Originally posted on 4/23/09     At a stultifying 135 minutes, Keith J. Crocker's ode to grindhouse Nazi-sploitation, BLITZKRIEG: ESCAPE FROM STALAG 69 (2008), is almost twice as long as his 1997 trash classic THE BLOODY APE, but not quite as much fun to watch. Still, the more prurient among us (excluding myself, of course, heh heh) will find much to enjoy, although getting to these tidbits of titillation can be pretty slow going until the lively climax. With the writer-director of THE BLOODY APE at the helm, BLITZKRIEG's atrocities rub shoulders with lots of goofy comedy. C ..read more

Originally posted on 12/30/10   One of the perennial subsets of the "thriller" genre is the story about a desperate person frantically searching for their companion who has disappeared without a trace, usually in an unfamiliar location. Whether it's a big-screen affair with major stars (THE VANISHING, BREAKDOWN) or a tense little made-for-TV nailbiter with a meager budget (DYING ROOM ONLY), such films have the potential for keeping viewers on the edge of their seats if done with a little finesse.  Once it gets cranked up, AND SOON THE DARKNESS (2010) manages to do so to a certain d ..read more

  Originally posted on 7/11/08   I've gotten quite a few DVDs to review for this site that I normally wouldn't watch in a million years, and so far I've been pretty lucky in that not only did most of them not suck, but I've actually found some to be quite enjoyable. The latest in this series is the preteen angst comedy ALICE UPSIDE DOWN (2007), whose kiddie-hip bubblegum packaging and "coming of age" synopsis had me cringing in fear. Would my lucky streak of non-totally-horrible movies continue? In a word--yes. In fact, this is one of the most entertaining family-friendly films I've ..read more

(This is part three of my look at the "Don Knotts Reluctant Hero Pack", a two-sided DVD containing four of Don's best-known movies: THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN, THE RELUCTANT ASTRONAUT, THE SHAKIEST GUN IN THE WEST, and THE LOVE GOD?) The years 1966-68 saw the appearance of three Don Knotts comedies in quick succession--THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN, THE RELUCTANT ASTRONAUT, and 1968's THE SHAKIEST GUN IN THE WEST--each of which dealt with Don's nervous-guy character by placing him in hazardous situations that forced him to somehow overcome his natural cowardice. In the latter entry, he was swept ..read more

(This is part two of my look at the "Don Knotts Reluctant Hero Pack", a two-sided DVD containing four of Don's best-known movies: THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN, THE RELUCTANT ASTRONAUT, THE SHAKIEST GUN IN THE WEST, and THE LOVE GOD?) Following on the heels of Don Knotts' previous comedy success, 1966's THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN, THE RELUCTANT ASTRONAUT (1967) continues the adventures of Don's patented nervous-guy character, who always seems to find himself in situations that stretch his jangled nerves to the limit and force him to act beyond his normal capabilities in order to succeed. And what ..read more

(This is part one of my look at the "Don Knotts Reluctant Hero Pack", a two-sided DVD containing four of Don's best-known movies: THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN, THE RELUCTANT ASTRONAUT, THE SHAKIEST GUN IN THE WEST, and THE LOVE GOD?) When three-time Emmy winner Don Knotts left his role as the beloved deputy Barney Fife on "The Andy Griffith Show" for a career in movies, THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN (1966) was his second starring role (the first was THE INCREDIBLE MR. LIMPET, a mix of animation and live-action that appeared two years earlier). And, as many of his fans will probably agree, the secon ..read more

Originally posted on 9/15/10   As one of the shocked and terrified viewers who sat in the dark watching NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) during its first run, I found the concept of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: REANIMATED-- that is, the entire film reinterpreted piecemeal by a variety of graphic artists, along with the original soundtrack--to be irresistibly intriguing. My initial viewing of this disjointed and sometimes off-puttingly crude curio was, unfortunately, a disappointment. However, once I realized that the film is intended as a sort of kinetic art gallery rather than a cohesive ..read more

Originally posted on 11/2/17   I didn't grow up with Richard Simmons, but somehow it seems as though the eternally cheerful and preternaturally flamboyant fitness guru in the sparkly tank tops and short-shorts has always been around, exhorting his overweight followers to dance their way to weight loss and a happier, healthier body. Apart from his "Deal-A-Meal" diet plan informercials and some raucous appearances on Letterman, Richard is best known for his "Sweatin' To The Oldies" tapes, now available on DVD.  All five of them, plus a bonus motivational program called "Love Yourse ..read more

  Originally posted on 6/11/10   I never got into those bonehead action-adventure shows such as "Xena" and "Hercules", so THE NEW ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON (1997), which is pretty much cut from the same bolt of chintz, didn't exactly set me all a-quiver.  (Get it?  Arrows?  Quiver?  Ha, ha.)  Fortunately, it's a definite cut above the SyFy Channel dud BEYOND SHERWOOD FOREST, although it makes the BBC's recent "Robin Hood" series look like "Masterpiece Theater."  These aren't your standard "men in tights"--in fact, Robin (Ameri ..read more

  Originally posted on 3/15/16   Once again, I find myself giddy with retro-delight over another season's worth of shows from a TV series that I couldn't care less about when it originally aired.  Yes, it's time again for officers Ponch and Jon, those beefcake buddies on wheels, to ride the highways righting wrongs in CHiPS: THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON. This five-disc, 21-episode DVD set from Warner Home Entertainment offers the further adventures of our favorite motorcycle cops (circa 1980) in some of the most unabashedly hokey, tacky, sometimes juvenile stories this side of ..read more