The Underground Comedy Movie (Unrated Edition)

Starring:Morgan Alvet, Ant, Karen Black, Mongo Brownlee, Joey Buttafuoco, Rebecca Chaney, Michael Clarke Duncan, Jeff Jaeger, Peachy Keene, Lightfield Lewis, Zoska Myock, Michael Parisi, Melanie Pullen (II), Slash, George Smity, Barbara Snellenburg, Gloria Sperling, Brian Van Holt, Chris Watson (III)
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Cannonball is 100% car-crashin', gas-guzzlin', tire-squealin', '70s-style fun courtesy of executive producer Roger Corman and director Paul Bartel (Eating Raoul). Inspired by the success of Bartel's Death Race 2000, Corman commissioned him to direct this down-and-dirty adventure comedy about an illegal transcontinental car race and the eccentrics who compete for its $100,000 prize. Leading the pack is David Carradine, who's brought his sexy parole officer (Hill Street Blues' Veronica Hamel) along for the ride; hot on his tail are scurrilous Bill McKinney (Deliverance), cult queen Mary Woronov, and a host of marvelous character actors. Bartel also dots Cannonball with cameos by Corman, Sylvester Stallone, co-writer Don Simpson, and numerous fellow filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, Joe Dante, and Allan Arkush, all of whom were in Corman's New World stable at the time. Undeniably lowbrow, but also unquestionably exciting and far more entertaining than Burt Reynolds' Cannonball Run pictures (which borrowed wholesale from this film), Cannonball offers plenty of thrills for cult movie enthusiasts. Blue Underground's DVD includes theatrical and TV spots and bemused interviews with Carradine, Corman and Woronov. --Paul Gaita

Description

The Car Crash Cult Classic From The Director Of EATING RAOUL And DEATH RACE 2000!

Buckle your seatbelt for The Trans-America Grand Prix, the infamous cross-country road race from Los Angeles to New York City. David Carradine of KILL BILL stars as Coy `Cannonball' Buckman, an ex-con and fallen stock car champ who puts pedal to the metal for one last shot at glory. But competition on the open road is a killer …and Cannonball is the target! Veronica Hamel (HILL STREET BLUES), Bill McKinney (DELIVERANCE), Gerrit Graham (PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE), Mary Woronov (ROCK `N' ROLL HIGH SCHOOL), Robert Carradine (REVENGE OF THE NERDS) and Dick Miller (GREMLINS) co-star in this high-speed demolition derby directed by Paul Bartel, co-written by Don Simpson (controversial producer of BAD BOYS and THE ROCK) and featuring wild cameo appearances by Bartel, Simpson, Sylvester Stallone, Martin Scorsese, Roger Corman, Joe Dante, Judy Canova and more.

"This Movie Rules! More Cars Crashing Than Just About Any Movie In History!" -Harry Knowles, Ain't It Cool News

"A Definitive Drive-In Car Chase Flick With Babes, Crashes And Truly Amazing Cameos!" -The Austin Chronicle

EXTRAS INCLUDE:
• Kicks and Crashes: Interviews with Stars David Carradine & Mary Woronov and the Legendary Roger Corman
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spots
• Poster & Still Gallery

Customer Reviews:

"Hit the gas,Grasshopper!".......2006-09-08

Before David Carradine experienced a career revival of sorts in Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" movies&crossed swords with The Bride,Uma Thurman,he was Cannonball,A Man on the Run.

The plot is completely nonsensical;it involves a cross-country race.David Carradine gets helped by car geeks,has a strange convenience store brawl,shows off his chest for no reason whatsoever&a squeaky voiced Marilyn Monroe lookalike goes to bed with an unpleasingly plump bad guy.

Okay,it's a cross country race,David Carradine has to win to clear his name--it's good dumb fun.Need I say more?

Good For Car Fans.......2006-07-10

David Carradine did a solid job, but some of the supporting actors were poor to fair. I did't even notice Stalone. It was great for watching the cars though, and even gave me some feelings of nostalgia, with so many '60's and '70's cars. Early on there was a gorgeous DeTomaso Pantera making some nice sounds. Lots of almost constant driving, some crashes, and a criminal subplot (which was no big deal). If you love cars, look for a low price, and I think you'll have some fun.

Rare Laserdiscs - dvds Movies Collector........2006-04-28

Cannonball is one of my Favorite dvds 70s movies,I love this movie,I've watched it much,you will love it too,give it a try :)

Cool cars, crazy storyline.......2006-03-10

The title about says it all. It makes ya cringe a little watching them beat up the "classics". But as with alot of 70's movies they just put the car on full out and let the cameras roll. You should see it once just for the cars.

Yet ANOTHER Corman car picture.......2005-04-23

I recently found myself facing down yet another Roger Corman classic with "Cannonball." Hmmm. I'm starting to detect a troubling pattern here. Every time I turn around, it seems like I'm popping another Corman disc into the DVD player. What gives? It probably has a lot to do with the fact that I'm trying to watch as many b-movie clunkers as possible before shuffling off this mortal coil. Too, I consider it my mission in life--at least at this point in my life--to review as many of these things as possible in order to warn the unwary what to expect should they find themselves stuck in a b-movie situation. What happens if you, a filmgoer only familiar with big budget studio releases that play in thousands of theaters across the country on opening night, should wind up watching a Roger Corman film? Maybe your boss loves these sorts of movies and you want to suck up for a raise. Maybe someone you want to impress has an insatiable craving for crud cinema. If so, I feel sorry for you. You'll have to give up repeated viewings of "Cold Mountain" in order to watch Troma flicks and Italian horror movies. Seek counseling immediately. Maybe you can find a new job and/or new friends.

Before losing all hope, however, you might want to test the waters with "Cannonball." It's not a bad film, actually, although it doesn't have the mega-stars found in the "Cannonball Run" films, two movies that also take as their central premise a cross-country car race. In this picture, directed by cult movie god Paul Bartel, David Carradine stars as Coy "Cannonball" Buckman, a down on his luck ex-con looking to break into the big time by winning the biggest road race of them all. Problem is, Buckman isn't supposed to spend any time behind the wheel thanks to the terms of his parole. Yeah right. Trying to keep a guy like Coy away from souped up jalopies is like trying to keep a fat woman away from chocolate ice cream. Nonetheless, his sexy parole officer Linda Maxwell (Veronica Hamel slumming for a paycheck) tries hard to keep her charge out of trouble. But Buckman is going to race, bet your bottom dollar, no matter what the cost. His older brother needs his help, and Coy needs to feel those miles melting off the highway if even for a few hours. With the assistance of his trusty sidekick Zippo (Archie Hahn) and the unwilling participation of Maxwell, Coy Buckman heads west from California to New York at a thousand miles an hour.

Of course every racing film needs a cast of crackpots driving the other cars, and in this "Cannonball" provides plenty of oddballs trying to make their own mark in the race. We've got Coy's snarling archnemesis Cade Redman (Bill McKinney) dragging along country singer Perman Waters (Gerrit Graham) for some inexplicable reason. We've got ultrahot cutie Mary Woronov driving a van full of babes. We've got a European snob named Wolfe Messer (James Keach) busting everyone's chops in the fastest car. We've got a touchy feely young couple, Jim Crandell (Robert Carradine) and his woman Maryann (Belinda Balaski), zipping along in the hopes that the reward money will give them a start in life. There is also the inevitable chap who thinks he'll win by cheating and a black guy racing in a town car that doesn't even belong to him. Just in case the cast of loonies fails to keep you entertained, Bartel himself shows up as a piano-tinkling mobster who is pulling some crooked tricks behind the scenes. What follows is typical in the crash 'em smash 'em genre: lots of fiery wrecks, down and dirty tricks, a few fistfights, romance, and a keep 'em guessing ending. The only thing "Cannonball" is missing is Burt Reynolds and Jackie Gleason.

This movie offers us nothing we haven't seen in other films. While it is superior to Corman's other racing films, namely Ron Howards's "Grand Theft Auto" and "Eat My Dust," it isn't as much fun as "Death Race 2000." That movie, also lensed by Bartel and containing much of the same cast as "Cannonball," possessed many things lacking here. "Death Race" was more violent, the cars were "futuristic" and therefore cheesier, and the underlying plot more interesting. There isn't much of a plot in this movie once you get beyond the Coy Buckman character. He went to jail after taking the fall for his friend Zippo, and now he wants to race in order to restore his former glory. The idea that his brother is working behind the scenes to save himself from the clutches of Bartel's gangster character forces our hero to make a painful choice when he finally discovers the nasty truth behind the race. Or something sappy like that. Did I mention lots of stuff blows up and a few people die in fiery wrecks? Good, because that's likely the only thing you will take away from "Cannonball." Thank goodness Corman moved on to ripping off other types of genre films shortly after this picture came out.

The DVD is pretty much what one expects with a Roger Corman release. Included for your viewing pleasure are a trailer for the film, television spots, and a poster and still gallery. Interviews with Mary Woronov, Corman, and David Carradine add a bit of backstory to the production. For example, Woronov explains that she didn't know how to drive, so Bartel and company had to shoot all of her scenes in close up lest she kill everyone involved. I recommend "Cannonball" to Corman completists and car racing film aficionados, but all others should probably stick to the corny "Cannonball Run" pictures. Not that they're any better, mind you, but they are a cut above this film in some respects.

Average customer rating:

a fun loving romp!!
Not Quite Like Anything You've Ever Seen
A movie for deep minds
Autism,Off Spring Abuse,Jail Cell Rape,Mimic Behaviour,Decadence,Blasphemy& Compassions
This Is not your average Hollywood blockbuster

Bad Boy Bubby
Starring: Nicholas Hope , Claire Benito , Ralph Cotterill , Carmel Johnson , and Syd Brisbane
Director: Rolf de Heer
Manufacturer: Blue Underground
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0007NMHOC
Release Date: 2005-04-26

Amazon.com

Australian writer-director Rolf De Heer's 1993 semi-comic satire, Bad Boy Bubby, won the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival for its sometimes savage vision of a modern society in which a Kaspar Hauser-like figure suddenly appears. Nicholas Hope is masterful as 35-year-old Bubby, who has been shut within his corpulent mother's airless apartment all his life, enduring sexual exploitation and mom's lies about the outside world being poisonous. When Bubby's estranged father turns up, the boy-man seizes an opportunity to flee, and embarks on a dark journey to encounter the unknown. De Heer keeps his innocent hero moving from situation to situation, like a great blank slate (think of Peter Sellers in Being There) absorbing and repeating whatever he sees and hears. Meanwhile, the people who meet him perceive exactly what they want to perceive. De Heer may be on a Swiftian mission to underscore humanity's corruption, but Hope is brilliant at the more subtle job of constructing, using few tools, Bubby's increasingly complex inner life. --Tom Keogh

Description

Winner of Four Australian Academy Awards, Including Best Actor - Nicholas Hope, Best Director - Rolf De Heer, and Best Original Screenplay.

L.A. Weekly called it "disturbing and compelling", and it was awarded The Grand Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. Despite a limited release in America, it would shock and delight audiences to become one of the most daring and controversial cult films of the past decade. Nicholas Hope in what Variety hails as "an astonishing performance" - stars as Bubby, a demented man-child kept locked his entire life in a squalid apartment by his depraved mother. But when Bubby - who can only communicate by mimicking what others say and do - escapes into the outside, he soon discovers the wonders of sex, crime, rock & roll and pizza. Will this 'mad bastard' be destroyed by the realities of our cruel world, or does a higher calling ultimately await him in the most unlikely place of all?

Extras:
Christ Kid, You're A Weirdo - Interview with Director Rolf De Heer
Being Bubby - Interview with Star Nicholas Hope
Confessor Caressor - Short Film Starring Nicholas Hope (20 mins)
Theatrical Trailer
Poster & Still Gallery

Customer Reviews:

a fun loving romp!!.......2007-01-11

Bad Boy Bubby is one of the finest feel good movies ive ever seen. Bubby's joyous comedic romp through life makes us all sit back and say "hey, lets live a little!!" boy, i laughed so much my sides nearly split. a real hoot!

Not Quite Like Anything You've Ever Seen.......2007-01-10

I saw this DVD years ago during a trip to England, long before it made its way to this side of the pond. This is not like anything you've ever seen and is deeply worthy of the cult status it has around the world. Your jaw will drop in the first minutes of the film and not make its way back closed until long after it's over. And it will be a ride straight through. It's incredible and audacious (as are all of Aussie Rolf de Heer's works). Its sharply funny, deeply disturbing and a great piece of filmmaking. Watch it, but not on a first date!

A movie for deep minds.......2007-01-04

Bad Boy Bubby is without a doubt my all time favourite. Turn the phone off, close your gate, watch it without company only, and turn the volume up so you can hear every word.
I've watched it about 25 times, and it just gets better.

Autism,Off Spring Abuse,Jail Cell Rape,Mimic Behaviour,Decadence,Blasphemy& Compassions.......2006-12-22

12/22/06 The jacket of the DVD gives no indication that an amoral,sick, 35 year old man will commit 4 murders and kill 2 cats...The opening scenes not only show him as a 30 year hostage & abused of his mother (since the age of 5 ,when his alcoholic father abandons her & "Bubby") but him tearing insects apart and poking a cat he has encaged with a stick...his behaviour is totally based (except for the murders : he has no TV nor books that have influenced his "wipe 'em out via suffocation mentality)on mimicked behaviour.."his epiphany" is via evolution of many 'good,bad or ugly' people(including his own various temperments:in one case of his violating a convenience store clerk with harsh punches to the gut, and in another while bag pipes sounded ,him getting raped in a jail cell), many other situations ,scenarios plus an ending of 'anti-climax' that "justice" sent this 'bad boy' to bring down the final curtain , via unbelievably a "married with children" scene.

This Is not your average Hollywood blockbuster.......2006-10-09

This movie is certainly an eye-opener. It may shock and disturb in some places but will leave you on an emotional high. You can feel yourself being consumed by the movie and almost living in the character and growing with him. Be warned this movie will stay in your head for a long time. But on a positive note there is a happy ending and is quite comical in some places, both purposely and accidently. The special features are excellent and anyone interested in movie making like myself, will definitely enjoy the very insightful directors commentary.

Average customer rating:

STARSTRUCK
Starstruck has "that certain something extra!"
Australia Rocks
Fascinatingly Awful...
Thank you so much for releasing this movie!

Starstruck (2-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Jo Kennedy , Ross O'Donovan , Margo Lee , Max Cullen , and Pat Evison
Director: Gillian Armstrong
Manufacturer: Blue Underground
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ASIN: B0009MDQ9Q
Release Date: 2005-07-26

Amazon.com

Director Gillian Armstrong (My Brilliant Career, Little Women) is behind this absolute gem of a movie. Though the soundtrack is pure New Wave, Starstruck has a surprisingly traditional plot. Jackie Mullins (Jo Kennedy, doing her own singing) has just gotta sing! And her cousin Angus is determined to make her famous. The two team up with local band The Wombats to take their shot at stardom and try to save the family pub. Starstruck's buoyant spirit will remind viewers of fellow Aussie films The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Strictly Ballroom, but it has a charming quirkiness all its own. Armstrong fills the background with sly sight gags and throwaway lines ("I'm looking for something good for the cat." "How about a brick and a bag?"), and the choreography has a real sense of humor, right down to the water ballet number with inflatable sharks. But for all its deliberate silliness, Starstruck is a musical with real heart; the 1980s hairdos and giant kangaroo costumes can't cover up the movie's deep central conviction that dreams really can come true. --Ali Davis

Description

From the Director of MY BRILLIANT CAREER - A Totally New Kind of Musical!

Three years after she rocked the movie industry with MY BRILLIANT CAREER, director Gillian Armstrong again brought the world to its feet with this unexpected musical comedy smash. Jo Kennedy stars as quirky young singer Jackie Mullens, who along with her 14-year-old manager/songwriter/ cousin Angus (Ross O'Donovan) will go to any outrageous lengths to chase their dreams of pop stardom. Oscar® winner Geoffrey Rush (SHINE, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN) makes one of his very first screen appearances in this acclaimed combination of delightful old-school story and explosive new wave musical that was nominated for three Australian Academy Awards - including Best Original Music Score - and features songs by Tim Finn and Phil Judd of legendary pop-rock band Split Enz.

Customer Reviews:

STARSTRUCK.......2007-03-09

II's a very up lifting show,!!!!!I just love it and recommend it to any out there , who like being taken back to the 80's for a bit.It makes you wish you were, what ever age you were in the 80's!!!!!! "BUY IT YOU'LL Love IT!!!!!

Starstruck has "that certain something extra!".......2007-03-01

Starstruck is one of the great forgotten flicks of the 80s.

Its name should be uttered with quiet reverence in the same breath as Valley Girl, Sixteen Candles, and the Breakfast Club, but - sadly - namedrop the film in North America, and you're likely to get a resounding "Huh?," even among 80s aficionados.

I've probably watched my old, decrepit VHS of this movie about 100 times over the last 20 years, and the thing that's always brought me back for more is how the sincerity and quirkiness of the family scenes plays against the spirited and energetic new wave musical numbers - sure, they're amateurish by today's standards, but the complete conviction and enthusiasm with which they're executed is a giddy (not guilty!) pleasure.

The song highlights here are many, but my personal favorites are "Body and Soul," the Split Enz song from the band's best CD, Frenzy, and the irrepressible "I Want to Live in a House," which lays bare the link between punk rebellion and nerdy frustration; Ross O'Donovan and his merry band of misfits "oi, oi, oi" their way through a sarcastic and convincing rave up with more nervous energy than an early Elvis Costello video; if you don't have goosebumps by the key change, or you don't immediatlely watch it again, congratulations: you're clinically dead.

The DVD is a huge improvement on the VHS edition. It's great to finally see the film in all its widescreen glory with much-improved sound and picture quality. I was a bit worried that part of the film's charm lay in the nostalgia of watching it on washed-out videotape, but that's definitely not the case. The greatest sin of the VHS edition, as it turns out, was that it obsured the fantastic production design. I must've paused the DVD 15 or 20 times last night to take a closer look at the background. Bravo!

The extras are interesting, but -- where are the interviews with Jo Kennedy and Ross O'Donovan? It's impossible to watch this film without wanting to find out more about both of them. As Gillian Armstrong notes in the extras, O'Donovan was 17 when he made the film (playing a 14 year old), which would make him 41 today. How does he feel about the film and his performance today? An expanded edition, please.

The discussion with screenwriter Stephen MacLean is interesting, in that he doesn't seem to like the film very much; ahh, the classic grouchy screenwriter who wanted to direct his own work! He cultivates the image, as he's interviewed on the beach getting a leg massage.

Interestingly, MacLean says that he thinks O'Donovan's performance is weak(!), and he wishes he could've chosen the songs himself. He also recalls a time he saw the film in a theatre and found himself sitting next to a six-year-old girl, who attempts to explain what's going on to her two-year-old sister. Good stuff.

All the interviewees say the film did better in the U.S. than Australia, which is hard to believe. However, I do recall Siskel and Ebert giving Starstruck two thumbs up, so that might've done the trick (hey, it worked for My Dinner with Andre).

The deleted scenes aren't so great; they're mostly extended scenes, and by "extended" I'm using the term liberally -- they're about five seconds longer than the originals.

I join the (building?) chorus of fans demanding a CD of the music; and, while we're at it, why don't we also demand the DVD release of Modern Girls, the other great forgotten 80s flick (notable for featuring Depeche Mode's should-have-been-a-hit But Not Tonight)?

Australia Rocks.......2007-01-15

I enjoyed the movie so much that I visited the bar featured in the movie when I visted Sidney.

Fascinatingly Awful..........2006-12-14

I saw this film in my teens and couldn't believe just how bad it was. Now in my 40's, it's a stunner of a bad film that belongs right up there with the Golan-Globus musical disaster "The Apple". Every musical number is jaw-dropping bad. This film is a product of the 80's and should have remained there.

Thank you so much for releasing this movie!.......2006-09-19

I fell in love with this movie many years ago and the great soundtrack and had it on American VHS. Thanks so much for finally releasing it on dvd.

Average customer rating:

A bloody 4th of July!
Anyone Who Doesn't Respect The American Way Of Life Deserves To Have Their Butt Kicked
Right
i love this flick
Psychotic Movie.

Uncle Sam
Starring: William Smith , David 'Shark' Fralick , Christopher Ogden (II) , Leslie Neale , and Bo Hopkins
Director: William Lustig
Manufacturer: Blue Underground
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ASIN: B00026PA7A
Release Date: 2004-06-29

Amazon.com

This G.I.-zombie tale, smartly scripted by exploitation auteur Larry Cohen (It's Alive, God Told Me To) and directed by William Lustig (Maniac, Vigilante), straddles the line between antiwar satire and slasher-movie silliness. American soldier Uncle Sam, as he's known to his hero-worshipping young nephew, is a bullying homicidal misfit too ornery to die. His bloodied and burned corpse, sent home from Kuwait for burial, crawls out of his casket and declares war on punks, crooked politicians, draft dodgers, and pretty much anyone who wanders into his path. There are some interesting ideas floating around--a pointed commentary on the attraction of violence under the flag of patriotism, an undercurrent of psychosis and sadism in Sam's home life, and a clever twist on all-American iconography--which get lost in the Fourth of July reign of terror. Body-count fans will appreciate victims hacked with hatchets, cleavers, and garden shears, teenagers buried alive, and a severed head found smoking in a barbecue pit. David "Shark" Fralick stars as Sam, with Isaac Hayes as a crippled Korean War vet and small roles by cult stars Bo Hopkins, Timothy Bottoms, P.J. Soles, and Robert Forster, a smarmy governor given a fireworks sendoff he'll never forget. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

A bloody 4th of July!.......2006-05-24

Sgt. Sam Harper has been killed during the Gulf War and his body has been brought back to his American hometown. His wife and nephew are both shattered by the news of his death, but a night later he is brought back to life mysteriously as a zombie who has a vengence to kill especially those who aren't patriotic and even dresses up in a Uncle Sam costume to kill his victims, as it's up to a former Korean war hero ( Issac Hayes) and Sam's nephew to put an end to this maniacal undead fiend from continuing to kill people.

Entertaining and gory if funny horror comedy from director William Lusting ( "Maniac", "Vigilantee") and writer Larry Cohen ("The Stuff", "It's Alive") combines a witty and gruesome little tale about a bloody 4th of July. There is some social satire like in some of Larry Cohen's stuff and dark humor as well in this now modern cult horror comedy fave that is well worth a look.

This DVD from Blue Underground has good picture and sound quality, two audio commentaries, Theatrical Trailer and poster-and-still gallery.

Also recommended: " Hostel", "Rabid Grannies", "Re-Animator", "House of 1000 Corpses", "The Devil's Rejects", "From Dusk Till Dawn", " A Nighmare on Elm Street series", "Street Trash", "Friday The 13th series", " Freddy Vs. Jason", " The Burning", "Sleepaway Camp", "Demons", "Tenebre", "The New York Ripper", " Faust: Love of the Damned", "Ichi The Killer", "The Toxic Avenger", "Tromeo and Juliet", "Scream 1 & 2", "High Tension", "Q: The Winged Serpent", "Cemetery Man", "Troma's War", "Combat Shock", "Kill Bill Vol. 1", "Terror Train", " Halloween", "Bad Taste", "Dead Alive (a.k.a. Braindead)", "Evil Dead II", " Texas Chainsaw Massacre part 2", "Martin", "American Werewolf in London", "Hannibal", "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer", "Jack Frost ( Horror flick)", and "Ginger Snaps".

Anyone Who Doesn't Respect The American Way Of Life Deserves To Have Their Butt Kicked.......2005-10-16

A movie that actually has that line in it is already deserving of at least three stars. Uncle Sam is one entertaining film. Notice I say "entertaining" and not "scary". A few of the one star reviewers apparently expected this to be scary, but all you have to do is merely look at the coverbox of this film, and anyone with common sense knows that this isn't meant to be taken seriously. Uncle Sam is directed by Blue Underground founder, Bill Lustig. Lustig directed Maniac Cop, which this film is very similar to. B movie legend Larry Cohen wrote the script. Sam was "killed" by friendly fire in the Gulf war, and once his body is shipped home, he decides he isn't gonna rest in peace. Sam is a hardcore patriot(and psychotic and child molester), and blames his "death" on Un-American Americans(he indirectly refers to hippies and draft dodgers as "cowards"). Once out of the coffin, he dons an Uncle Sam outfit and wreaks havoc at his hometown's annual 4th of July celebration. His targets include the draft dodging schoolteacher, the cop moving in on his wife, a couple of flag burning punks, a tax cheater, and a guy who makes a mockery of the national anthem. As ridiculous as this plot sounds, and as easy as it may be to lump this film into the category of silly horror flicks like Leprechaun and Jack Frost, Uncle Sam seems to have a little more class. Though it's not meant to be taken seriously, it's not trying to be outright comedy like the aforementioned films. The style is more in the vein of an 80s slasher flick without taking itself as seriously as one. Bill Lustig knows the genre. He may not have directed many films, but he's extremely immersed in the horror/exploitation genre. He's made his own contributions in the early 80s, and of course he runs Blue Underground. Before the end credits he even has a dedication to Lucio Fulci(this film was made right about the time of his death in 96). Plus, with Cohen on board as the writer, we have a real dynamite combination. That's not saying the movie is perfect. There's a blind, crippled kid who shows up about an hour into the film possessing a psychic ability and a strange bond to Sam which is never fully explained. All in all this character is completely pointless and does nothing at all for the movie. Genre fans will be pleased to see Bo Hopkins, PJ Soles and Robert Forster in small roles. You eventually get a good look at Sam's face in the last ten minutes or so of the film and I must say he does look kinda creepy. Definitely one you should see. After all, you're not a communist are ya?

Right.......2005-05-11

Are you kidding me? This movies is about as interesting as Children of the Living Dead.

i love this flick.......2005-04-12

I remember back in the day, I skateboarded to the local blockbuster (this was when I lived in Milwaulkee, Alaska doesn't have very many blockbusters lol), skipping school because it was the day before we got off for thanksgiving and we weren't doing anything anyway, and got this movie and Creepy Crawlers on VHS. I went home and watched it, and it scared the crap out of me. When he buries that guy alive, the impalement, the decapitation, I won't ruin anymore for you. But I will tell you this, if you like horror(and I am referring to real horror, not Scream and the like, but TCM, Halloween, the Funhouse, clownhouse, etc.), then you HAVE to see this movie. I finally found this on DVD, along with Creepy Crawlers, and I am so glad that I have them. It is absolutely perfect to watch on a stormy day in a dark room. It has a few political messages, but not enough to ruin the horror or atmosphere of the movie. So if you like 80's style horror/slasher flicks(I love em), then you gotta see this, hands down. A perfect double feature with Creepy Crawlers(that is probably just me though, because it reminds me of those rad cold days skating and watching horror movies, plus Creepy Crawlers is one hell of a scary movie). Kick back and enjoy a movie that is easily one of the best horror flicks of the 90's(Scream eat ya heart out!!)

Psychotic Movie........2004-07-10

I really enjoyed this movie it was chessy but at the same time kinda creepy.It made no sense that they would send a three year dead corpse to a family's house.I think this was the last of creative Horror Movies brutal deaths ,and funny one liners by Sam Harper.I thought the plot was good Though it never explains why he came back from the dead.Anyhow this a must have for any horror movie fan Collection.

Samuel Beckett's Happy Days (Broadway Theatre Archive)

Average customer rating:

One of the finest issues in this series
A great introduction to beckett's theatrical work
I loved it, carousing my sense of timbre.
Essential and timeless: a perfect marriage of two artists
The brilliance of Beckett and Worth

Samuel Beckett's Happy Days (Broadway Theatre Archive)
Starring: Irene Worth , George Voskovec , and Anita Merritt
Director: David Heeley
Manufacturer: Kultur Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00008AORI
Release Date: 2003-01-28

Description

Suffused with tenderness, lucidity, and humor, Samuel Beckett's Happy Days is a comedy in pure, music-hall style. Legendary three-time Tony Award-winning actress Irene Worth (Lost in Yonkers) stars as Winnie, an optimist who--deep down--senses she has little to feel "happy" about, though she never allows a day to pass without looking her best and hoping for better. Worth gives a tour-de-force performance as she chatters incessantly and cheerily on a variety of subjects, portraying Winnie as the embodiment of humankind's nobler virtues: wise, just, majestic, and committed to her conviction that "this will have been a happy day."

Customer Reviews:

One of the finest issues in this series.......2006-06-07

Terrific production of this Beckett play. Worth gives a brilliant performance. Glad it was documented.

A great introduction to beckett's theatrical work.......2006-05-27

This is a wonderful production of Happy Days, as far as I know faithful to Beckett's specific directions (he considered his stage directions as important as the dialog). Irene Worth is magnificent, as is the actor who played Willy. By all means, buy this DVD and enjoy it. If you're new to Beckett, this will whet your appetite for more. For the big Beckett fan (like me), I highly recommend Beckett on Film, the 4-DVD set of all 19 of Beckett's theatrical works, with a fine documentary and commentary, done by 19 contemporary directors. It's pricey but well worth the money.

There is an interesting controversy about filming Beckett's work and the 'interpretation' that that implies. Make your own decision -- and enjoy.

I loved it, carousing my sense of timbre........2005-02-17

everyone seesm to get confused befuddled(s),opaque when comprehensibility is the focus when in fact there really isn't anything directly direct in Becjkett, it is like a "phanthom" language we know and don't know, sure English, but an English suffused,impacted,pre-opted,turned and whirled/twirled around for contemplation. Irene-y gets Beckett I think in the gradations of restriant she harbors, she takes into her limited heart here. Beckett keeps a short leash on his actors,like musicians reading notes and dynamic markings, articulation of timbre, of the English language. Listening to Beckett is like accumulations, distributions of tones, and timbres, fragments of sounds vocables consconants, all beautiful if you know where to listen. I find the weight of time to be painfully there, that was his intent I think to make you feel as if you are dragging yourself through the day, arduously, how time places "weight" weight of being alive, of living, of attenuations of consciousness, what a human being needs to do to keep going, to go on. This weight is only releived with the sense of lightness,some call it humor, but it is humor within Beckett's context. You may find too much the comedic in Beckett and sometimes it is overdone, overwrought, wrong-headed,where the words are just sputtered,spitted out without a sense of its placement within an elegant structure, Beckett build,constructs for us, for him,for you and for me. Understanding I think happens only over periods of time, swabs of time, temporality in packages time in parcels. Beckett continues to be the extreme challenge for the actor, the virtuosic if that is what you think you want or think you need as an artist of the word,of the drama.

Essential and timeless: a perfect marriage of two artists.......2003-10-04

One of Beckett's most profound and moving plays is also one of his funniest.

Irene Worth, one of the world's greatest stage actresses, embodies one of theater's greatest female roles with both a lyrical tenderness and a deep sensuality.There is, in fact, nothing overblown or stagy about her performance: Worth is the quintessential Winnie. Famous for her deeply intelligent interpretations and blessed with a marvelously resonant voice, she is the ideal actress for a part that requires so little physicality and so much vocal depth. She understands every word of Beckett's text, and conveys her understanding with every breath she takes.

To say she is too "theatrical" and to ridicule the pronunciation of her name are pitifully inaccurate and pitifully beside the point.

The recording of her performance in this great play is a marvelous document to possess.

The brilliance of Beckett and Worth.......2003-07-01

Irene Worth was a great actress. When teamed with Samuel Beckett's words, it is an experience to be treaured. True, Beckett is not for everyone. But for anyone with a brain, a heart, a soul, and a sense of humanity, Beckett connects. Those who don't "get" Beckett tend to hate Beckett and that's too bad. For the rest of us, Beckett hits a chord, creates a visceral reaction, illuminates the abyss. And Miss Worth (whose name was pronounced Irene-y, just as it is in England, where she spent a great deal of her career) is simply delightful to watch, as she always was. She combines the sadness, optimism, coyness, despair, beauty, and humour that is Winnie, in a way that few actresses could hope to do.

Average customer rating:

This is not the original movie: million eyes of Sumuru
The Girl from Rio
JESS FRANCO FUN
Excellent
A real curiosity !

The Girl From Rio
Starring: Shirley Eaton , Elisa Montes , Walter Rilia , Maria Rohm , and Richard Wyler
Director: Jesús Franco
Manufacturer: Blue Underground
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ASIN: B00013F31C
Release Date: 2004-01-01

Customer Reviews:

This is not the original movie: million eyes of Sumuru.......2007-03-27

This movie is incredibly slow, unexciting and dull.
I have bought it because I saw a couple of scenes from "million eyes of sumuru" and stupidly thought that "thegirl from rio" was just a new title given to an old movie, million eyes, in fact.

as this is not the case and for some odd reason "million eyes of sumuru" is not available on DVD or VHS I suggest you to lobby for the issue of million eyes better than buying this stupid movie.

The Girl from Rio.......2006-07-03

Actually, I thought I ordered Girl from Rio and instead this one was delivered. I've ordered again and I hope this time it will be alright.
About the film, no coments. Besides the rare scenes of the Rio old street carnival, it was a junk. Well, maybe I should consider some because it was produced in the 60's I guess(?), but seriously, it shouldn't even be in the list of your distinct company's list of DVDs.

JESS FRANCO FUN.......2004-06-26

The ever dodgy JESS FRANCO directs a pretty good flick with this one. GIRL FROM RIO is absolute cheese, largely incomprehensible, but benefits from a fun score and silly 60's costumes for the female army.

This is actually sillier than any episode of WONDER WOMAN with it's island of all women. In GIRL FROM RIO there exists a city of all women called FEMINA. It is ruled by the mysterious SUMURU (Shirley Eaton). Oddly enough the name SUMURU never appears in the credits but only in the film. In the credits she is billed as SUMITRA...whatever.

The best part apart this DVD are the extras where JESS FRANCO and SHIRLEY EATON kind of trash each other. JESS FRANCO saying that SHIRLEY EATON was 'unworthy' of legend status and EATON grumbling about FRANCO shooting a lesbian scene involving her character using a body double.

GIRL FROM RIO is still frustrating FRANCO and does not compare to brilliant FRANCO films like THE DIABOLICAL DR. Z, and VAMPYRO (...).

Excellent.......2004-04-15

James Bond style 60s softcore sci fi. Excellent if you like that kind of stuff. Movie about a race of women trying to take over the world. Done with Class.

A real curiosity !.......2004-02-02

The plot of "The girl from Rio" is quite simple: Sumuru and her army of women want to exterminate the whole human male gender. Actions scenes are not the best moments of this movie. The interest is somewhere else. It's much more its weird and wild atmosphere, which will enjoy the Franco aficionados. It's difficult not to be fascinated by the world of Femina City, the lair of the female warriors. Shirley Eaton and Maria Rohm are simply amazing in all her sexy suits and there is also a wonderful song called of course "The girl from Rio". The final scene on the ship is a typical example for Franco's touch!
The quality of this DVD is in a good shape. As Bonus we have some interviews of Jess Franco, Harry Alan Towers and the very natural Shirley Eaton. A lot of posters and stills complete this DVD with of course a Jess Franco bio and some facts of Sumuru.
"The girl from Rio" is a real curiosity and I'm sure Franco friends will enjoy it. Blue Underground did again a fine job.

The Underground Comedy Movie (Unrated Edition)

Average customer rating:

Great if you are stoned or drunk.
The Worst movie EVER.
Don't Waste Your Time and Money on This
It's no KFM, but it's OK.
Get some Troma instead

The Underground Comedy Movie (Unrated Edition)
Starring: Morgan Alvet , Ant , Karen Black , Mongo Brownlee , and Joey Buttafuoco
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000E69JF
Release Date: 2003-12-16

Description

It's the ultimate in-your-face shock comedy! Chockfull of irreverent skits, TV show parodies, music videos and utter human folly, this is sure to make you laugh and bound to make you squirm. From supermodels to bad ladies, no one escapes this onslaught of rampant lampoonery! Features Michael Clarke Duncan (Daredevil, The Green Mile), Guns N' Roses' Slash, Baywatch's Gena Lee Nolin, Karen Black (House of 1000 Corpses), California gubernatorial hopeful Angelyne, and tabloid legend Joey Buttafuoco In the hilarious tradition of Kentucky Fried Move, Amazon Women on the Moon, and The Groove Tube.

Customer Reviews:

Great if you are stoned or drunk........2007-06-15

This comedy flick has a few moments of humor, but for the most part you have to be a fan raunch-humor in order to like it. There's a alot of dumb comedy skits, but for the most part if you don't like bum fights, nepolean dynamite, or jackass type humor. you are not going to like this. So buyer beware. See if someone you know is into this stuff and talk them into buying it, then you watch it with them and if you hate it, you are not out any money.

The Worst movie EVER........2006-09-28

This movie is so terrible. I like some movies that are extremely low-budget and that aren't considered by most to be funny or otherwise good, but I couldn't even get through a half hour of this garbage. Some people have said that they got ONE laugh out of it, but I couldn't find anything even remotely funny about this film, if you could even call it that. It claims to be "offensive", but the movie is so dumb that anyone who could see it as such would likely disregard any lack of tact as mere stupidity. Don't even rent this...take your 3 bucks and buy a couple of those $1 movies from Wal-Mart. I promise you they'll be better than this.

Don't Waste Your Time and Money on This.......2006-05-01

This movie is just not funny. It's not shocking, edgy, or offensive. It's just stupid. In the credits, it says something about the producers of "There's Something About Mary" ripping this movie off. Nothing in "There's Something About Mary" reminded me of this "movie" in the slightest. Maybe they stole the funny parts and didn't give them back, and that's why we're left with this unfunny non-movie. I'll admit that my sense of humor is very low-brow, immature, and childish, but I still didn't even laugh once. Not a chuckle. Not even a titter. There is no way that any human being could find this "movie" funny or entertaining in any way. Don't be deceived by the one star in my rating. It's not even worth one star, I just didn't have the option of picking anything lower. Don't make the same mistake I made. There's 1.5 hours of my life that I wasted and I'll never have back. Don't let it happen to you.

It's no KFM, but it's OK. .......2005-07-28

Completly forget what's on the cover of this film... the actress' it shows have about 2 minute's on screen time, Slash has a pethetic role for one scene, and Michael Clark Duncan's gay/virgin scenes are not funny. Plus, I was never offended at anything.

From my understanding after seeing this, it seems to be a reunion show of some cable access show that they did in 1988 or something.

It's kind of a sketch comedy movie along the lines of Kentucky Fried Movie, but it's not. This movie does have afew laughs and histerical moments, but a few scenes dont work. Like the guy who is tryin gto be Arnold Swartzenegger who sounds more like Jaun Claude Vanne Damm... his scenes should have been one scene, not showing a teaser bit for it in between other scenes before it was shown who he was talking to (if you've seen this film, you'll know what I mean)

A few things dont work at all, but yet, there are also things that didnt work in KFM but that didnt stop it from being a classic. I'm defintly not saying this movie is going to be a classic, far from it... but it it is good to see a new movie of this kind where it's just for fun and not for awards.

Where else this movie fails is repeating things. It shows the same situation repeated, but instead of being noticibly diffrent, it almost just seems like the had 40 minute's of footage when the cut the film, and to extend it they put in the alternate takes... even one of the Michael Clark Duncan scenes show them laughing at the end of it, and I think i think that was them really laughing doing an improve.

Mostly it's the lack of more scenes, and repeating or showing the alternate take that makes this movie suffer from being a great movie. But, it is only an independant one, it is funny enough for me to say rent it. But, I guess everyone's taste is diffrent, 'cause a lot of reviewrs say they hate it... however, they may just all be the same person standing around a subway sewer grinding into it.

It's OK, it's not perfect, it's not great, but hell, it's better then that pethetic Groove Tube.

Get some Troma instead.......2004-12-23

Oh, lordy.

I bought this movie after seeing it at Media Play and remembering the late-night commercial. After getting totally into recent Troma movies, I figured this would be a good addition to the "offensive, f'ed up" movie collection. I was wrong. Dead wrong. I'm not even half-way through this movie, just getting to the Dickman skit, and I'm writing this review. Please don't buy this movie.
First of all, I wasn't offended. Granted, it's hard to offend me. But I can't imagine very much in this movie that would offend anyone.
Second, the movie is just not funny. Nothing in this movie is funny. Really. Absolutely nothing. You'll see somewhat graphic violence. You'll see some gratuituous female nudity. You'll see celebrity cameos. You'll see a lot of things that the makers of this movie thought would be funny. But unfortunately, they forgot to write jokes around them. Was anything in this movie even trying to be funny? It's really hard to tell. Ultimately, all you'll really see in this movie is your hard-earned money being flushed down the drain.
Again, please don't make the same mistake I did. Please don't buy this movie. Don't even watch this movie. You might be tempted just because of all the bad reviews you'll read here saying how bad it is. But don't be fooled. This is not "so bad it's good". This is just bad.
In closing, if you're looking for a movie that IS funny AND offensive, I would point you to recent Troma releases such as "Terror Firmer" and "Toxic Avenger 4". Just please don't buy this movie.

Average customer rating:

Interesting Cohen DEBUT.
Not Cohen's best work
Larry Cohen's Dark Black Comedy
A Bad Day in Beverly Hills
Jump-cut masterpiece

Bone
Starring: Yaphet Kotto , Andrew Duggan , Joyce Van Patten , Jeannie Berlin , and Casey King
Director: Larry Cohen
Manufacturer: Blue Underground
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0000AGQ5B
Release Date: 2003-08-26

Amazon.com

Future B movie maverick Larry Cohen (It's Alive, Q: The Winged Serpent) made his directorial debut with this sly, often savage, social satire set in Beverly Hills. Yaphet Kotto swaggers into the backyard of an affluent, upper-middle-class Beverly Hills couple (Andrew Duggan and Joyce Van Patten) with a dangerous grin on his face and demands: "I want money and I want it now." Nothing from this point on goes as planned. The home invasion tears the veneer of civility that has been holding the couple's loveless marriage together, exposing their lies and schemes, while Bone (as Kotto's character is called) is revealed as a conflicted serial rapist just looking for a little tenderness. Directed with raw energy and aggressive flamboyance, this cynical portrait of American hypocrisy and corruption is more punchy than perceptive, a little glib in its conclusions, but thoroughly unpredictable in its execution. Cohen tweaks stereotypes and twists expectations, while offbeat characters and juicy dialogue electrify the drama. Kotto takes a big, meaty bite of his role, commanding every scene with a threat always beneath his stocky frame and burning eyes. Jeannie Berlin makes a memorable appearance as a ditzy shoplifter with a thoroughly off-center philosophy. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Interesting Cohen DEBUT........2005-02-04

This movie is good and should be in every Larry Cohen fan's collection. It manages to suck you in and hold you there for 95 minutes. It is entertaining, but the crtics label it bizarre? It isn't bizarre at all just very imaginative and smart. Critics only see it as bizarre perhaps because of all the painfully normal movies out there that they label as Great or A Sure Classic. Whatever the case, watch this forgotten movie if you seek something different and entertaining.

Not Cohen's best work.......2004-12-21

There is something about a Larry Cohen film that requires me to watch them on a fairly regular basis (read: whenever a new one comes out on DVD). It isn't my unnaturally slavish devotion to all things horror that finds me looking forward to the latest Cohen madness, although many of this director's films definitely fall with the horror genre. Movies like "The Stuff," "It's Alive," and "Q-The Winged Serpent" are without a doubt horror, the last one being a homage to classic monster films of the 1950s. Then you get something like "God Told Me To," a film that feels like horror but then turns into a strange hybrid of over the top science fiction and religious quackery. "Bone" stands apart from all of the other Larry Cohen films I have seen. It's not horror although there are a few scares thrown around, and it isn't science fiction either. What we have here is a biting social satire about race relations in America during the early 1970s. Blue Underground resurrected this obscurity from god knows where, threw a bunch of extras on the disc, and tossed the results into a country where race still plays a central role in society.

Bill (Andrew Duggan) and his wife Bernadette (Joyce Van Patten) enjoy a life of privilege and comfort. They own a nice big house, a large plot of land, an in ground swimming pool, and nice cars. Considering their wealth, they don't seem like a happy couple. As the film begins we see both of them lounging around the pool engaged in a pointed exchange. Before we can assimilate exactly what, if anything, is going on a black man named Bone (Yaphet Kotto) strolls into the backyard. He pulls a dead rat out of the pool's filter (?) and then begins to pester Bill for a job. Both Bill and his wife are quite nervous about having this man so close to their house, and it shows in their speech and body language. Bone certainly recognizes their discomfort and quickly takes advantage of it. He shakes Bill's hand and then refuses to let go, demanding that the couple give him money or he will start hurting them. With Bone still clenching Bill's hand, the three go into the house to look for cash. Amazingly, the intruder cannot find any valuables in any room in the house. He orders Bill to go to the bank, withdraw several thousand dollars, and return in an hour. If he doesn't, Bone says with a smile, he will brutalize Bernadette any way he sees fit. Bill drives off.

But something happens once Bill gets into town. He has trouble finding a parking space, walks into the bank but suddenly decides to leave without the money, and then wonders around as though in a trance. Is Bernadette's husband going to let her come to harm? It certainly seems so. Bill continues in his malaise, bumping into a kooky lady ranting and raving about X-rays, spending time with an odd young girl (Jeannie Berlin), and generally doing anything he can to avoid going back home. Meanwhile, tensions rise between Bone and Bernadette as the two realize Bill most likely isn't coming back (If only they had cell phones in the 1970s!). Bill's wife nervously tries to placate this lout, but his increasing nervousness and hostility reach dangerous levels quite quickly. His irrational behavior, exhibited by insisting that Bernadette cook eggs for him in a particular way, drives the woman to the point of hysteria. Finally, Bone attempts to have his way with Bill's wife only to collapse in futility when she refuses to resist his advances. A strange bond forms between the two over this incident as well as Bone's subsequent revelations about his troubled life. Bill, Bernadette, and Bone will meet again in town, but with a significant change in their previous social roles. The conclusion leaves you scratching your head in bewilderment.

"Bone" is a talky, sometimes absurdist picture that won't appeal to many of Cohen's horror fans. Just like many films released in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the movie is subversive and contemptuous of the upper class. On the surface, Bill and Bernadette seem to possess every element of the American dream, but as events unfold we see the rot spreading behind the gloss. The couple's son, for instance, is serving time in a foreign prison for attempted drug smuggling, yet his parents told everyone they know that he's serving a stint in the military. Bill's indifference to his wife's predicament at home hints strongly at his dissatisfaction with his life and his marriage. Bernadette presents the strongest example that a life of leisure and wealth isn't a great way to live after all. Her strong empathy, soon bordering on obsession, with Bone gives us the distinct impression that she's your typical bored housewife looking for independence and excitement. The conclusion, which I won't spoil for you with particulars, leaves much to the imagination. We aren't sure what happened, and we definitely aren't sure which of the principal characters imagined the proceeding events. Or did it really happen?

Overall, I thought "Bone" a lesser Cohen film because it doesn't offer anything original. Lots of films before this one, and billions more since, recycle the same old tired themes. If being wealthy and comfortable is such a horrendous life, why is it that everyone (including those in Hollywood) wants to strike it rich? It's this sort of hypocrisy that prevents me from taking movies like this seriously. However, the performances were quite good, especially Joyce Van Patten. Her 180-degree turn in the course of the movie is convincing and sort of chilling at the same time. Yaphet Kotto, of course, always does a magnificent job in any role he chooses to undertake. Cohen fans will want to see "Bone," but others might think it too obscure and weird.

Larry Cohen's Dark Black Comedy.......2004-07-20

This 1972 comedy-drama marks the directorial debut of popular and prolific B-movie auteur Larry Cohen, who also wrote the screenplay. Though Cohen is known today for penning and directing well-crafted but low-budget indie flicks in the science-fiction, horror, or fantasy genres, BONE is a brilliant and biting Juvenalian satire that astutely dissects the issues of race relations and economic stratification in the United States. Part of the film's intelligence comes from the fact that Cohen's script is not one-sided. Not only does he take lunges at average white folks and their stereotyped views of themselves and those of darker-skinned ethic persuasions, he also uses his dark rapier-like wit to flay the typical black citizen's equally stereotyped attitudes towards upper-class whites. But Cohen doesn't end it there. BONE is a complex, multi-layered story in which one can find many subtle comments and observations above and beyond the primary theme. Addressed are socio-economic issues such as honesty, avarice, marital ennui, contemporary sexual mores, familial trust, the consequences of acting on one's personal fantasies, and lots more, and it definitely requires multiple viewings to peel back the layers and take it all in.

Though some socio-political pundits will rightly argue that race relations and the social standing of non-whites have improved since the era in which this film was made, there are still palpable gaps between the social and economic classes in America, and recent notorious racial hate crimes demonstrates that there is certainly a lot of ground yet to cover where racial issues are concerned. This being the case, BONE still seems just as fresh and relevant--and just as satirically witty--as it did in 1972.

The principal actors in BONE are phenomenal. In the titular role, actor Yaphet Kotto portrays a black robber and rapist who upends the calm, boring life of an affluent middle-aged white couple. His Oscar-caliber performance is forceful and dynamic, yet the character he creates is still sympathetic and at times downright hilarious. Character actor Andrew Duggan, in what is probably the best performance of his career, creates a dead-on three-dimensional portrait of a smarmy and greedy salesman who one day finds his daily routine abruptly disrupted by Bone. And Joyce Van Patten is delightfully dingy as the bored, cheerless housewife who eventually develops romantic and erotic feelings towards her abductor.

Certain aspects of BONE leave the narrative open to interpretation. In the end, one is left to decide if the events depicted really happened, if they were simply a fantasy of the housewife, or if they took place in the imagination of the affluent couple's son (who, we learn, is in a European prison for drug smuggling and is therefore regarded by his parents as an embarrassment and a social liability). This is a brilliant tactic on Cohen's part, as it forces the viewer to mentally review the film's issues and themes--or even to view the film again--and consider everything more deeply in order to formulate a personally sensible interpretation of the open-ended plot.

Unfortunately, the complex themes, the sophisticated satire, and the generally controversial nature of the film have proved too deep for the average audience, and BONE has therefore never achieved the notoriety or the distribution that it deserves. Instead, it has basically been relegated to the status of a cult film or an exploitation flick, and only film aficionados who actively seek quality non-mainstream works have been lucky enough to obtain access to a copy of BONE in recent years.

Until now, that is. Thanks to the folks at Blue Underground, BONE has been lovingly restored and made available on DVD. In addition to a fantastic picture and great sound, the DVD also features extras such as a humorous and informative commentary by writer/director Cohen and his protégé, Bill Lustig; a short statement from the film's original distributor, Jack Harris; some footage from an earlier aborted shoot of the film, which includes some differences in cast and dialog; and a theatrical trailer in which the film is marketed under an alternate title of THE HOUSEWIFE.

Anybody who appreciates good filmmaking and great satire will enjoy BONE, and fans of Larry Cohen will definitely want to snatch up a copy of this disc for their DVD collections. Blue Underground's DVD edition of BONE is well worth the price of admission.

A Bad Day in Beverly Hills.......2004-01-25

Well, here it is, in all its' wide screen glory. Blue Underground presents writer/director/producer Larry Cohen first film Bone, also known as Housewife, Dial Rat for Terror, or Beverly Hills Nightmare completely uncut and uncensored with a whole lot of juicy extras.

This is truly a bizarre film. The title, Bone, refers to the character played by Yaphet Kotto. The movie opens by the pool of a seemingly affluent, older couple that lives in a rather large house in Beverly Hills. Bone, an unstable, unpredictable violent criminal forces his way into the lives of this couple, looking for some easy money, and we are treated to one wild ride as the plot veers into the uncharted waters of absurdity.

The very nature of perversity is explored, as the characters are forced to confront hidden desires, exposing the seamy underbelly of modern life. The material presented here may have been tamed over time, thirty years after its' inital release, but the I think the film still commands the effect to disturb, shock, and make one laugh through its' use of imagery and dialogue. Yes, I said laugh, as I would call this a black comedy of sorts.

The movie can be hard to take at times, but the use of jump cuts and incidental music are used very effectively. What may seem insignificant at times later reveals it to be of some importance. Probably my favorite performance in this film was that of Oscar nominee Jeannie Berlin (The Heartbreak Kid) who played The Girl. Her character was truly fascinating even though she had little screen time compared to the rest.

As I said, Blue Underground provides a wealth of extras on this, up until now, rare movie. There's a wonderful commentary with Larry Cohen, a short interview with distributor/director/producer Jack H. Harris, selected scenes from an early shoot of the film, trailers, a radio spot, a gallery of promotional materials, a Larry Cohen biography, and even a small reprinted still of a poster for the movie inside the case. If you are willing to take a chance on something a lot out of the cinematic mainstream, then this is as good a place as any to start.

Jump-cut masterpiece.......2002-11-26

You're right- my previous review of this film sucked. But the film itself decidedly does not suck. What we have here is a highly sophisticated satire with the denouement hinted at with stylish jump-cuts fron scenes (as in "Performance" and "Petulia"), which if fully understood as we just catch glimpses of them during the buildup, would explain the whole thing before we'd had the fun of hanging with the three main characters. Cohen's dialogue and characterizations are interesting and funny. A really good satire of wealthy whites and why they are wrong to look down their noses at poor people of color.

Average customer rating:

humor and horror playing on the blocc
A Funny ... Movie
Blunts and BBQ with the Baby Killer
Disappointment

Now Eat
Starring: Brotha Lynch Hung
Manufacturer: Brentwood Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

( N ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Brotha Lynch Hung: Presents Now Eat - The Album
Illegitimati
Hell in August
Ghetto Celebrities: Brotha Lynch Hung, Vol. 1
Trigganometry

ASIN: B00004ZETC
Release Date: 2000-11-21

Customer Reviews:

humor and horror playing on the blocc.......2006-03-20

Absolutely hilarious. Oh, it kills me, some classic lines and writing: "Lynch, you must eat what you kill" ... oh I rolled for a good while, chuckling. Granted, my woman may not enjoy viewing this movie with me, though she love's Loki's 21 Gun Salute and she hums several Lynch songs from time to time. In fact, she was humming That's What I Said this morning, and the other day she walked around spouting from time to time the word "Xcalibur" in a deep, distant voice cause the effect was fun for her at that moment for whatever reason. However, being a fan of film, and a critic of direction, I doubt that she would enjoy this low budget production because it is not about Art in the sense of Les Miserables or Citizen Kane but rather about artists bringing a visual of twisted horror and slated humor to their lyrics. Lot of corny acting and cheap production and fun and laughs, and you get to see some of the Siccmade cats freestyle the mic for a bit, but yet and still this movie is relevant to any Siccmade fan. Also, I recommend the DVD over the VHS because there is bonus material on the DVD that was not made available on the VHS version - wish someone would have told me that interesting little touch of info.. I personally think that a lot of the acting was intentionally made a joke out of, kind of the way Tarentino played out the ending of Dust til Dawn making fun of old vampire movies. I feel it's about a sense of humor, and I give Now Eat all the stars. Good job, yaw, and much love. SICCMADE til I die ! ! !

A Funny ... Movie.......2003-05-02

Not like we were expecting the best acting job, but I was lovin this movie. The plot line is hella funny and the characters are cool. The music is on point and fits in perfectly with the plot. It's a bit cheezy a