One of the worst of the made-for-TV westerns, this cheap-looking production features slapdash direction (by the unremarkable Andrew V. McLaglen of THE UNDEFEATED fame), an often silly script, and poor production design. Not only that, but it's all dragged down by Jerrold Immel's horrendous score, which is one of the worst examples of "Mickey Mouse-ing" I've ever heard. An excellent cast, several of whom appeared in the earlier and more successful TV-movie THE SACKETTS (in which Immel's music was slightly better but still pretty awful) is woefully wasted here. I wanted to like this movie but found it very disappointing.
Reviews
11 Reviews
Hardly Working
(1980)
I guess you had to be there
16 November 2007
I saw this when it was first released, in a theater filled to the gills with rabid Jerry Lewis fans (of which I am one) who were all ecstatic to be seeing a new Jerry Lewis movie after all those years. The opening montage of scenes from his earlier films was greeted with cheers, and this giddy enthusiasm carried over for the rest of the film. (The donut scene was a particular favorite--everybody there totally "got" it.) Good spirits and joyous Jerry Lewis fandom abounded in that theater that night, and I had a wonderful time.
Whenever I see this movie now, I recall the feelings I had when I first saw it that night. Maybe you had to see it in that context and that frame of mind to truly enjoy it. Anyway, I'm still a huge Jerry Lewis fan as I have been all my life, and I enjoy all of his movies from the highs of THE NUTTY PROFESSOR and THE LADIES MAN to the lows of WHICH WAY TO THE FRONT? and HOOK, LINE, AND SINKER. Now if I could just see THE DAY THE CLOWN CRIED, my life would be complete.
Whenever I see this movie now, I recall the feelings I had when I first saw it that night. Maybe you had to see it in that context and that frame of mind to truly enjoy it. Anyway, I'm still a huge Jerry Lewis fan as I have been all my life, and I enjoy all of his movies from the highs of THE NUTTY PROFESSOR and THE LADIES MAN to the lows of WHICH WAY TO THE FRONT? and HOOK, LINE, AND SINKER. Now if I could just see THE DAY THE CLOWN CRIED, my life would be complete.
The Riddle
(2007 Video)
A rewarding, entertaining independent film
26 September 2007
I got to see an advance screener of THE RIDDLE before I knew anything about it, so I didn't have any preconceptions going in. As such, it struck me as an intriguing murder mystery that was well-written and well-acted.
Vinnie Jones is one of my favorite actors now--I was already a fan after seeing JOHNNY WAS, and he gives another likable performance in this movie. I think it helps that I never knew him as a sports star and thus had no preconceptions about him. The rest of the cast, including Derek Jacobi, Julie Cox, Vera Day, Mel Smith, and Jason Flemyng, plus Vanessa Redgrave in a small role, are very good.
It's unfortunate that the way THE RIDDLE was released and the fact that it garnered a high score on IMDb early on seems to have elicited such an over-the-top reaction against it. Of course, not everyone is going to like it and some valid criticisms have been expressed, but much of the negativity sounds unreasonably caustic and at times silly.
This is a low-budget independent film by a first-time director, so one can't expect a Hollywood blockbuster. But if you accept the fact that it's low-key and deliberately paced, THE RIDDLE can be a very rewarding and entertaining film.
P.S. Some have pointed out that several of the more positive reviews are from first-timers with no other posting history on IMDb. But if you'll check the most overtly negative reviews, you'll find that, so far anyway, the same can be said for the majority of them as well.
Vinnie Jones is one of my favorite actors now--I was already a fan after seeing JOHNNY WAS, and he gives another likable performance in this movie. I think it helps that I never knew him as a sports star and thus had no preconceptions about him. The rest of the cast, including Derek Jacobi, Julie Cox, Vera Day, Mel Smith, and Jason Flemyng, plus Vanessa Redgrave in a small role, are very good.
It's unfortunate that the way THE RIDDLE was released and the fact that it garnered a high score on IMDb early on seems to have elicited such an over-the-top reaction against it. Of course, not everyone is going to like it and some valid criticisms have been expressed, but much of the negativity sounds unreasonably caustic and at times silly.
This is a low-budget independent film by a first-time director, so one can't expect a Hollywood blockbuster. But if you accept the fact that it's low-key and deliberately paced, THE RIDDLE can be a very rewarding and entertaining film.
P.S. Some have pointed out that several of the more positive reviews are from first-timers with no other posting history on IMDb. But if you'll check the most overtly negative reviews, you'll find that, so far anyway, the same can be said for the majority of them as well.
Seven Surprizes
(1963)
the 7th surprize is the best
23 September 2007
I don't remember much about the other six surprizes except that I found them entertaining, but when I was a kid I'd always seek this movie out on TV because of that last short.
It's about two guys who are the best of neighbors, until the day a beautiful flower springs up right on the boundary between their two yards. One guy builds a picket fence that puts the flower on his property, the other guy moves the fence so that the flower belongs to him, and they eventually get into a life-or-death battle over it.
The thing that made it so fascinating to me as a kid was the fact that this is the first time I ever saw stop-motion animation using human subjects. One part in particular shows the two men zipping all over the place while floating around off the ground, and the only way I can imagine that it was done was for the actors to jump up and down repeatedly, kicking their heels back each time--and then the frames of their feet touching the ground were excised, leaving only the airborne bits to run together. It creates a incredibly cool effect.
The film gets almost scary at the end as the battle for the flower turns grisly. I haven't seen SEVEN SURPRIZES for several decades but that last short still stays in my memory.
It's about two guys who are the best of neighbors, until the day a beautiful flower springs up right on the boundary between their two yards. One guy builds a picket fence that puts the flower on his property, the other guy moves the fence so that the flower belongs to him, and they eventually get into a life-or-death battle over it.
The thing that made it so fascinating to me as a kid was the fact that this is the first time I ever saw stop-motion animation using human subjects. One part in particular shows the two men zipping all over the place while floating around off the ground, and the only way I can imagine that it was done was for the actors to jump up and down repeatedly, kicking their heels back each time--and then the frames of their feet touching the ground were excised, leaving only the airborne bits to run together. It creates a incredibly cool effect.
The film gets almost scary at the end as the battle for the flower turns grisly. I haven't seen SEVEN SURPRIZES for several decades but that last short still stays in my memory.
Now You Know
(2002)
Not Totally Awesome!
4 March 2007
I wasn't privileged to see this film at the Vulgarthon, so I didn't get to drink whatever totally awesome Kool-Aid they apparently had on hand there! This definitely is not the greatest romantic comedy I've seen in years! I wasn't totally blown away by the great acting and incredible script, because they didn't exist! What I did find, however, were some pretty good comedy bits scattered here and there amidst a bunch of lifeless and boring romantic nonsense with lead characters that were extremely unappealing! This would've been a better movie if they'd concentrated on the Gil and Biscuit characters and deep-sixed Jeremy and Kerri, because I really couldn't care less about their dull romantic complications! And, unlike many of the people posting rave reviews of this flick, I actually have written more than one user comment!
The Awakening
(2005 Video)
Low budget, high entertainment value
13 February 2007
THE AWAKENING is a lot more entertaining than any film shot for less than $6,000 has any right to be. This isn't just some boring, half-hearted effort with a lot of padding--Mike Conway's direction is inventive and the script is loaded with cool ideas that are cleverly realized from beginning to end.
The story concerns Dr. David Andrade (Conway), a scientist working on a secret government project whose goal is the genetic enhancement of the human body for military purposes. When his wife Lara is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he sneaks her into the heavily-guarded base and hooks her up to the experimental device he's been working to perfect. The results are stunning--not only does her cancer disappear, but she begins to grow super-strong and invulnerable to harm. There's a really bad side-effect, though--she also becomes increasingly hostile and psychotic, to the point where she starts going around killing people for fun. When Andrade tries to return her to normal, she turns her anger toward him and eventually invades the military base looking for him. The Marines, naturally, try to stop her. But the sinister people behind Project Gladiator don't want their first successful test subject killed, so they call out some Black Ops guys to take out the Marines, leading to a lot of great action sequences and more than a few surprises.
I've seen a lot of gazillion-dollar movies that didn't have a fraction of the fun and excitement of THE AWAKENING. The super-low budget and production values are part of the charm--it's fun to see people who love to make movies getting this much bang for the buck. I've watched this movie fifteen or twenty times, and I still get a kick out of it every time.
The story concerns Dr. David Andrade (Conway), a scientist working on a secret government project whose goal is the genetic enhancement of the human body for military purposes. When his wife Lara is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he sneaks her into the heavily-guarded base and hooks her up to the experimental device he's been working to perfect. The results are stunning--not only does her cancer disappear, but she begins to grow super-strong and invulnerable to harm. There's a really bad side-effect, though--she also becomes increasingly hostile and psychotic, to the point where she starts going around killing people for fun. When Andrade tries to return her to normal, she turns her anger toward him and eventually invades the military base looking for him. The Marines, naturally, try to stop her. But the sinister people behind Project Gladiator don't want their first successful test subject killed, so they call out some Black Ops guys to take out the Marines, leading to a lot of great action sequences and more than a few surprises.
I've seen a lot of gazillion-dollar movies that didn't have a fraction of the fun and excitement of THE AWAKENING. The super-low budget and production values are part of the charm--it's fun to see people who love to make movies getting this much bang for the buck. I've watched this movie fifteen or twenty times, and I still get a kick out of it every time.
Sinners and Saints
(2004 Video)
Mind-boggling exploitation flick!
26 June 2006
Warning: Spoilers
SINNERS AND SAINTS is proof that you don't need millions of dollars to produce an audacious, imaginative, entertaining film. It's not often you see an exploitation flick with this many elements -- horror, sex, sci-fi, kung fu, gunfights, swordfights, comedy -- coming at you at such a frantic pace.
There's so much going on in this movie, in fact, that in less skilled hands it could've been a mess. But director/star Melantha Blackthorne deftly manages to keep it all together with a droll wit and a keen sense of the absurd. She stars as Necrotia, the Queen of Hell, who for some reason has taken an intense interest in a certain Father Drake (co-scripter Jason Cavalier), a combat-ready priest who is engaged in a never-ending battle against the forces of evil. With Necrotia's help, he blasts, chops, slices, and kicks his way through a series of well-staged fight scenes against opponents both human and supernatural, with stunts and wirework that are on par with films like THE MATRIX (Cavalier also served as stunt coordinator).
There are several stunning action set-pieces throughout the film, my favorite being the eventual confrontation between Father Drake and Necrotia after he finds himself in Hell (for reasons I won't go into here since it would give away too much). There's also an abundance of surreal, horrific imagery that is often both disturbing and funny, and definitely not for the squeamish. And did I mention the topless combat nun (Liz Faure's "Sister Merrick") who leaps into battle wearing a leather habit and Doc Martens?
But best of all, there's the beautiful Melantha Blackthorne, who is equally adept at looking gorgeous and kicking all kinds of bad-guy a**. She and Jason Cavalier make a good team both in front of and behind the camera, and here they've come up with a movie that looks much better than you'd expect for a low-budget,independent feature. How this was accomplished is nicely demonstrated on the DVD's second disc, which is loaded with behind-the-scenes vignettes, bloopers, trailers, and music videos from some of the bands who contributed to the soundtrack.
If you're in the mood for some mind-boggling, no-punches-pulled entertainment that spin-kicks the crap out of most of what Hollywood is churning out these days, SINNERS AND SAINTS may be just what you're looking for. And it might even help to wipe away those unpleasant memories of the last Ben Affleck movie you watched!
There's so much going on in this movie, in fact, that in less skilled hands it could've been a mess. But director/star Melantha Blackthorne deftly manages to keep it all together with a droll wit and a keen sense of the absurd. She stars as Necrotia, the Queen of Hell, who for some reason has taken an intense interest in a certain Father Drake (co-scripter Jason Cavalier), a combat-ready priest who is engaged in a never-ending battle against the forces of evil. With Necrotia's help, he blasts, chops, slices, and kicks his way through a series of well-staged fight scenes against opponents both human and supernatural, with stunts and wirework that are on par with films like THE MATRIX (Cavalier also served as stunt coordinator).
There are several stunning action set-pieces throughout the film, my favorite being the eventual confrontation between Father Drake and Necrotia after he finds himself in Hell (for reasons I won't go into here since it would give away too much). There's also an abundance of surreal, horrific imagery that is often both disturbing and funny, and definitely not for the squeamish. And did I mention the topless combat nun (Liz Faure's "Sister Merrick") who leaps into battle wearing a leather habit and Doc Martens?
But best of all, there's the beautiful Melantha Blackthorne, who is equally adept at looking gorgeous and kicking all kinds of bad-guy a**. She and Jason Cavalier make a good team both in front of and behind the camera, and here they've come up with a movie that looks much better than you'd expect for a low-budget,independent feature. How this was accomplished is nicely demonstrated on the DVD's second disc, which is loaded with behind-the-scenes vignettes, bloopers, trailers, and music videos from some of the bands who contributed to the soundtrack.
If you're in the mood for some mind-boggling, no-punches-pulled entertainment that spin-kicks the crap out of most of what Hollywood is churning out these days, SINNERS AND SAINTS may be just what you're looking for. And it might even help to wipe away those unpleasant memories of the last Ben Affleck movie you watched!
Fall from Innocence
(1988)
Don't miss if you're an Isabelle Mejias fan
10 February 2006
Not really a great movie, but I gave it an 8 because I'm a big Isabelle Mejias fan and this is one of her best performances. She rarely was given a role that took advantage of her abilities, often appearing in flimsy comedies (STATE PARK aka HEAVY METAL SUMMER, HIGHER LEARNING, MEATBALLS III), mediocre horror films (SCANNERS II), etc. And as I said, FALL FROM INNOCENCE isn't great, but it's a serious, thoughtful story and she carries it with her effective performance. This would rate along with the best of her other film roles such as THE BAY BOY, BLUE LINE, and JULIE DARLING aka DAUGHTER OF DEATH. So if you're an Isabelle Mejias fan like me (I was, in fact, the first American ever to write her a fan letter!) then don't miss FALL FROM INNOCENCE.
Gone But Not Forgotten
(2005 TV Movie)
Great movie -- but don't look at the cast list before you watch it!
15 January 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This is one of the best made-for-TV movies I've ever seen. I enjoyed every minute of its three-hour running time and was kept guessing all the way. The first half seems to be setting us up for a standard courtroom drama, but after that it takes a totally different turn and gets more and more mysterious, especially after the D.A. and the defense attorney (Lou Diamond Phillips and Brooke Shields) travel to Hunter's Point, the town in upstate New York where the first murders occurred, and discover a deep, dark secret that leads all the way to the office of a U.S. senator who has just been nominated to the Supreme Court. (This isn't a spoiler since we see him at the very beginning of the movie, telling one of his confidants that he hopes the events in Hunter's Point never come to light and ruin his political career, but he disappears after that until much later in the movie.)
This movie is full of surprises and watching it is like curling up with a good book on a stormy night. One thing, though: do NOT look at the cast list before watching it, because it contains a MAJOR spoiler! Check it out afterward and you'll see what I mean -- it really gives away one of the major surprises of the plot.
This movie is full of surprises and watching it is like curling up with a good book on a stormy night. One thing, though: do NOT look at the cast list before watching it, because it contains a MAJOR spoiler! Check it out afterward and you'll see what I mean -- it really gives away one of the major surprises of the plot.
If Ever I See You Again
(1978)
One of the worst movies ever made
12 January 2006
This movie has to be seen to be believed. It fails miserably on every level. Fortunately, Joe Brooks handled the direction, writing, and lead acting role himself, so there are fewer people to blame for it.
As a romantic lead, Joe has about as much appeal as a potted plant. His leading lady, Shelley Hack, acts as though she were posing for the picture on front of a box of All Bran. It's pretty bad when the most professional acting performance in a movie is delivered by a little girl (Danielle Brisebois).
Joe plays a jingle writer who dreams of being a serious musician, even though all of his "serious" songs still sound like extended jingles, and the classical piece he composes to show off his true talent would be better suited for a group of musical saw players instead of an orchestra. Watching his dramatic gestures as he conducts this ear-splitting opus in the recording studio, as the dazzled Shelley Hack grins at him like a stuffed loon, is one of the most unintentionally hilarious scenes ever filmed.
Joe was obviously hoping for another big chart-topper like "You Light Up My Life", but its inexplicable success was not to be matched by the cringe-inducing dirge that is this film's theme song. I don't know who performed it, but he doesn't sing it as much as he suffers through it. He seems to be battling his way through a particularly intense bout of constipation as he strains to expel the stomach-churning lyrics. But I doubt if even Debby Boone could've made this song any more tolerable.
When I saw this movie on HBO several years ago, I just had to have it. I watch my tape every so often just to gape in wide-eyed amazement at how truly awful a movie can be. As a bad-movie lover, I hold this perversely-entertaining cinematic messterpiece in high esteem -- it's the PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE of romantic movies, and truly one of the worst films ever made.
As a romantic lead, Joe has about as much appeal as a potted plant. His leading lady, Shelley Hack, acts as though she were posing for the picture on front of a box of All Bran. It's pretty bad when the most professional acting performance in a movie is delivered by a little girl (Danielle Brisebois).
Joe plays a jingle writer who dreams of being a serious musician, even though all of his "serious" songs still sound like extended jingles, and the classical piece he composes to show off his true talent would be better suited for a group of musical saw players instead of an orchestra. Watching his dramatic gestures as he conducts this ear-splitting opus in the recording studio, as the dazzled Shelley Hack grins at him like a stuffed loon, is one of the most unintentionally hilarious scenes ever filmed.
Joe was obviously hoping for another big chart-topper like "You Light Up My Life", but its inexplicable success was not to be matched by the cringe-inducing dirge that is this film's theme song. I don't know who performed it, but he doesn't sing it as much as he suffers through it. He seems to be battling his way through a particularly intense bout of constipation as he strains to expel the stomach-churning lyrics. But I doubt if even Debby Boone could've made this song any more tolerable.
When I saw this movie on HBO several years ago, I just had to have it. I watch my tape every so often just to gape in wide-eyed amazement at how truly awful a movie can be. As a bad-movie lover, I hold this perversely-entertaining cinematic messterpiece in high esteem -- it's the PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE of romantic movies, and truly one of the worst films ever made.
Ghetto Dawg 2
(2005)
Bad title -- great movie!
4 October 2005
Judging by the title, I thought this would be pure exploitation junk, but I couldn't have been more wrong. It's an excellent movie about a ghetto teen who is obsessed with avenging his older brother's death in a shoot-out between members of a Latino crime boss' gang. He doesn't have what it takes to kill a man -- in fact, his first attempt almost gets him killed when he finds himself unable to pull the trigger -- so he starts tagging along with a veteran hit-man who shows him the ropes, and in the process gets a lot more than he bargained when he begins to see death close-up.
It's almost like something a young Martin Scorcese might direct today -- there's a MEAN STREETS/TAXI DRIVER/GOODFELLAS vibe to much of this urban gangster story -- but his influence only shows itself overtly in one or two scenes. The violence is shocking, but presented matter-of-factly in a realistic, non-stylized way (no slow-motion, no fancy editing). The entire cast does a great job bringing their characters to life, aided by Christine Conradt's excellent script, and the Crook Brothers (Jeffrey and Joshua), who appear briefly in the film as porn-movie makers, demonstrate much style and skill as directors.
If you like this genre, or even if you don't, GHETTO DAWG 2:OUT OF THE PITS is about as good as it gets.
It's almost like something a young Martin Scorcese might direct today -- there's a MEAN STREETS/TAXI DRIVER/GOODFELLAS vibe to much of this urban gangster story -- but his influence only shows itself overtly in one or two scenes. The violence is shocking, but presented matter-of-factly in a realistic, non-stylized way (no slow-motion, no fancy editing). The entire cast does a great job bringing their characters to life, aided by Christine Conradt's excellent script, and the Crook Brothers (Jeffrey and Joshua), who appear briefly in the film as porn-movie makers, demonstrate much style and skill as directors.
If you like this genre, or even if you don't, GHETTO DAWG 2:OUT OF THE PITS is about as good as it gets.
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