speaking of; Top billed star Bela MOTHER RILEY MEETS THE VAMPIRE Lugosi appears via a few moments of film shot by Wood for an unproduced project. It would be his cinematic swan song. The undead character he played briefly via the B&W footage was replaced quite obviously by a much taller 'actor'. Every aspect of PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE is to the same subterranean standard from the soundtrack to the sets, from the acting to a screenplay and fans cannot get enough! It may not really be the very worst movie ever made but I'm awfully glad this cult classic holds the distinction.
- DirectorEdward D. Wood Jr.StarsBela LugosiTor JohnsonTony McCoyA mad doctor attempts to create atomic supermen.Bela THE DEVIL BAT Lugosi gives a strangely effective performance as a Nazi scientist using kidnapped American citizens hoping to create a race of atomic supermen. The bodies of the failed experiments are fed to a man eating giant octopus. Tor THE BLACK SLEEP Johnson plays the mute lab assistant Lobo who helps the evil Dr Vornoff kidnap a nosy reporter played by Lorette King. Edward THE RETURN OF DOCTOR X D. Wood, Jr. directed this DOG which truly deserves the honor and distinction of being one of the worst movies ever produced. Much of this film was hilariously recreated for the Tim Burton bio-pic ED WOOD. Paul Marco who also played a cop named Kelton in PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE would next appear in the 1959 disaster; NIGHT OF THE GHOULS. B&W
- DirectorEdward D. Wood Jr.StarsKenne DuncanDuke MooreTor JohnsonA phony spiritualist raises the dead.Once considered a lost film, this B&W cult classic finally found distribution in 1984 via Wade Williams who located a print & paid the lab fees preventing it's release. Ed JAIL BAIT Wood wrote/directed this DOG as a loose sequel to both PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE and THE BRIDE OF THE MONSTER. Criswell, Tor Johnson & Paul Marco all return for NIGHT OF THE GHOULS as incarnations of characters they previously played and Johnny Carpenter assumes the role of a police chief named Robbins originated by Harvey Dunn in 1955. Kenne THE CRIMSON GHOST Duncan & Velda SLAUGHTER'S BIG RIP-OFF Hansen are subjects of a criminal investigation led by the undercover Lt. Bradford (Duke THE SINISTER URGE Moore) and Patrolman Kelton (Marco). The nefarious couple play fake mediums who's illegal seances disturb the spirits in the nearby graveyard. Speaking of fake mediums, ORGY OF THE DEAD's Criswell introduces the film and appears in the final act as a vengeful ghost. One of the very best of the worst films ever made and ESSENTIAL viewing for connoisseurs of Grade-Z cinema.
- CreatorGary DaubermanMark VerheidenStarsCrystal ReedVirginia MadsenAndy BeanAbby Arcane returns home to Marais, Louisiana to investigate a deadly swamp-borne virus, only to discover the dark, terrifying mysteries of the swamp.Mark SMALLVILLE Verheiden & Gary SWAMP DEVIL Dauberman developed this unusually strong adaption of the cultish DC comic created by Len Wein & Bernie Wrightson. Crystal GOTHAM Reed plays Dr Abby Arcane who meets a scientist named Alex Holland (IT CHAPTER 2's Andy Bean) while investigating a strange disease ravaging a bayou town in Louisiana. Both have ties to the wealthy & insane Sunderlands; Avery & Maria. Will THE PUNISHER Patten & Virginia CANDYMAN Madsen play the power couple who's obsessions with science and the supernatural threatens to destroy their community. Some rather niche super heroes are woven into season one including Blue Devil (Ian SHARKNADO Ziering), The Phantom Stranger (Macon Blair) & Madam Xanadu (Jeryl Prescott) strengthening it's ties to the greater DC continuity. The special effects are very convincing & leave nothing to the imagination. The shocking violence & gruesome mutations are all the more frightening set against a haunted swamp crawling with death. Derek THE FLASH Mears plays the SWAMP THING; the intellectual remains of Alex Holland fused into an elemental being made of the bog. The network unexpectedly cancelled SWAMP THING after only 2 episodes despite some excellent reviews. This promising series also co-starred Adrienne Barbeau who appeared in the 1982 Wes Craven film SWAMP THING
- CreatorScott BuckStarsAnson MountSerinda SwanKen LeungAn isolated community of superhumans fight to protect themselves.Marvel had been trying to launch the cultish super hero team THE INHUMANS as a feature film franchise since 2011 but it was only until storylines involving the species began appearing in the Joss Wheaton hit AGENTS OF S.H.E.I.L.D. that ABC expressed interest in the characters for on ongoing weekly adventure series. THE INHUMANS are mutants who live on the moon. Their leaders are the mute King of Attilan; Black Bolt and his queen; Medusa and they are impressively played by Anson STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Mount and Serinda Swan who originated the role of Zatanna on the WB hit SMALLVILLE. Iwan GAME OF THRONES Rheon played the disloyal brother to the king; Maximus. The political intrigues and power struggles failed to find an audience and THE INHUMANS was cancelled after only 8 episodes were produced. Series creator Steve Buck had previously worked on the low rated IRON FIST.
- DirectorJonathan DemmeStarsJuanita BrownErica GavinRoberta CollinsIn a women's prison, a group of inmates band together to combat the repressive and abusive policies of the crippled female warden and the corrupt prison doctor.Jonathan THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS Demme wrote/directed this slightly above average women-in-prison- exploitation pic for Roger Corman's New World Pictures. Erica VIXEN! Gavin plays an inmate jailed on drug related offences who leads a cell block rebellion against the brutal practices of the warden. Scream Queen Barbara PIRANHA Steele handles the part of the cruel warden with ease in this drive-in movie cult classic which has spawned two in-name-only sequels.
- DirectorCirio H. SantiagoStarsJewel ShepardPamella D'PellaSusan HarveyA CIA agent attempts to save a captured princess and return her to her father.Cirio H. Santiago has directed nearly 100 low budget pics inside his native Philippines and for producer Roger Corman in the states whom he's enjoyed collaborating with for decades. Santiago has been credited with helping build the blaxploitation genre with hits like T.N.T. JACKSON however he's not so progressive when it comes to women's issues as anyone who's seen this sleazy in-name-only sequel to CAGED HEAT can tell you. It's rotten with sexual violence and sexual exploitation. Even for this disreputable genre, CAGED HEAT 2: STRIPPED OF FREEDOM is rough. A secret agent played by Jewel HOLLYWOOD HOT TUBS 2: EDCATING CRYSTAL Shepard infiltrates a women's prison to take down a sadistic warden & rescue a political prisoner who's life is in danger since her false arrest.
- DirectorAaron OsborneStarsLisa BoyleKena LandZaneta PolardIt's the year 3000 AD. The world's most dangerous women are banished to a remote asteroid 45 million light years from earth. Kira Murphy doesn't belong; wrongfully accused of a crime she did not commit, she's thrown in this interplanetary prison and left to her own defenses. But Kira's a fighter, and soon she finds herself in the middle of a female gang war; where everyone wants a piece of the action... and a piece of her! "Caged Heat 3000" takes the Women-in-Prison genre to a whole new level... and a whole new galaxy!Aaron KRAA!: THE SEA MONSTER Osborne directed this rapey, in-name-only sequel to Jonathan Demme's 1974 cult classic CAGED HEAT for Roger Corman's Concorde Studio. Earth's most dangerous women are confined to an asteroid millions of light years from earth courtesy of some special effects stock footage lifted from BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS. One wrongly convicted woman is willing to stand up to the cell block gang bangers in the year 3000 but you'll have to lower your standards a whole lot if you intend to watch. I'm taking a star off for the excessive sexual violence.
- DirectorJack HillStarsPam GrierBooker BradshawRobert DoQuiA sexy Black nurse takes vigilante justice against inner-city drug dealers after her sister becomes their latest victim.Jack SPIDER BABY OR THE MADDEST STORY EVER TOLD Hill wrote/directed this blaxploitation cult classic about a disgruntled nurse who goes after the local gang who sold her sister a fatal overdose of narcotics. Iconic character actress Pam MARS ATTACKS! Grier is effortlessly charismatic in her starring role and convincing. She's a terrific actress who also carries with her the physicality to make the violent, choreographed action believable. Hill and Grier would reteam for the 1974 hit; FOXY BROWN.
- DirectorJack HillStarsPam GrierAntonio FargasPeter BrownA voluptuous vigilante takes a job as a high-class prostitute to get revenge on the mobsters who murdered her boyfriend.Pam GHOSTS OF MARS Grier starred as the foxy Jackie Brown in this sort-of sequel to the 1973 blaxploitation cult classic COFFY. American International Pictures distributed this deep dumpster dive into genre which pays homage to all the tropes & stereotypes fashionable on film back in the day. FOXY BROWN was another huge hit for the studio and writer/director Jack THE BIG DOLL HOUSE Hill who took some heat for the violence & sexually violent material depicted on screen. Obviously FOXY BROWN served as an inspiration for the 1997 Quentin Tarantino hit JACKIE BROWN.
- DirectorMel StuartStarsGene WilderJack AlbertsonPeter OstrumA poor but hopeful boy seeks one of the five coveted golden tickets that will send him on a tour of Willy Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory.Mel Stuart would not have been my 1st choice to direct this adaption of the classic Roald Dahl novel; CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. He's no artist. What he did have was a 17 year long professional relationship with producer David ROOTS Wolper and some experience during his lengthy career directing episodic television (WELCOME BACK, KOTTER) & TV movies (SOFIA LOREN: HER OWN STORY). Nothing on his resume suggests to me he was the best man for the job however WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY compensates with excellent production design, an occasionally quotable score and an Oscar worth performance by Gene YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN Wilder as the eccentric lead. Impoverished Charlie Bucket finds a Golden Ticket to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory inside a Wonka Bar and journeys to the workplace of the legendary candy maker with his grandpa Joe. But there are challenges to be faced inside the factory by Charlie and the other children there and lessens to be learned. A more talented director probably could have made this fine film on par with THE WIZARD OF OZ but it's still a classic in it's own slightly stunted way. Dahl hated it, by the way. THE OMEN scribe David Seltzer re-wrote much of the original screenplay leading Dahl to disown the project. Followed by CHARLIE AND THE GREAT BALLOON CHASE, CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY & a 2022 mini-series.