Reviews

I remember this pilot. There was something odd about a half hour musical set in a mini mall. The set was a sick little place that still exists to this day. It is at the corner of Vineland and Burbank Blvd. The trivia section says this only aired once but I do recall seeing the pilot sometime later on CBS very late at night. It was an odd time for TV. CBS was, at that time, renewing TV series not on Season contracts but six month commitments. I'm almost happy this didn't get picked up because it would have been a true struggle between the creators and network. I hope Nick decides to revise it as a cable series. It could actually work this time around.

I enjoy high camp and this is the holy grail of T.V. camp. While this was made to be sensitive tale of two people in love in a time when love for them was not allowed, it is nothing more than a send up of people with disabilities. I laughed out loud when this thing first aired. In fact everyone I knew laughed out loud. The only film I can think of that has more unintentional funny dialog is the English dubbed version of Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster. The enjoyable aspect is you get to see some great location shots in Los Angeles. When was the last time you saw Love's Ribs on Pico? (BTW that was a real lazy location FOX! What was it... Two blocks from the front gate?) There is nothing kind or touching in this film. A contemporary viewer would would laugh non-stop until the bitter predictable preachy end. This is dark comedy at its finest. Come on Zalman King playing someone who cares? No way! It gets a ten in my book for being a constant source of jokes.

It's one of those things that causes me to laugh out loud at any time on any given day. It has infected me. I will never be the same. Of all the movies I have seen this one has affected me the most. I'll never listen to the carpenters in the same way. Whoever Damon Packard is I want to thank you for making a film that continues to entertain me on a daily basis. The world has changed. Night Gallery has got nothing on you. I want to put this film on every car windshield in every church, schoolyard and agency in town. I wish it were something that could actually air on TV but... We all know that is not going to happen anytime soon. I'm not sure if its the fact I grew up in L.A. and know almost every location this was filmed or I'm a glutton for punishment but I don't mind this film at all. In fact the E.T. ride is one of my favorite filmed sequences of all time.

While the 3D effects were thrilling for 1986 this film does not hold up well thru time. Since its heyday we have seen many 3D movies that have better effects and do not have the distinction of having dated music. This was not just a movie. There were several site specific effects during the show that cannot be duplicated if this were ever to be released on DVD. Such as lasers shooting over the heads of the theatergoers, searchlights in the audience and smoke. The effects are terrible by 2006 standards. Michael Jackson is terrible and unconvincing as a space captain. The creatures look like toys and the costumes are dated. So much so that during the climax... the big scene... the huge production number... you'd swear it was Xanadu. The story is thin. Even though this tops out at a little over 17 minutes it seems they story is stretched to fill that time. Oh Francis why did you do this? Best to let this one fade away.

I'm damn tired of all the east coast grandmas complaining on how scary The War of the Worlds Broadcast was. The plain fact is it affected people on the West coast too! This is one such account of that night in 1938. While I enjoy a good whodunit I really enjoy a good JAB at a whodunit. Jason Carter is mesmerizing as Dixon. Dixon who is fueled by rum is skillfully mastered by Carter who at times seems to channel Peter O' Toole at his Ruling Class finest. Carter is a laugh riot! Maybe it's the fact that the Great Detective Dixon Maison is rarely without a hurricane. A drink from his homeland (he says in his British accent)"New Orleans" If his glass runs low rest assured his trusty sidekick Scooter will mix up a batch. Oh thank GOD A FILM with a DRUNK HERO! No current studio would ever grow testicles large enough to think about making a lead a full blown drunk! Ya gotta Love Magick Films!

Forbidden Zone is The reason why I make film. I can only hope one day to make a film as funny and memorable as Forbidden Zone! This is by far the most entertaining film I have seen in the past 20 years. Unlike most films made in the 1980's this gets better the more time passes. This is the Wizard of Oz for the no budget filmmaker! Thank you Richard Elfman for making a film I can watch time and time again! You have successfully made the one movie I could be stuck on a desert island with.

If you haven seen this film you are a loser!

I cant say that this film was the best use of the Universal Classic Movie Monsters. I enjoy a good rehash now and again but this was a mess and yet strangely familiar .At first I was confused. `where have I seen this before...'. then it dawned on me about 15minutes in. James Friggin Bond. S.S. was either paying homage or more likely following a formula that has worked in the past. I love Bond and to see it mocked was simply nauseating. I felt violated. Cheated and mad that no one else noticed. Later in the film the Bond aspect faded and it felt like yogi rounded up all the other Hanna Barberra characters and put them on a giant flying arc.

Sorry folks There is much more to complain about on this film but frankly the movie isnt good enough to even waste time complaining.

Bottom line:Crap.Pure, beautifully art directed crap. LOOK FOR THE VIDEO GAME!

Macabre Pair of Shorts.

It is not just two short stories as the title implies. It is much more! This little gem is packed with good ol' fashioned macabre Halloween funnery. When I first saw this I was giddy with the same feeling you got when you first put on your Halloween mask. Don't ask me to explain it. Its true. This film somehow affected the center of my brain that stores Halloween. M.P.S. is as fun for me as Mad Monster Party was for me as a kid. If ANY part of you enjoys Halloween you will love this anthology. I cant tell you how much I loved the Lesbian vampire segment with the umbrellas of Cherbourg touch. Ya cant help but love this film. Pick up a copy and enjoy a little bit of October any time of year.

What would you get if Woody Allen and Ed Wood somehow had a child? You may get a child called Woody Wood or you may get Writer/Director Scott Mabbutt. Predators from Beyond Neptune is the independent filmmakers "Sunset Blvd." I cannot think of any films of late that truly captures the madness of guerrilla production. With a very large tongue place deep into cheek P.F.B.N. shows even the most jaded Hollywood filmmaker that there is still much to laugh at. Mainly themselves. This is a terrific ensemble film. Like an absinthe vision the characters reveal themselves and melt into the story. The world of P.F.B.N. is so twisted with detail that it is sometimes hard to believe these people do not exist. Make sure you check out the vodka soaked directors commentary!

Its a hoot! Hail Groppo!!!!!!! Brian Patrick