September Movies - Week 4

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Busy week... but here are a few gems that we watched...

September 23 – Knightriders (1981)
 
Okay… so when I was researching King Arthur Month last year, this movie came up & I thought it was some sort of time traveling motorcycle gang going back to help the Knights of the Round Table or something… but apparently I was mixing it up with Timerider: The Legend of Lyle Swann (which is another great movie, especially the end). However, this is Roger Corman’s stunt-filled take of Easy Rider where a traveling Renaissance Faire troupe (led by King Ed Harris) struggles to stay together when they get the faintest hint of success… like the potential for exposure for consideration to being successful in a way. So it sounds like it would be a slog of 2.5 hours, right? Actually… I really f**king liked it! There’s some great stunt driving with the likes of Tom Savini in an acting role, basically almost half the movie is tournament games on motorcycles & the rest is driving around on them, or talking about it… and bringing up some interesting issues that I would have NEVER expected in a Roger Corman flick.
 
Rating – 10/10 – 2.5 hours and I’d watch it again to share it with others. Admittedly, it does drag a bit at parts in the middle but not for long.
 
September 24 – Jack’s Back (1988)
 
This is part of that late 80’s James Spader era that is always a little bit crazy… but basically there’s a modern day Jack the Ripper serial killer on the loose… and Spader is a medical student who really doesn’t have anything to do with it… until he’s killed by him! Roll credits? NOPE, because as he’s being killed, his previously unmentioned (as long as you don’t read the synopsis) TWIN BROTHER dreams of his death across town!!! Now, HE (also Spader obviously) is on the hunt for this serial killer… with the help of his brother’s hot friend (Cynthia Gibb) and hijinx ensue. Look, I knew about the twin brother (hell, it’s why I picked it) but if I went to see this movie about a med student & a serial killer… and the lead dies… CUT TO TWIN BROTHER WAKING UP IN A COLD SWEAT in a movie theatre… I would have f**king applauded (or walked out then & there if I was in a pissy mood).
 
Rating – 9/10 – I really liked it… and if this sounds like your cup of tea… it’s played dead serious, but it’s still James Spader in the 80s
 
September 25 – Stunts (1977)
 
After a stunt man dies in an accident on a movie set… his brother & fellow stunt man (Robert Forster) is going to get to the bottom of this. This is one of the first big movies of Mark L Lester (a few movies last week, Commando, etc) and is full of great stuntwork… and really gets into the life & motivations of a stunt person… but I also found this is basically the perfect Grindbin Podcast movie. It even reference several of their inside jokes including the Madonna Inn, a van with heart shaped windows & just general nonsense… I loved it. We also see Bruce Glover, James Luisi & a few other favorites…
 
Rating – 9/10 – This inspired me for yet another month theme… Stunt-uary? Stunt movies!!! There’s plenty of them to choose from.
 
September 26 – Prey (2007)
 
No, not the Predator sequel that we saw a few weeks ago… this one has Peter Weller, Bridget Moynihan & their kids going on a safari adventure… but Bridget & the kids get in trouble when their tour guide is eaten by lions & they’re stuck in the off-road area of Africa (most of it) waiting to die. Now, there are a few things that happen throughout the movie… but the vast majority of it… is them complaining & waiting to die… it’s not the greatest… except for a few moments that’ll probably come up on a future episode when we have another Killer Cat Month!

Rating – 5/10 – It’s rough & boring… even at 90 minutes. Watch “Roar!” instead!
 
September 27 – Street Trash (1987)
 
We’re getting into Goo-tober & this was a first time watch for me… featuring a LOT of actors & production people who this was basically the only thing they were in… so that’s normally scary to look forward to. Basically, it’s a dark comedy about the homeless… and there’s some old hooch that’s found & sold to them for a dollar… but when they drink it… they basically melt into multi-color fashion… and there’s just a lot of craziness… and I loved this movie because it was so crazy & the practical effects were so much fun!!!
 
Rating – 10/10 – I highly recommend checking this movie out as long as you can stand people melting into basically crayons… and exploding people.
 
September 28 – The Incredible Melting Man (1977)
 
Still doing Goo-tober… and this one came up a bunch. This one is about an astronaut named Steve (Alex Rebar) who is orbiting Saturn when… something happens… and poof, he’s back on Earth in a hospital bed (apparently he made it back to Earth somehow but we skip over all that in the movie). The problem is… … he’s melting. Basically his body is dissolving and… it happens for a while (like 80 minutes of the movie) and he wanders the city… well, oozing… and occasionally killing? Look… the story is pretty basic and borderline ridiculous (stronger while melting? FOH!!!) and the acting is pretty bad (seriously, the guy who plays Ted has apparently been in 100+ things but I thought he must have been somebody’s friend on set) but… that’s not why you’re watching this movie. This is one of Rick Baker’s earliest makeup effects gigs & it basically put him on the map… and you can see why. In my opinion, worth a watch just for that.
 
Rating – 8/10 – Luckily it’s not too long… and the makeup effects are great… definitely Riff worthy though.
 
September 29 – Night of the Blood Beast (1958)
 
Speaking of Riff-worthy, we watched the MST3K version of this chestnut about an astronaut (wait a minute!) being killed upon re-entry… but apparently aliens are being born out of his corpse… and hijinx ensue. Look, there’s a reason this movie needed an MST3K version as it’s a little slow & ridiculous… so definitely watch it that way on Tubi or something.
 
Rating – 5/10 – I really like MST3K… but not this movie.

Anyway, next week starts GOO-TOBER!!! Izzy has great stuff @UntidyVenus and a Kickstarter going for Spooky Gary the Unicorns!!! Go check it out & get your own!!!

​Steve