Drive-In Movie Classics 50 Movie Pack (1975) Review

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(More customer reviews)50 DRIVE-IN MOVIE CLASSICS is yet another public domain movie bonanza! It's a mixed bag of hits, misses, and total duds! Still, most are a blast to watch, and cost so much less than other releases of the same movies that it's worth the cheap price! This collection contains nudity, gore, sick humor, etc., and well deserves it's R-rating! Now, to the movies! I'll review 'em in the order they appear and use "*" for stars. THE DEVIL W/ SEVEN FACES- *** Carrol Baker is a woman plagued by the thieving partners of her twin sister. A nice twist ending you'll see coming for miles! TWISTER'S REVENGE- ** (This is on my copy instead of FIEND) A monster-truck w/ artificial intelligence helps it's driver defeat the crooks who want to steal it. Pretty dumb, but fun enough. DAY OF THE PANTHER- *** Aussie kung-fu! Ed Stazak is the fu master, out to get a druglord. Features a kung-fu fighting guy in a pig mask w/ a machette! How can you lose?? CREEPER (AKA: RITUALS)- **** Hal Holbrook stars as a doctor who goes camping w/ a group of other doctors in the deep woods, only to be stalked by a crazed murderer! Excellent! COUNT DRACULA AND HIS VAMPIRE BRIDE (aka: SATANIC RITES OF DRACULA)- **** Christopher Lee is Drac and Peter Cushing is Van Helsing in this mod 70s vampire epic. The Count wants to wipe out mankind w/ a super-plague! Also stars AB FAB's Joanna Lumley! Watch for the nekkid sacrifice too! COUNTRY BLUE- *** Hillbillies run amok in this southern fried cops 'n' robbers saga! Dub Taylor's in it as well. GOING STEADY- ** Somewhat humorous, yet boring little tale of teens in 1950s Tel Aviv. Sort of PORKY'S in Israel! Contains nudity galore! MAD DOG (aka: BEAST WITH A GUN)- **** Helmut Berger is sleazebag, escaped convict Nanni Vitally in this bloody, rape-filled extravaganza of trashiness! He's vengeful and deadly! I WONDER WHO'S KILLING HER NOW?- * Horrible, dull, "comedy" about a guy trying to collect on his wife's life insurance. Ugg! SAVAGE WEEKEND- *** A masked murderer is on the loose! Deaths ensue. William Sanderson is a wacked out sort of guy, but is he the killer? Good stuff! BLACK HOOKER- ** Depressing tale of a mixed up kid who longs for his prostitute mum's love, only to be rejected by her and everyone else. Lots of nudity, rape, etc. JIVE TURKEY- *** OK story about black hoods against italian mobsters. Check out the transvestite assassin w/ the killer heels! ABSOLUTION- **** Richard Burton is a priest in a catholic boys' school who finds himself caught up in a psychotic game of death after he tells his class about the absolute secrecy of confession. Great! BREAKOUT FROM OPPRESSION- *** A woman is stalked and tormented by someone after being released from prison. Interesting and different. CREEPERS (aka: PHENOMENA)- **** A shortened version of Argento's classic. A young girl (Jennifer Connelly) who can psychically communicate w/ insects teams up w/ an entimologist (Donald Pleasance) to catch a serial-killer. Awesome! DON'T OPEN 'TIL CHRISTMAS- *** Someone's killing people who are dressed as Santa! Includes a urinal-side castration scene! Yikes! SNOWBEAST- *** Clint Walker, Bo Svenson, and Yvette Mimeau track down a murderous yeti at a ski resort. HORROR OF THE ZOMBIES- * Those rickety-skeleton templar monks are back. This time, some tasty fashion models are on the menu! Watch for the ship of doom (a toy boat that bobs along in someone's bathtub)! Hilarious! MAMA DRACULA- A good idea gone bad. Louise Fletcher is the queen of the damned, looking for virgins' blood to bath in. Alas, there just aren't as many virgins nowadays! This one would have been better if about 45 mins had been lopped off! MURDER MANSION- ** A group of travelers end up in a mansion surrounded by fog. A witch lives there, and mayhem ensues. The twist ending is not so good! TRAUMA- *** Schoolgirls are being murdered! They all have a connection to a horrible past event. Lots of nudity and a rather disturbing premise! UNSANE (aka: TENEBRES)- **** Yep, another Argento gem! Tony Franciosa is a writer of violent thrillers who has a killer using his books as a blueprint for murder! Bloody! VENGEANCE OF THE ZOMBIES- *** Paul Naschy plays a dual role as a wimpy mystic and his evil twin brother. The evil Paul is raising dead women from the grave to exact revenge on his enemies. These babes look more like Manson gals than zombies! VOODOO BLACK EXORCIST- ** Folks on a cruiseship are haunted by a mummy. So-so at best. Gets an extra star for the fire-eating bellydancer! Rowwrr! IN HOT PURSUIT (aka: POLK COUNTY POT PLANE)- ** It's Cheech and Chong meets Smokey And The Bandit, as hillbilly hippies smuggle pot. Car chases galore! Cheap and cheesy! SHOCK- **** Vincent Price is a doctor who murders his wife. He is witnessed by a woman who goes into shock because of it, and becomes his next patient! INVASION OF THE BEE GIRLS (aka: GRAVEYARD TRAMPS)- ***** Men are dying from a love overload as Anitra Ford (Messiah Of Evil) leads her swarm of Bee girls on a mating rampage! Stick around for the ultra-sticky marshmallow cream sequence! Great heavenly days! Loads of nude bodies in this masterpiece! KATIE'S PASSION- **** This early Paul Verhoven effort is about a girl who is forced into prostitution in order to survive. It's a good movie w/ one scene that shocked even me! I'll never look at shadow puppets the same way again! THE WEREWOLF VS. VAMPIRE WOMAN- *** Paul Naschy gets hairy and seeks someone to release him from his curse. He needs a silver cross that is located in the heart of the witch / vampire queen! The battle is short and at the very end of the movie! SPARE PARTS- *** A young couple is rudely interupted during their honeymoon when a gang of organ thieves kidnaps the husband! DEATH BY DIALOGUE- * Awful, direct-to-video abomination about a haunted movie script. Pitiful! LEGACY OF BLOOD- *** John Carradine is barely in this film as a "dead" guy w/ a useless family of letches. He'll give them his inheritence only if they stay a week in his mansion. Faith Demergue (This Island Earth) and Jeff Morrow (Kronos) co-star. THE MANIPULATOR- ** Mickey Rooney jumps, dances, screams, emotes, and kills Keenan Wynn in this psychedelic / psychopathic story about an ex-make-up man gone bananas! Rooney is frightening at times (not in a good way)! Luanne Anders (Dementia 13, Night Tide) is along for the manic ride! THROW OUT THE ANCHOR!- *** G-rated family fare about an oddball collection of people trying to save a cove from developers. Dina Merrill was still hot in her 40s! NIGHT TRAIN TO TERROR- ***** Oh my! An anthology of truncated movies w/ hideous 80's music segments and a God / Satan philosophical debate holding them together! You get mutilations by hacksaw, nazis, electrocutions, claymation demons, a giant blood-sucking fly, and Richard Moll as a sadistic maniac! A must see! THE GUY FROM HARLEM- * The mountainous afros and plaid polyester suits can't save this toilet raft! Dull to the point of agony! DON'T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT- **** The new nurse is in for a surprise! The mental hospital she's just started working for has undergone some drastic changes recently! Vats of blood and neggidness! PRISONER OF THE LOST UNIVERSE- ** Even Kay Lenz and John Saxon can't save this sci-fi elephant tranquilizer! RATTLERS- *** Chemicals dumped in the desert have turned harmless rattlesnakes into manhunting killers! OK. SAVAGE JOURNEY- * Dull portrayal of history of the mormon church. Richard Moll plays Joseph Smith. ISLAND MONSTER- *** Boris Karloff is either a kindly doctor or a homicidal drug smuggler. Better than I expected. BEAST FROM HAUNTED CAVE- **** One of my favorite Corman productions! Made for no money at all, and yet it holds up as a good monster movie! THE FIRING LINE- * RAMBO / MISSING IN ACTION clone w/ lots of gunfire and explosions, but no real characters to actually care about! Abysmal! Shannon Tweed's in it, but don't get your hopes up! TREASURE OF TAYOPA- *** Treasure hunters in mexico encounter tragedy when one of their party turns out to be a murderous lunatic! THE LAZARUS SYNDROME- ** Louis Gossett jr. is a cardiologist in this long forgotten TV pilot. It's not bad, but leads nowhere since the show never materialized. PRIME TIME (aka: AMERICAN RASPBERRY)- ***** This movie is worth the price of this entire collection! In the tradition of THE GROOVE TUBE, KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE, and TUNNELVISION, PRIME TIME is better than any of these! Someone has taken control of our tv sets, showing outrageous programming w/ such shows as: "Poodles For Christ" and "The Sexual Deviants Telethon"! There are many, many more, even more insane and hysterically funny shows! If you liked National Lampoon magazine in it's 70s hayday, then you'll love this! THE LEGEND OF BIGFOOT- * A home movie w/ terrible voice-overs! Wretched cess! SLAVE OF THE CANNIBAL GOD- **** Ursula Andress and Stacey Keach lead a rescue team deep into the south american jungles to find Ms. Andress' husband. Uh-oh! Those pesky cannibals await! This is the cut version w/ limited animal deaths and nudity. Alas, Ursula's infamous scene has been clipped! The movie itself is still worth watching though. TNT JACKSON- *** TNT is out to avenge her brother's death. Her stunt-double will stop at nothing to achieve revenge! Contains the topless karate scene! WOMEN OF DEVIL'S ISLAND- *** Women look for gold and get tortured. A "reformer" arrives on the notorious isle. However, he has a secret! Pretty decent. Alright, That's the lot! I highly recommend this collection. Enjoy...

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Time to get the popcorn and lean back the recliner for 50 drive-in classics that will take you back to a golden era of over-acting and cheesy special effects. Find the best and worst of undiscovered Drive-in cinema featuring box office legends and complete unknowns.

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The Great Texas Dynamite Chase (1976) Review

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(More customer reviews)If anyone out there besides me watched "Thelma and Louise" and wondered why they had to drive off that stupid cliff at the end, and how exactly that denoted a "happy" and "satisfying" ending, you're gonna love this movie. Funny enough, "the Great Texas Dynamite Chase" got it just right about 15 or so years earlier.
Yes, yes - the title is quite ridiculous, but do not (I repeat, DO NOT) let this scare you away. Women robbing banks with nothing but dynamite? Genius. It's filled with the kind of... female empowerment that was strangely only tolerated in the context of a cheapie exploitation film. It's loaded with what I've dubbed "Charlie's Angels" feminism -- that is to say, the women may appear to be tantalizing packages, but try to unwrap them on anything less than their terms and KA-POW! Duck and cover baby! Besides, in this day of sexual taboos, it's pleasantly refreshing to see a movie that treats sex as fun and inconsequential. (Ahhh, those were the days, eh?) Plus, it stars underrated drive-in superstar Claudia Jennings, who gives a typically fever-pitched, ballsy performance despite suffering a back injury midway through filming.
It's high time this film was re-released after long being unavailable. Hey, Corman - how about following suit with "Unholy Rollers"?

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Item Name: The Great Texas Dynamite Chase; Studio:New Concorde

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Breakin' Collection (Breakin' / Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo / Beat Street) (1984) Review

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(More customer reviews)It's time to put your headband and parachute pants on and break out those Grandmaster Flash records for the holy breakdancing trilogy of films. These movies were made pre-Gangsta rap when disputes were settled either on the dance floor or on the mic. Breakin', its sequel, Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo, and Beat Street were all released in 1984 and are a fantastic time capsule of their times in all of their cheesy (and in one case not so cheesy) glory.
Looking at it now, Breakin', with its laughably cheesy dialogue ("Blond, brunette - if they're looking for hair why don't they look for gorillas?"), horribly dated `80s fashion (skinny ties! headbands! parachute pants!) and wooden acting, is a harmless, cartoony look at a more innocent time. And let's be honest, that is part of the film's charm.
After the surprise success of the first Breakin' movie a sequel was quickly rushed into production and the result is Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (great title, btw). Special K, Ozone and Turbo are back and this time out our heroes have come together to save an inner city community centre from a greedy developer who wants to knock it down and put up a shopping centre. They have 30 days to raise $200,000.
Beat Street is the East Coast answer to Breakin' that was grittier, edgier and therefore not as successful but definitely more authentic. Shot on the dirty, grungy, pre-Giuliani streets of New York City, it follows Kenny (Davis), an up-and-coming rapper/DJ who is buddies with Ramon (Chardiet), a gifted graffiti artist who uses the subways and sides of buildings as his canvas.
Unlike Breakin', this is how the hip hop scene really looked and sounded back in the day. Parties take place in the basements of burnt-out buildings in the slums of the city. These guys are all young, poor and hungry to make it out of the ghetto anyway they can. Beat Street also trumps Breakin' in the number of cameos by pioneers of the genre, featuring the likes of DJ Kool Herc, Kool Mo Dee, Doug E. Fresh, Afrika Bambaataa and Melle Mel. This also results in a great soundtrack that shows many of the influences on early hip hop: calypso, salsa, jazz-all thrown into the mix.
Beat Street is everything that the Breakin' films aren't: gritty, cold, gray with characters that swear and even die. It is a fascinating example of the polar ends of the spectrum and this box set collects all three movies for one to immerse themselves in early '80s culture.
MGM has basically repackaged these three movies and so we have Breakin' and Breakin' 2 presented in crappy pan and scan with nothing more than a trailer as an extra. Beat Street can be seen either, pan and scanned or widescreen with a trailer included.
Included exclusively with this box set is a DVD of extras. Sadly, they have almost nothing directly to do with the three films which is a big disappointment. Surely, they could have gotten Shabba Doo and Boogaloo Shrimp back for some new extras? What's Rae Dawn Chong done lately? And where's the deleted scene of Kadeem Hardison cut from Beat Street?
Instead, the focus is on the hip hop culture itself. First up, is "The Culture of Hip Hop" which traces the genre's origins. There is a surprising lack of commentary from celebrity pioneers like DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash and others. Instead, more obscure (to those not in the know) people talk about the basic elements of hip hop and b-boy culture.
"The Elements of Hip Hop" breaks it down into four components: graffiti, DJing, breakin' and MCing. This is a pretty decent introduction to the basic components of the culture and a nice companion piece to the first featurette.
"Beat Street Battle: Rock Steady Crew vs. New York City Breakers" is the only extra that has anything to do with the films in the set and it is just a scene lifted from Beat Street.
"Shout Outs" is basically a montage of people who were interviewed in the first two featurettes giving thanks to all the people who inspired and supported them over the years.
Also included is a music video for "Will Not Be Destroyed" by the Living Legends with loads of nice breakdancing footage.
Finally, there are small galleries with stills from each of the three movies from the set.

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BREAKIN COLLECTION - DVD Movie

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The Blob - Criterion Collection (1958) Review

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(More customer reviews)When I saw that the CRITERION COLLECTION was bringing THE BLOB to DVD - I have to admit I was shocked. This effective and classy little 1950's monster flick was getting the kind of star treatment that most films released on DVD are begging for. And for good reason... THE BLOB is an excellent movie. It hits all the marks, it stands it grounds, it never bores you and it provides you with a original (and even credible) monster that to this day is still more sinister than most that cross the screen (and yet remains the most fun - really, if gum chewed back, it would look like the BLOB). CRITERION again shines here... period style box art (including in the lower left corner a warning that the producers of THE BLOB can not be held libal for heart attacks or faninting from watching the film), a fact based booklet featuring the orginal poster art from the release for it's cover, plus a half sheet poster of the box art that is high quality and all glossy... a beautiful touch. The disc features an excellent transfer of the film. The colors are crisp and the sound is still effective and well balanced. Two audio commentaries are included with the disc, and each are insightful and entertaining. Both remain pretty much screen specific, but do branch out from time to time to explain a host of inside details (like why McQueen wished had had taken a percentage of THE BLOB, and how the leading lady wasn't cast until the very last second... which was the very first day of shooting). Trailer is included, as well as what is really a excellent addition... a photo collection of behind the scene stills, effects (even what the real BLOB looked like off camera and just how big it really was... little hint: not very), and rare BLOB props and BLOB memorabilia - overall CRITERION has given us yet another must have for DVD owners. If you're a fan of the period and the genre, then THE BLOB is a must, I can not recommend it enough... it's pure fun. And if you know someone this holiday season that is getting a DVD and into 50's shockers... start them off right and pick up the BLOB.

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"Beware of the Blob!" One of the great cult classics, The Blob melds '50s schlock sci-fi and teen delinquency pics even as it transcends these genres with strong performances and ingenious special effects. Made outside of Hollywood by a maverick film distributor, a crew experienced in religious and educational shorts, and a collection of theatrical talent from Philadelphia and New York, The Blob helped launch the careers of superstud Steve McQueen and composer Burt Bacharach.

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Walking Tall (1973) Review

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(More customer reviews)This movie is certainly one of the bloodiest true stories ever filmed. Even though many of the scenes in the film are fictionalized for dramatic effect, there are many scenes in this film that did happen to Buford Pusser in real life and that is what makes so many scenes in the film shocking.
Joe Don Baker gives his best performance as Buford Pusser, a retired wrestler who after being brutally beaten in a local nightclub, exacts revenge on the very same people who did it. Pusser is arrested by the corrupt town sheriff and is taken to court for his actions. Thanks to a sympathetic jury, Pusser is rightly found not guilty and takes up his friend's plan to run for town sheriff against his wife's wishes.
While serving his term as sheriff, he is constantly followed, shot at, lied to, and eventually in one of the bloodiest scenes ever put on film, ambushed while driving with his wife, Pauline (played by Elizabeth Hartman). Pauline is brutally murdered and Buford Pusser is severely wounded when he is shot in the face several times with a machine gun.
Director Phil Karlson managed to make a terrific biographical action film with just one serious flaw. People who love spotting bloopers will find more than their fair share in this film. There are at least seven scenes in this movie where the boom mic comes into the frame or the shadow of the boom mic operator is seen along the wall.
If you can get by that, you will be left with a terrific movie.
Parents: Don't let children younger than 14 watch this film. There are numerous scenes of graphic, extreme violence (eg: Pusser's many beatings and gunfights) and coarse language.

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Based on true events in the life of Tennessee sheriff Buford Pusser, who "removes" corruption in his county with a four-foot-long wooden club. When the criminals attack his family, Buford shoots a whorehouse manager in the head and runs hillbilly gangsters over with his car.

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The Last American Virgin (1982) Review

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(More customer reviews)You may have thought that "The Last American Virgin" would be just another movie about randy kids hoping to grow up too fast. If you saw this film in the theaters or on HBO, your opinion was surely changed. Browse these heartfelt positive reviews, then note the price that this hard-to-find video is fetching. People are pining to have this movie released on DVD. It's because "The Last American Virgin" is the rare Hollywood release that made a deep impact on anyone who watched it. It starts with with the hijinks of three guys in high school who want to get laid: The Nice Guy, The Selfish Romeo, and The Chubby Clown. And there are some big laughs in store. I especially liked the gag where they convince some naive girls that they have cocaine, and try to fool them with Sugar Twin! Some of their antics are downright silly, but it only makes things more interesting, once the serious storyline begins to play out. This happens when a new girl (played by Diane Franklin, who became imbedded in the psyche of the young male of the 80s) moves to town. The Nice Guy falls for her, even as she falls for The Romeo. Even back in 1982, Hollywood endings were all that any moviegoer could expect. What we got in this picture, was nothing but a shock!
In the theater where I first saw the movie, the ending got an audible gasp of horror out of the audience. And nothing happened that would gross anyone out... The filmmaker simply let the truth be shown, and after all the frivolity of the film's first hour, it hit with the impact of an 80-pound anchor dropped from a ten-story window! As The Nice Guy drove off into the night with tears rolling down his face, and as the credits rolled, I remember hearing one girl in the theater call out, "That's messed up!" What was it about this movie, that made it so troubling, and yet so loved? One reviewer said this movie was the ultimate Guy movie; another said it's the last movie on Earth to see with a date. But this movie touched gals and guys. Its sudden and stunning dose of reality was a real wake-up call. For me, it was the whole Nice Guy syndrome: I've cried those same tears. But this movie has something for anyone who has felt the pain of going about Love all wrong. And I think some people (who had forgotten some of what it was like, to be the Nice One who was made a fool; or the Selfish One who hurt someone innocent; or the Shallow One who threw away a good chance at love) were made to remember, and I think it hurt them and made them uncomfortable in a big way. "The Last American Virgin" was unique for its times: deliriously funny, brutally honest, and, ultimately, very sobering. This well-acted story deserves to be showcased on DVD. And, yes, it has a "killer" soundtrack!

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Virginity is up against some stiff competition in this uproariously "entertaining" (Boxoffice) comedy about three sex-starved high school buddies with only one thing left to lose. Written and directed by Boaz Davidson with a "bittersweet style" (The Hollywood Reporter) and pulsing with music by U2, The Cars, Devo and more, The Last American Virgin is a devastatingly funny "teen romp [that's] a notch above" (Boxoffice)!This semester, Gary, Rick and David aredetermined to get laideven if it means going toe to toe with a hilarious array of high-strung hookers, naughty nymphomaniacs and naive high school girls. But when Gary falls for the girl of his dreamsonly to learn that she's about to become Rick's latest conquesthe soon discovers that having sex doesn't just mean losing his virginity, it may mean losing his innocence forever.

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