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Reviews
Scream Greats, Vol. 2: Satanism and Witchcraft (1986)
Scream Greats, Vol. 2: Bad Idea
Disappointing follow-up to the phenomenal Scream Greats Vol 1 eschews the planned focus on esteemed contemporary horror film figures, instead embracing sensationalist examination of and commentary on, you guessed it, satanism and witchcraft.
Of little interest to rational Fangoria or Starlog readers, it consequently killed the series dead.
Originally, bearded filmmaker Tobe Hooper was to be the focus of this installment. What went wrong?
Recommended for superstitious adolescents and gullible adults, only.
Otherwise, don't bother.
SP FX: Special Effects - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
That's Special Effects, folks...
Classic cheesefest chronicles the making of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, hosted by Mark Hamill, no less. Focus is on the creation of the special effects, obviously, and we're shown 3rd rate efforts of grade schoolers to recreate such cinematic marvels in the classroom. Consequently, they all got F's. These pre-pubescent amateurs aren't worthy of the urine of Dennis Muren.
The Fat Albert Christmas Special (1977)
Like school at 5 o'clock in the morning.
Fat Albert and those struttin' Cosby Kids get together for what is basically a re-imagining of the birth of Christ combined with 'A Christmas Carol'.
The gang is rehearsing a Christmas performance at the junkyard clubhouse when a destitute family, Father Ray (who looks like Eriq La Salle with sideburns and a porno mustache), load-baring Mother Marge and little Marshall, come a knockin' on the door, looking for somewhere to have themselves a baby.
It looks like the clubhouse is it but doom looms on the horizon thanks to cantankerous old junkyard owner, Tyrone, the hood's resident scrooge who's keen on demolishing the trespasser's hangout.
Needless to say, Fat Albert lectures, there's plenty of bleeding heart moments, the gang get into some slapstick moments, the music pumps and it everything works out OK in the end (in the true spirit of Christmas of course), all to the stirring cacophony of canned laughter (thanks to the live audience that must've sat in the studio for months as this thing was slowly animated).
Strangely, there's no Bill Cosby wrap around segments, no Brown Hornet, no Legal Eagle and although Mudfoot makes an appearance, once again he doesn't bum any change which makes us wonder if he truly is a tramp or really an eccentric millionaire merely posing as a miserable waste of humanity.
Yeah... I'd go with some classic episodes, or at least the Easter Special but if you wanna catch up with the gang and this is all you've got to work with then give it a shot. It'll put a little hot sauce on your X-mas puddin'!
Dirty Deeds (2002)
No fat chicks. No ballroom dancing. Well, not much.
I was expecting something a little grittier and not quite so good natured, a throwback to 1970's Aussie cinema if you will, but I can hardly fault it for that. Nah, you lot'll have fun checking this one out, even if it lacks the depth and tension of your finest crime capers. It is it seems, after all, primarily a comedy but with enough moments of the other kinds to keep you cookin'. Not to mention that Kestie Morassi in saucy 60's gear...
I cacciatori del cobra d'oro (1982)
Margheriti! Warbeck! Steiner! Watermelons!
3 great genre stalwarts, along with good-lookin' Suska (from Lucio Fulci's THE NEW YORK RIPPER), do their best to cash in on RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK's success with this cheap, cheesy but fun Italian-made adventure set during WWII or thereabouts. The prize? A Golden Cobra no less, no doubt valued for its historic rather than its mineral worth since in some regions even marijuana is worth more than gold, pound for pound, and hardly worth pole-volting over a bed of hot lava for. No set pieces that'll knock you off your chair but plenty of this, that and a little Italian-style nastiness to keep fans of Spaghetti Adventure Serials and the aforementioned talents cooking in their juices.