Greetings All - It would be cool to do a post one time called the ten most essential B-flicks, sort of a B-Movie 101 thing. If that ever happened I would have to include this sci-fi horror classic from Graydon Clark (Black Shampoo, Satan's Cheerleaders.) This one's a don't pass go and don't collect $200 folks, just see it, Or watch it again. I'm not even going to begin to explain the plot except you have these flying disc things that attach themselves to people, in this case campers on an outing and kill and feed on them. Eventually these discs are tied to an alien, a hungry alien. A forerunner to 1987's Predator sort to speak and with a flat-out goofy cast. Jack Palance and Martin Landau, say what? And looking drugged out I might add but the real surprise here is veteran character actor Larry Storch, from the '60's, a guy who knew 150 dialects and here he is in this as a boy scout leader lol. Also known as It Came Without Warning, this gem is streaming free now only on Plex. 2.75 stars/2.75
Monday, June 28, 2021
HAPPY SUMMER! - TOMMY'S 10th ANNUAL PICK-FIVE GREAT SUMMER MOVIES - "beach wishes & sleazy dreams"
Greetings Fellow Movie Lovers! Hope this summer is a good one for ya, here's my 10th (wow) annual summer movies pick-five. A list of five suggestions for good summer movies and my favorites. Hope you find a new discovery or rediscover a old discovery ha ha Enjoy! TR
#1 - THE WAY WAY BACK (2013)
On the top of the list last couple years, a movie starring one of my all-time favorite actors Sam Rockwell. He runs a water park in Cape Cod and Liam James plays the misguided 14 year old vacationing close by. The lad's family is dysfunctional and he hates his egotist stepfather played excellently by Steve Carell. Finding refuge in the water park and a new friend in Rockwell, a charming and funny coming of age story develops. Cast and soundtrack are tops but I love everything about this movie from start to finish. From the producers of Little Miss Sunshine. 3.5 stars/5
#2 - SUMMER RENTAL (1985)
Like the #1 pick above, this is a movie that can really make you feel like you went away for the summer. John Candy (at his peak, before obesity and other things led to his decline) plays a burned-out air traffic controller who takes his family to Florida to live in a vacation rental for the summer. Various problems ensue all leading to a show-off between him, his family and a local boating champion (Richard Crenna in an unusual comedic role and he's great.) I think the film works because Candy just sticks to his lines and let's the script work instead of doing a bunch of goofy over the top stuff. This is, after all, a Carl Reiner film. Also look for the late, great Rip Torn in a super supporting role. 3.0 stars/5
#3 - MALIBU HIGH (1979)
Yes, this is where the sleazy dreams come in. An exploitation classic to say the least and a film we're big on around here, already featured twice in the B-Movie Of The Month spot. Making this piece of trashy sleaze all the more endearing and intriguing is the fact that it's lead actress not only looked twice the age of her role but puts in an overzealous, almost perfectly over-the-top performance only to seemingly vanish into thin air, never to be heard from again. She came, she came again, she conquered and in the process left us with one of the most beautifully trashy flicks of all time. 2.75 stars/2.75 Currently only available on DVD. I did find somebody's pretty decent up on YT here.
#4 - WHITE WATER SUMMER (1987)
Great Saturday morning kind of movie. Simple coming of age fare with Kevin Bacon as a wilderness instructor leading a group of teen students on a summer camp outing. Sean Astin plays our teenage protagonist who thinks he has his summer planned out in the city only to be bamboozled by his parents into going on the trip. Without giving too much away, Kevin Bacon becomes the counselor from hell. It's a guilty pleasure movie for sure but I'll raise my hand for the festivities and the soundtrack rocks with late -80's arena songs. Second year in a row on the list. 2.5 stars/ 5
#5 - 10 (1979)
The first movie to make the first list ten years ago, one of the all-time greatest romantic comedies before the term was even coined. Since you should already know all the wonderful reasons to see this movie, I decided this year to tell you the story of seeing it in the theater first run at age 17. I was a junior in a boarding school out in the middle of nowhere in the desert between Casa Grande and Tucson. It was my last chance as the school was specifically for trouble makers. Consequently it was very hard to near impossible to get any weed there, however on a Saturday night somewhere outside Phoenix the school dropped us all off in the parking lot and to my surprise two friends corralled me before we went in and one took out a pinner, I'm talking just like that scene in Up In Smoke, thinnest joint you've ever seen, a toothpick. To us though it looked like a Wonka Golden Ticket and with three of us it went quickly but we walked into the theater and joined the others, feeling quite nice. 3.25 stars/5
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