Blue Velvet (1986)

4.5 / 5 Jun '10

Tagline: The Most Talked About Film of the Decade
Directed by: David Lynch
Written by: David Lynch
Actors include: Kyle MacLaughlan, Laura Dern, Dennis Hopper
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Length: 120 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Well fortunately this isn't too weird, in fact it's actually rather easy to follow for a David Lynch film. We follow nosy mystery lovin' Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) who stumbles upon a severed ear in a field. He brings it to the local Police Man who's daughter Sandy (Laura Dern) assists Jeffrey with details about the case. Jeffrey becomes so obsessed he actually breaks into the house of a singer named Dorothy (Isabella Rossellini) who is suspected to be involved with the ear somehow. He of course starts to piece things together and ends up in a strange relationship with Dorothy and several frightening underworld figures. Dennis Hopper plays an absolute psycho called Frank Booth who is one of the big bad guys of course, but it's a performance I doubt anyone will forget. It's one heck of a strange and bizarre mystery to be wound up in and it's an entertaining film as it all unfolds. You aren't going to get the answers to everything...it's not that kind of film. You will get a film that is extremely stylish, often darkly funny and tense and strange. Recommended even to those afraid of Lynch, heck I really hated Lost Highway but this I like!

Availability:  On DVD

Inferno In Diretta (1986) aka Cut And Run

3 / 5 July '10
Tagline: The one story you won't be seeing on the 6 o'clock news!
Directed by: Ruggero Deodato
Written by: Cesare Frugoni, Dardano Sacchetti
Actors include: Lisa Blount, Leonard Mann, Willie Aames
Genre: Action, Adventure, Horror
Length: 90 minutes
Banned: Finland

Review:
Well in some way this is a sequel to Cannibal Holocaust, or at least it's very similar and from the same director. This isn't nearly as good as Holocaust, though I suppose it's nicely filmed. The plot is about a news team who suspect a member of Jonestown has survived and is hiding out in the jungle. Also they intend to hunt for the son of a TV Producer who has been lost in the jungle for quite a while and it has a cocaine smuggling plot too. The missing son is hilariously played by Willie Aames (Buddy from Charles In Charge) who is ridiculous when trying to act, it's almost sad to watch. This does have a lot of violence in it though nothing as extreme as in Holocaust, it does have a rather high body count I suppose (though I could have done with less poison dart death). One perk this does have is actor Michael Berryman (the creepy dude from The Hills Have Eyes) as a violent savage which is kind of neat. It's okay I guess when you add everything up but it certainly could have been much better.

Availability:  On DVD

Abducted (1986)

3 / 5
Tagline:  Her morning jog became a terrifying run for her life!
Directed by:  Boon Collins
Written by:  Boon Collins, Lindsay Bourne
Actors include:  Dan Haggerty, Roberta Weiss, Lawrence King-Phillips
Genre:  Thriller, Drama
Length:  90 minutes
Banned:  Nope

Review:

Sort of a scenic backdrop of the Canadian Rocky mountains is set for this tale of....abduction (you got it!).  A woman is out jogging when she is taken by some crazy guy named Vern who lives in woods and held captive at his cabin.  She of course tries to escape, but Vern chases her down again and all seems hopeless...or does it?  It's not as sleazy as it needed to be (I hate to say) to make it good for exploitation fans, and it's not interesting enough to be a good thriller for fans of that sort of thing.  It really didn't leave much of any sort of impression really but it's been quite a while since I've seen this one.

Availability:  Not currently on DVD

Reform School Girls (1986)

2.5 / 5 Mar '11
Tagline: Some Get Tough. Some Go Insane. Some Will Die...
Directed by: Tom DeSimone
Written by: Tom DeSimone, Jack Cummins
Actors include: Linda Carol, Wendy O'Williams, Pat Ast
Genre: Exploitation, WIP, Action
Length: 94 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Although I nearly enjoyed the campy nature of this (particularly that of the ridiculous evil warden Pat Ast), this wasn't a winner for me. Sure it was sleazy, and filled with scenes of naked (or scantily clad) ladies fighting, showering and prancing around. The thing is, I have no interest in that, I was kind of hoping for a story or something of that nature. The plot is about two innocent(ish) girls who are placed in reform school. They have to try to live with the tough girls and evil staff that reside there. Wendy O. Williams plays Charlie, the leader of the bad girl brigade that is out to cause trouble. It really made me see how gross Wendy is, plus she looks about 40...too darned old to be in reform school. There are a few minor snickers to be had here, and small parts were entertaining I guess but overall I was surprised with how little I liked it. Some absolutely love this though so you might want to watch to see if it's your cup 'o tea. I can't see watching this ever again myself.

Availability:  On DVD