The Best in 80's TV on DVD! (Courtesy of Mill Creek Entertainment)

THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON

What with the remake and retread craze at an all time high, I can definitely picture some halfwit second rate comic actor taking up the mantle for William Katt as the next “Greatest American Hero” in a big budget mediocre action comedy. Almost like a lame version of Superman, “Greatest American Hero” is never quite sure what it wants to be. Sometimes it’s an honest to goodness tale of a humble man being given an amazing power allowing him to fight crime and save the world. Sometimes it just takes a step back and laughs at itself for all the right reasons. William Katt gives a surprisingly dignified performance as a local school teacher Ralph Hinckley tasked with teaching a very rowdy and violent special education class.

As fate would have it, Katt and his class happen across a reckless FBI agent Bill Maxwell who almost runs him down in the middle of a field trip during the night when they’re stranded on the road. Hinckley and Maxwell are witness to a major event as a UFO beams down… a suit to them. Not just any suit, but a super suit! They ask Hinckley to take the suit and save the world or it will disintegrate. Why? Who knows? Lacking any apparent fashion sense, Katt dons the alien super suit forced to team with the Maxwell and the result is wacky and ridiculous.

Continue reading

Our Cinematic Favorites of the 80's!

I’m in the minority opinion that about most of what came out of the eighties was utter dreck. Movies, music, fashion, and television, a good portion of it is dreck that has remained in the public consciousness based solely around nostalgia and people still muddled by their own fond memories of the decade. Since I’m in an eighties mood I thought I’d finally settle our top ten movies of the 80’s, a decade that gave us mind rotting MTV, and Mr. T only to name a few of its crimes, of course. Rounding out our top ten of the decade was not an easy task since it was a decade consisting primarily of disposable fare in the way of comedies and horror films, while the dramas were basically mostly middling fare.

I was, however, up to the challenge. I did set some guidelines of course. Since the 80’s were all about the slasher film, about every slasher film made in the decade is off the table since this list would be filled with them and ruin the purpose. I’m a heavy fan of the “Friday the 13th” series and the like, so it wouldn’t be an interesting list. We also left out most of the Nightmare on Elm Street films, Critters, Gremlins, and most horror films from the decade altogether. We give enough respect to them, here are ten films from the ten years that I thought were the absolute best.

Continue reading

Bridesmaids (2011)

398208It’s quite rare that in today’s movie market you’ll find a film that appeals to the male and female demographic so vehemently, but “Bridesmaids” manages to accomplish being a film for the men and the women simultaneously. And it took an SNL alum to conquer such an impossible feat. Possibly the funniest movie all year, “Bridesmaids” is that coming of age romance dramedy that never takes itself seriously, but knows when its time to act like an adult. And that’s due to Kristen Wiig’s ability to play the most unlikely movie heroine you can imagine.

Continue reading

Goobers aka Mystery Monsters! (1997)

J4ePjgUIt seems Charles Band is in no short supply of excuses to bring small animals and monsters on the screen and “Mystery Monsters” is proof of it. At only fifty two minutes in length, Band’s 1997 (I miss the nineties) family film is much too rushed to even be considered worthy entertainment. Worse yet the film revolves around three magical monsters who seemingly do nothing and serve no purpose. We’re told they have to be minions of evil, but they’re moved around so awkwardly and lazily by the puppeteers it’s tough to imagine they can do much of anything worthwhile.

Continue reading

Best of Sesame Spoofs 1&2 (DVD)

91PkIf1lu3L._SL1500_With almost two hours of assorted sketches, “Spoofs!” from Sesame Street is probably one of their most pleasant titles. From “True Blood” (True Mud here), to “Mad Men,” right down to “Columbo,” nothing is off limits and they make great usage of adult shows and turn them in to constructive segments that can utilize lessons given by the show. Oscar the Grouch teaches Mike Rowe how to sort our property out in “Dirtiest Jobs,” and we learn how to rhyme with “True Mud” where mud is confused for spud, dud, and thud but there’s no mention of blood. It’s funny and not crud.

Continue reading

The Cheerleaders (1973)

vlcsnap2011070916h12m18.7782I remember watching “The Cheerleaders” on skinemax back in the mid-nineties when they were never afraid to expose audiences to the delights of the grindhouse sub-culture. “The Cheerleaders” is one of my favorite bits of grindhouse fare ever made, a bonafide entry in the rare cheersploitation sub-sub genre that explores the lives of a group of jail bait teenagers who partake in lustful delights as a form of sexual expression. Particularly there’s jail bait Stephanie Fondue who is the Lolita of the group, indulging in group activities when the occasion calls for it. “The Cheerleaders” actually has a hilarious and clever premise to it, and one that will stretch in to two more movies.

Continue reading

Take Me Home Tonight (2011)

Take-Me-Home-Tonight-Movie“Take Me Home Tonight” operates on the basis that we still give a squat about the eighties and thanks to the financial failure that was this film in early 2011, it’s great to hear America isn’t budging in their resounding boredom with the decade. This was only further remedied by “MacGruber” and its eighties crapola that touted the same sentiment “Take Me Home Tonight” does. Director Michael Dowse’s film doesn’t so much want to be a coming of age film from the eighties so much as it wants to be an eighties film. It takes every chance to define itself as the decade love letter that it almost convinces itself that it’s a movie ripped from that decade.

Continue reading