Review: The Right Temptation

Synopsis: When an ex-cop turned PI falls for the target of an investigation, she finds herself drawn into a web of lies, sex, and money, and soon becomes the prime suspect in murder!

Review: This film very much plays up that noir-ish quality one would find in some old-school detective novels. It's hard-boiled and ham-fisted all the way. It could even be considered a little bit fun, but it has some problems.

Rebecca De Mornay is easily the best performance of the group here (and the only worthwhile one). She's got the acting chops to play things cold and hard, yet still has the looks to bring in the sexual component needed. While being played by both ends, courtesy of Dana Delany and Kiefer Sutherland, we also get a look into her character's past, that shows her to be just as much damaged goods as anyone else involved in this duplicitous love triangle and murder scheme.

Unfortunately, while De Mornay shines in her role, the same cannot be said for the others. Delany's attempts to play up being a criminally-minded femme are completely undone every time she smirks. You never believe anything she's telling you, which makes you wonder why anyone else would. Meanwhile, Kiefer Sutherland's character is simply bland a boring. There is no real chemistry in their performances, unless it is supplied by De Mornay's character. It is a clear cut case of highly-talented actors, wasting said talent on material that is beneath their skills.

The film is well shot and has some very nice settings, but the last 10-15 minutes of the film ruins much of the tension built-up before, as what happens in them is more hackneyed and telegraphed, than in a Mickey Spillane pulp fiction story. Also, the film is rated "R," but there didn't seem to be much in the movie that seemed to require such a rating. Remove a few f-bombs, and trim the one main love-making scene by a few seconds, and it is PG-13 material all the way.

In the end, it is only Rebecca De Mornay who gives this film any real interest or life, as she pretty much carries anything of value within it single-handed. Everything else is just dime store novel reject material, which explains why it went straight to DVD. Still, it is watchable, even if in a trashy way. This is no great mystery or caper flick, but something to pass the time and quickly be forgotten shortly thereafter.

Rating: 2 Stars (out of 4)

Zombies!... 1990 style!!!!

Back in 1990, Tom Savini took a crack at directing the remake of "Night Of The Living Dead." The results are interesting. Now we all know the 1968 version, but this one changes some things, although not too much. The story or job they do on the remake has some good changes, or so I believe! I liked the idea of how they make Barbara much tougher than she was in the original. She starts out scared, but toughens up as the movie goes on. Tony Todd plays Ben, who does a good job. Now the zombies are more interesting thanks to Tom Savini's make-up job. I liked this remake better than the original, but I still think the original gets more respect. Now enough with the plot/cast/FX. "NOTLD 1990," opened in theaters October 19th 1990. It was filmed between April and June of 1990. Filming wrapped up on June 8th, the same day "Another 48 hrs" was released to theaters. It grossed $2,884,679 opening weekend. I was some of those dollars, as I saw this in a theater Saturday October 20th. Originally, Tom Savini wanted to start the film in black and white, then slowly add color to it. I would have liked to have seen how that would have looked.. Some gore was trimmed, though in one scene, we see a zombies head blown clean off. Now the DVD version of this film has a great transfer and a cool documentary included.. I really did like this version and was glad to have seen it on the big screen.. If you haven't seen this yet, check it out. It can't hurt... I rate this film at 3 stars out of four...

Review: Cannibal! The Musical

Synopsis: From the incredibly twisted minds of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, comes an irreverent musical comedy, based on true events, about the only man in Colorado history to be convicted of cannibalism.

Review: Created long before they dropped the world of "South Park" on the universe, this is the first work by the satirical geniuses, Matt Stone and Trey Parker. Steeped in the traditions of using toilet humor and music, which they have come to make famous, they tackle the true story of one of the most harrowing and gruesome events in American history.

While the subject matter would seem ill-advised for comedic trope, they manage to make it funny with the many outlandish and ludicrous situations and songs to keep this parody palatable. The song "Let's Build A Snowman" is one that will quickly get stuck into your brain and you'll be singing along with, before you know it.

The opening scene is quite bloody and macabre, which will serve to remind you that this event was no bag of laughs for those who were involved, but the lowbrow and slapstick nature of the humor will keep you laughing throughout the proceedings. Like watching a chef hone their skills, you will get a very good look at the style of humor Parker and Stone would make a staple of their career. It's obvious this film is very near and dear to them, as the opening song, "It's a Shpdoinkle Day," is still played at the end of every episode of "South Park."

This is a bit more lower budget than some of their later films, like "Orgazmo" and "BASEketball," but the true talent of these twisted minds still shines through. The overall transfer of the DVD is pretty good, which is a bit surprising coming from Troma, and is one of the best films from the company's catalog.

If you are a fan of Parker and Stone's other works, then you'll need to have this film in your collection (if you don't already). But even if you only like comedy that isn't "politically correct," then I fully believe you'll enjoy this film and all the ridiculous, off-beat and completely irreverent antics found within. Have a Shpdoinkle day!

Rating: 3 Stars (out of 4) (4 Stars, if you love Parker and Stone's other works.)

Take off eh!! To the Great White North!

Uh, The adventures of SCTV's Bob And Doug Mackenzie.

This is the Motion Picture that Tells us all about Canada, Home of Rush, Hockey, John Candy and Beer!!!

"Strange Brew" was one of those movies not many saw in a theater, but on cable a year later from its August 1983 release date.. It's either you like it or not. Whats not to like here, its a trip away from your everyday troubles.

Plot wise it doesn't have to be much, The Mackenzie brothers are into some trouble. You see they spent their dad's beer money (HA HA HA)! THAT ALONE IS FUNNY. Now they must make right by going to a beer factory to con them into giving them free beer, but end up getting a job there. They are hired by a lovely woman who's recently passed away father owns the factory. She takes a liking to the brothers right away. Now actor Max Von Sydow plays the villain here, he wants to take over the plant by setting up the brothers for kidnapping, which doesn't seem to go right every time. All and all the movie really is funny, cheesy and harmless at the same time.. Standout funny scene - When the boys go home and tell their dad they got jobs and they have their van loaded with free beer. Their dad goes berserk, yelling to all the neighbors ((Hey everyone the boys got jobs!!)) .

"Strange Brew" has some cool poster artwork which is displayed here. Now the 2002 DVD from Warner excludes that with a picture of the boy's. Why they never use the cool original poster artwork on the DVDs is beyond me?

"Strange Brew" is also shown on DVD in its original widescreen 16x9 ratio (1.85) and the transfer is passable. Nothing fancy, some grain and softness is present, but overall decent. Colors look a little faded, as you can tell not much THX was put in this transfer. Sound is good. Extras include the cool theatrical trailer. And a preview for an upcoming bob and Doug Mackenzie cartoon that never quite took off. And a clip from an old SCTV skit..

Overall, take off to the great white north and give these two donut/beer drinking fun guys a chance. Whether woman or man. your invited...

"Strange Brew" rates 3 stars .. or should I say 3 beers!!!!!

Interesting trivia: In one scene where the boys are playing ice hockey, challenging each other with their sticks, Bob says he's seen Jedi 17 times. Jedi wasn't released until May of '83. Making it 5 months earlier. So, not only had the brothers not seen it, they couldn't refer to the title cause in December of 1982 the title change between "Revenge of the Jedi" and "Return of the Jedi" was up in arms (little trivia there for ya' Jim).

Out of Bounds, but not out of Entertainment!

In the summer of 1986 a picture came out and went before anyone knew what it was. It was called "Out of Bounds." It starred Anthony Michael Hall, who was 18 at the time.

The movie had a cool little plot. Hall plays Daryl Cage, an Iowa farm boy who is sent to live with his older brother Tommy and his wife Chris. Upon his arrival at the airport en route to L.A. He meets up with his brother and sister in - law. But Hall's duffel bag off the converter belt is identical to a murderous drug dealer played by Jeff Kober. Kober sees Hall and brother take off in a truck with a easy to remember plate number (contractor) . So the next morning Daryls brother and sister in-law are dead and he finds drugs (heroin) in his bag. Now he is on the run from the cops and Kober and his goons. Daryl tries to go to the police, but they think he did it. He soon seeks aide from a girl he met on the airplane Dizz (played by Jenny Wright from "Near Dark"). Dizz comes off like a street wise B-movie actress, but she knows the streets alot better than Daryl does. So Daryl has to prove his innocence and seek justice for his brothers murder.

"Out of Bounds" never runs out of fuel. Its entertaining from start to finish. Its also got a kicking 80's soundtrack with The Cult, The Smiths, and Sammy Hagar.

"Out of Bounds" bombed, but it was more than that. I even got to meet Anthony Michael Hall and talk to him about this great film. He said he was doing Saturday Night Live at the time of filming. "Out of Bounds" has never been put out on DVD as of yet. Hopefully it will in the future...

"Out of Bounds" gets 3 stars out of four...

Review: Halloween III: Season of the Witch

Synopsis: The trick is on a doctor this time, as he fights against a murderous conspiracy of a Halloween mask company, who are creating their product as a means to sacrifice the lives of children, in a witchcraft ritual.

Review: This film is given lots of bad press, as the worst sequel of this franchise, mostly because it doesn't connect itself to the saga of Michael Myers. But while that might be an unfair bias against the film, it is hardly without many flaws of it's own, that hinder it from being a great scary film.

The biggest problem within the film, is lack of giving proper amounts of information to make something convincing. When the doctor (played solidly by Tom Atkins) shows signs that he has feelings for Ellie (played by Stacey Nelkin) and sleeps with her, it seems to come out of nowhere. There is no build up to it, nothing to indicate that they would feel that way for each other, as they've only just met over the course of a day. Later, when the doctor frees Ellie from captivity and they race to stop the broadcasts, Ellie is revealed to be one of the robots of the evil Silver Shamrock company. But how long has that been the case? Was she one all along? Why didn't she deactivate, when they blew up the factory, like the other ones did? There are just so many things like this, that it takes you out of the moment and you lose a lot of the tension the film should be generating.

That isn't to say the film has nothing good about it. The performances by Tom Atkins and Dan O'Herlihy (as the villain of the piece) are very engaging, especially when they are on-screen together. O'Herlihy brilliantly captures that sense of quiet evil with his performance, as he's all smiles and charm one minute, then the heart of darkness the next. Atkins is great as the reluctant hero, who is clearly in over his head. Also, the musical score is top notch (not surprising, as it comes from John Carpenter). It is very eerie and constantly gives you the feeling of dread. Even the jingle to the Silver Shamrock television ad can give you the spooks.

Still, despite all that, the film ultimately suffers from some very poor script writing and lack of proper explanations. It takes what could have been one of the all-time classic scare films and turns it into a mediocre effort, that should have been thought-out more.

This isn't really a bad movie, but the flaws within it keep it from being truly good. I applaud the makers for trying something different. And while the film should not be snubbed for that, it has plenty of it's own issues that lessen the appeal of it. As loathe as I am of remakes, I actually think this film could benefit from such, provided the script writing was up to par. As it stands, the film is merely watchable. Perhaps something to watch late at night, when you can't sleep. Sadly, it could have been so much more.

Rating: 2 Stars (out of 4)

Review: Lady Terminator

Synopsis: The spirit of an ancient evil queen possesses the body of a young anthropological student, who then goes on a murderous rampage in the name of revenge.

Review: This Indonesian cult film takes the over-the-top action, that is a staple of American action films of the 80's, adds in a dose of mysticism, lifts several key scenes from it's title namesake and blends it all up into a schlocky treat for the viewer. This isn't high art, nor does it pretend to be. It is a blatant riff on one of the most classic action films of the decade and never apologizes once for it.

Some of the scenes are direct copies of James Cameron's classic original, such as the attack on the police headquarters, the removal of the eye, even the first kill being done to obtain clothing for her naked form. You will get a deja vu feeling more than once, while watching this film. The added angle of a mystical plot device, rather than a technological one, as well as making the lead antagonist female, made for some interesting changes in this film, which the original "Terminator" could never have had.

Still, despite copious amounts of violence, some very nice nude scenes with our sexy lead, and some slightly interesting special effects, the film is far from what you would call "good." Some of the dubbed in voices are very poorly done. Plus, speaking as a guy, the way she kills men while mating with them is... well... let's just say it's probably every guy's worst nightmare and leave it at that. Plus, they never really gave much explanation on why the Queen of the South Sea's revenge against the great-granddaughter of her betraying lover will give her what she wants. I guess giving emphasis to the plot had to take a back seat to the action and nudity. Not an uncommon thing in films of this nature.

Barbara Anne Constable, who plays the lead role of the anthropologist turned unstoppable tool of destruction, is really the linchpin of the film. None of the other actors turn in anything beyond competent performances, at best, but Barbara's deadpan expressions throughout the film, even as she uses sex to kill her victims, is just as fun to watch as that of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the original "Terminator" film.

If you are looking for a seriously dramatic story, with stunning personal performances, well, you'll be sadly disappointed. But if it is wild bouts of action and violence, coupled with a sexual-themed tale of revenge you desire, this film gives you all you could ever want. It is easily one of the best selections from the Mondo Macabro catalog and would be a great party film. It's a watchable movie and entertaining in that "so bad it's good" way. Just don't give a lot of thought to what you are watching. You definitely need to check your brain at the door for this one.

Rating: 2 1/2 Stars (out of 4)

Salutations and greetings, film buffs!

Oh, hello there. If you are here reading this, you've probably come to this place by accident. But since you are here, allow me the chance to entice you to stay a while.

Welcome to The Video Drones Reviews. What you will be seeing here is a couple of hardcore film fans, giving you their thoughts on some of the great (and not-so-great) films on video (or, I guess DVD, to be more modern). There's no Hollywood phoniness here. We aren't studio shills or getting any kickbacks from them. In fact, we aren't making a single cent from this endeavor. We just wanted a place to put our thoughts and views on film, which would be welcoming to honest and forthright opinions. Our mission is to give a common fan's view of the film industry's output and hopefully open others up to the vast array of entertainment that is out there. We'll try to point you to the good stuff and steer you clear of the junk. My reviews will be the more straight-laced kind, with which most people are familiar with. My partner, however, is more of a free-formed thought school of mind, who also will likely inject little bits of trivia about the films, as well. In addition, we'll try to cover lesser known works, along with the Hollywood bolckbusters. So, there will be a little something for everyone, in terms of style and tastes.

I'm James Meeley and my cohort is Ronnie 2112. We are the Video Drones and we are all about the movies! Hope you'll come join us around here and enjoy what you see! So many films, so little time. Now, let's roll 'em!