Don Movie Reviews

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes was an attempt to make the worst movie of all times (the hoped to beat Ed Wood's Plan 9 From Outer Space). It is hard to tell which is worse, but there is a certain appeal to Tomatoes (and not just the wonderful theme song).

A genetic experiment gets out of hand and tomatoes turn on humans. The government wants to keep things quiet so the hire Mason Dixon to lead the investigation. But soon the tomatoes are everywhere and the army seems powerless to stop them.

The end of the film mas seem familiar to a larger-budget invasion film (I won't tell you which, but they did it in Tomatoes first). According to the credits, the scene contains "Every nutcase in San Diego." Even the San Diego Chicken makes an appearance (and he was really big at the time).

The whole film is full of gags (visual and spoken) in a way that makes one believe that the movie spawned the Airplane franchise. A favorite is when the dubbed Japanese scientist accidently knocks a picture of the USS Arizona into a fish tank. When the giant tomatoes attack, look for the stage hands pushing them from behind.

Just remember that this film is intended to be bad.

I hadn't heard about the director's cut, so I was stunned to see that the movie that I watched dozens of times in my youth had been changed. Missing are some of my favorite bits, like the radio dj mocking the "Giant tomatoes mean bigger pizzas" line and the character of the bland receptionist who says everything with absolutely no inflection. Bring back the original!!!

Having said that, there still are some great surreal jokes floating around. It only appeals to a certain sense of humor, but I have it so...

The all-time funny cult classic is here now on DVD! "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" parodies everything from "The Birds" to "Jaws". Totally funny! You'll split your gut from laughter! Loads of laughs guaranteed! SUPER-HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Not one joke made me laugh. The romance is as predictable as Costner's acting. Rene Russo, once again, proves she has pictures of peopel in high places and lends her ham fisted acting to this 'romantic comedy'. Even comatose I wouldn't have the patience for this dribble on film. Can't blv I watched as much as I did.

We still love you, Adam Sandler, but this is the funniest golf movie since Caddyshack!

Tin Cup is just FUN!! It does not have a deep message. It has no deep conflicting character analyses. No big lessons of life in transition here. It's just plain old entertainent.

Russo is her flakey,sweet,adorable self. Costner is a natural for this down-and-out fellow drinking beer and betting on which bug will be zapped next. His friends are just plain ole Texas boys. Cheech Marin ,as Romeo Posnar, is a scene stealer. Great role and nice to see him again.

Some silly dialogue. The "Pancake House" scene is hysterical. Some nice, mature friendship develoment between Marin, Hart (who ROCKS!!) as Doreen, all in relation to Costner's "Tin Cup" character.

Just fun! Don't miss the armadillos- nice touch in the opening scene.

Shawn Colvin's "Back To Salome" (last song in closing credits) is hantingly beautiful as well as quirky- kind of like Russo and Costner.

Don't let the title fool you. This isn't about a spy who kills badguys. It's about a little girl who spies on boring people and writes things in her diary. It's very boring. Nothing very exciting happens. Don't rent it or Buy it unless you like boring movies.

Who says you have to be a kid to like a movie generally made for kids? My daughter has liked this movie for years and I think I like it even more than her. Nickelodeon has produced something special here. Before SPY KIDS there was HARRIET! This is a great adventure with some emotional themes (peer pressure, honesty) for youngsters. Through hip hand-held style camera shooting and a festive funky soundtrack to boot, I like the movie simply for the execution. The fact that Rosie O'Donnel was pregnant (in disquise) during the making is also an interesting obstacle they had to work with. At any rate, Harriet the Spy is a fun, and rather different movie. When I say different I mean not like typical movies today filled with special effects and scenes so crammed with action and expository dialog that you can't even enjoy a scene. Harriet the Spy has some calm moments that cinematically shine (unique camera angles, color choices). The subtle sound effects and many humorous moments make this story fun for everyone.

The only reason I give this movie 4 and not 5 stars is because the DVD version the Paramount has put together offers a FALSE widescreen representation of the movie. If you compare to the earlier VHS edition, you'll notice that they actually CROPPED this movie for DVD to give it the APPEARANCE of widescreen, rather, you're actually seeing LESS of the picture which was originally cropped on the VHS version for full-screen adaptation to begin with! That and NO bonus features to speak for whatsoever (is it so hard to add at least the original TRAILER?) I found that rather disappointing.

A nice little film , Michelle is great as harriet as is Rosie. A good film for the family.

I don't like Wesley Snipes, it is one of that many american actors that couldn't transmit emotions, in every movie you think he performs the same character. Trying to be cool is not acting!
The other protagonist played by Robert de Niro is very similar to Travis Bickle (Taxi Driver). It's very sad to see that Mr de Niro, one of the best actors ever, accepted all scripts he became in the last years, without considering the quality of the movie.
Tony Scott made some of the most interesting films of the last two decades and like his brother I think he can still surprise us in the future.
The soundtrack inlcudes Nine Inch Nails, one of the most influential rock band of the nineties!
"The Fan" is not a bad movie (at least it's not boring), but perhaps prescindible and personally I expected much more, considering the cast and the direction.

Robert De Niro playing a character out of his mind is still something to see, as this 1996 film amply proves. This time around he plays Gil Renard, who sells just about every type of knife under the sun in the San Francisco Bay area, but not as well as he did in former days. Divorced, his wife is giving him one last chance with his son, Richie (Andrew J. Ferchland). Gil wants to take the boy to opening day at Candlestick Park, but he has also been given an ultimatum by his boss and he has a key appointment that same afternoon. Of course, Gil blows both opportunities and all he has left in the world is his love of baseball in general and the Giants new $40 million centerfielder, Bobby Rayburn (Wesley Snipes). Gil even calls up the radio sports talk show of the emasculating Jewel Stern (Ellen Barkin) to talk to Bobby and praise him to high heavens.

However, Bobby gets off to a very bad start with the Giants. As the new big gun in town he has displaced the teams centerfielder Juan Primo (Benicio Del Toro). In the first game neither backs off on a fly ball and they collide. Bobby is hurt, but refuses to leave the game. To add insult to injury, Juan wears number 11, which has always been Bobby's number, and Primo refuses to give it up. Freaked by a visit to a young boy in a hospital who is not only dying but has the same name as his son, Bobby had promised to hit a home run and is feeling the pressure of that obligation. The result is that while Primo plays like an All-Star, Bobby's average dips below the Mendoza line and becomes the constant target of the local media. The only friend he has town might just be Gil.

Without a job and under a restraining order to stay away from his son, Gil has nothing else to do but go to the ballpark and follow Bobby around town. When he learns that Bobby wants to wear number 11, Gil decides that maybe there is something he can do about that. Actually, nobody wears 11 for the Giants because the number was retired for the Hall of Fame screwball pitcher Carl Hubbell, but this movie has less to do with the real world as it goes merrily along. What matters is that Gil feels that he has helped Bobby, who is back to his All-Star form, and is rather upset that his efforts have gone without notice. As he says, "A simple thank you would have been nice." At that point we know that something very, very bad is going to happen to Bobby.

The film's climax, of course, takes place at a baseball game with Bobby having to hit a home run in an at bat under more pressure than anybody else in the history of the game. Casey at the bat? Meaningless. Bobby Thompson in the 1951 National League Playoffs? Nothing. Roy Hobbs trying to hit one out for his son in "The Natural" is close to the mark, but Roy did not have to do it in the pouring rain and if he struck out his son was only going to be disappointed and not killed. Besides the complete downpour he also has to hit off the pitcher while the jumbo-tron shows the pitcher pitching. Now, major league baseball stadiums do not show live pictures while there is any action on the field, but that is why the end of "The Fan" is where the story is abandoned in favor of a big cinematic finish.

The early part of the film, as Gil descends into madness and Bobby's batting average takes a nosedive, is the most interesting part of "The Fan," because at that point it is primarily a case of parallel character studies. There is a sense in which the character played by Snipes is actually more interesting than De Niro's because we get some insights into the peculiar psychoses of a major league baseball player. At the end of the film we are surprised to learn that what distinguishes the two men most of all is their very different explanations for why Bobby has started hitting.

However, in the end the psychology gives way to the action in a scene that scene that uncomfortably reminds us of the climax of "The Naked Gun." It is impossible to accuse either star of going over the top in this film because "The Fan" does that all by itself at the end. Given the character foundations that were established in the first parts of the film, this is one instance where less at the end would have been more.

If you want someone to play a psycho, who else but the immensely talented Robert DeNiro? In "The Fan," based on Peter Abraham's novel, De Niro plays Gil, a washed up knife salesman who is obsessed with baseball. He's divorced from his wife, but has been able to maintain a relationship with his young, impressionable son. However, as Gil becomes more psychotic, his ex-wife realizes the potential danger so she puts out a restraining order. Meanwhile, Wesley Snipes' Bobby Rayburn recently purchased by the Giants for a cool forty million wants his #11 back, which has been given to Benito Del Torio's Juan Primo. And then the slump hits Snipes. DeNiro displays his loyalty by trying to get Primo to surrender the number and when he refuses, well it's....you can imagine. Onward then, DeNiro finds a wonderful opportunity to get into Snipes life by rescuing his son, Sean, who is drowning. He and Snipes almost bond, until Snipes confesses that he just doesn't care anymore, baseball is just a game. Snap goes what little is left of DeNiro's sanity and we face a showdown in a rain-drenched night game.
Maybe overwrought, but Director Tony Scott handles everything so well, he elevates his film above it's derivative plot. Some of the baseball scenes are quite beautiful; Ellen Barkin and Patti D'arbinville shimmer in great supporting roles; John Lequizamo as Snipes' manager is good, and Charles Hallahan (so good in the remake of "The Thing") has a brief, but effective cameo as Coop, Gil's childhood buddy.
Hans Zimmer's score is hauntingly beautiful and there are nice effects from the many Rolling Stones tunes that fill the picture. San Francisco looks beautiful, and the whole effect is quite effective.
An underrated thriller, highly recommended.

I don't like Wesley Snipes, it is one of that many american actors that couldn't transmit emotions, in every movie you think he performs the same character. Trying to be cool is not acting!
The other protagonist played by Robert de Niro is very similar to Travis Bickle (Taxi Driver). It's very sad to see that Mr de Niro, one of the best actors ever, accepted all scripts he became in the last years, without considering the quality of the movie.
Tony Scott made some of the most interesting films of the last two decades and like his brother I think he can still surprise us in the future.
The soundtrack inlcudes Nine Inch Nails, one of the most influential rock band of the nineties!
"The Fan" is not a bad movie (at least it's not boring), but perhaps prescindible and personally I expected much more, considering the cast and the direction.

Robert De Niro playing a character out of his mind is still something to see, as this 1996 film amply proves. This time around he plays Gil Renard, who sells just about every type of knife under the sun in the San Francisco Bay area, but not as well as he did in former days. Divorced, his wife is giving him one last chance with his son, Richie (Andrew J. Ferchland). Gil wants to take the boy to opening day at Candlestick Park, but he has also been given an ultimatum by his boss and he has a key appointment that same afternoon. Of course, Gil blows both opportunities and all he has left in the world is his love of baseball in general and the Giants new $40 million centerfielder, Bobby Rayburn (Wesley Snipes). Gil even calls up the radio sports talk show of the emasculating Jewel Stern (Ellen Barkin) to talk to Bobby and praise him to high heavens.

However, Bobby gets off to a very bad start with the Giants. As the new big gun in town he has displaced the teams centerfielder Juan Primo (Benicio Del Toro). In the first game neither backs off on a fly ball and they collide. Bobby is hurt, but refuses to leave the game. To add insult to injury, Juan wears number 11, which has always been Bobby's number, and Primo refuses to give it up. Freaked by a visit to a young boy in a hospital who is not only dying but has the same name as his son, Bobby had promised to hit a home run and is feeling the pressure of that obligation. The result is that while Primo plays like an All-Star, Bobby's average dips below the Mendoza line and becomes the constant target of the local media. The only friend he has town might just be Gil.

Without a job and under a restraining order to stay away from his son, Gil has nothing else to do but go to the ballpark and follow Bobby around town. When he learns that Bobby wants to wear number 11, Gil decides that maybe there is something he can do about that. Actually, nobody wears 11 for the Giants because the number was retired for the Hall of Fame screwball pitcher Carl Hubbell, but this movie has less to do with the real world as it goes merrily along. What matters is that Gil feels that he has helped Bobby, who is back to his All-Star form, and is rather upset that his efforts have gone without notice. As he says, "A simple thank you would have been nice." At that point we know that something very, very bad is going to happen to Bobby.

The film's climax, of course, takes place at a baseball game with Bobby having to hit a home run in an at bat under more pressure than anybody else in the history of the game. Casey at the bat? Meaningless. Bobby Thompson in the 1951 National League Playoffs? Nothing. Roy Hobbs trying to hit one out for his son in "The Natural" is close to the mark, but Roy did not have to do it in the pouring rain and if he struck out his son was only going to be disappointed and not killed. Besides the complete downpour he also has to hit off the pitcher while the jumbo-tron shows the pitcher pitching. Now, major league baseball stadiums do not show live pictures while there is any action on the field, but that is why the end of "The Fan" is where the story is abandoned in favor of a big cinematic finish.

The early part of the film, as Gil descends into madness and Bobby's batting average takes a nosedive, is the most interesting part of "The Fan," because at that point it is primarily a case of parallel character studies. There is a sense in which the character played by Snipes is actually more interesting than De Niro's because we get some insights into the peculiar psychoses of a major league baseball player. At the end of the film we are surprised to learn that what distinguishes the two men most of all is their very different explanations for why Bobby has started hitting.

However, in the end the psychology gives way to the action in a scene that scene that uncomfortably reminds us of the climax of "The Naked Gun." It is impossible to accuse either star of going over the top in this film because "The Fan" does that all by itself at the end. Given the character foundations that were established in the first parts of the film, this is one instance where less at the end would have been more.

If you want someone to play a psycho, who else but the immensely talented Robert DeNiro? In "The Fan," based on Peter Abraham's novel, De Niro plays Gil, a washed up knife salesman who is obsessed with baseball. He's divorced from his wife, but has been able to maintain a relationship with his young, impressionable son. However, as Gil becomes more psychotic, his ex-wife realizes the potential danger so she puts out a restraining order. Meanwhile, Wesley Snipes' Bobby Rayburn recently purchased by the Giants for a cool forty million wants his #11 back, which has been given to Benito Del Torio's Juan Primo. And then the slump hits Snipes. DeNiro displays his loyalty by trying to get Primo to surrender the number and when he refuses, well it's....you can imagine. Onward then, DeNiro finds a wonderful opportunity to get into Snipes life by rescuing his son, Sean, who is drowning. He and Snipes almost bond, until Snipes confesses that he just doesn't care anymore, baseball is just a game. Snap goes what little is left of DeNiro's sanity and we face a showdown in a rain-drenched night game.
Maybe overwrought, but Director Tony Scott handles everything so well, he elevates his film above it's derivative plot. Some of the baseball scenes are quite beautiful; Ellen Barkin and Patti D'arbinville shimmer in great supporting roles; John Lequizamo as Snipes' manager is good, and Charles Hallahan (so good in the remake of "The Thing") has a brief, but effective cameo as Coop, Gil's childhood buddy.
Hans Zimmer's score is hauntingly beautiful and there are nice effects from the many Rolling Stones tunes that fill the picture. San Francisco looks beautiful, and the whole effect is quite effective.
An underrated thriller, highly recommended.

Critters 3 I thought wasnt as good as they said because they didnt do some real action.When I frist saw the movie it was the first critters movie I saw so I thought it was pretty good,but when I got 1,2,and 4 I didnt think it was that good of a Critters movie.Besides what happened when Charlie got the Cherif duty in the secound one and he's not the Cherif of Groversbend in the third?When Charlie gave that kid a crystal and it would glow if there was trouble and it didnt when there wasnt , that was like something that didnt even need to be in the movie.Afterall I guess it is an ok critters movie but some things I just think are just plain stupid.

I have been a fan of the Critters Movies, since I was a little Boy. I remember being about three years old and sitting on my fathers lap, watching these Movies. I was really scared. Now I watch them and I'm not that scared, there just very good campy fun. And there is little to no gore, and maybe 3 Adult Terms, through the hole film.

For the third film, "Critter 3" there were many changes. Namely different hero, different setting, differnet production company, and a guarented sequel (this and part 4 were filmed back-to-back). This film trys to have more comedy than the other films, which I hate to say doesn't really work well.

A young girl returns home after cammping, with mysterious eggs under her families camper. The egg's hatch and the hair-balls infest her "Starshallow" like apartment building.

I am a HUGE Critters fan and this is the honest truth: Critters 3 may be the best of the four movies made in the Critters series. I loved every bit of it. The Krites (a.k.a. Critters) are better than all of the older ones by how realistic they were in my oppinion, and they gave most of them personalities. My favorite Krite was the one who rolled in bleach and the upper half of his left side became white. He was the smartest Krite. He was also the last Critter standing in the end. I only had two minor problems with the movie. When Josh (Leonardo DiCaprio) is explaining to Annie why he was at the appartment, he says "...We came here to evict you," then he turns around and says, "pretty awful, huh?" Now that's not the problem. It's what Annie says next that I have a problem with. All she says is, "Ya..." What the heck? All you can say is 'ya'? Why not, "It's O.K.", or "Well, you didn't make the choice, so I can't blame you," I mean, even "What?" or "Why?" would have given Josh a chance to explain. Make the poor kid feel even worse! "Ya, that is an awful thing," maybe it was, but still... The other thing was in the end Ug says that Charlie can't kill the last two eggs if it means total extintion. In the second one the grand master alien giving the bounty hunters orders says that they need to be terminated. All well, I'm just picky, so maybe no one else minds. I don't really care, I just find it slightly annoying. I still love the movie, even its minor flaws. I hope that they someday make a movie where the Critters finally do win. SOMEDAY THE KRITES WILL PREVAIL!!!! All in all, I'd say that the Critters movies are possibly the best movies ever in past, present, and future. Definitly a must buy for all movie lovers!

Like many Hollywood productions, 'Auto Focus' takes liberties with the truth. On one hand, it's not documentary film; on the other hand, it's not roman a clef. It's not historical. What type of movie is it, then? It's 'biographical'-- fact glued together with speculation-- and that makes it risky, much in the way that 'Malcolm X' and 'JFK' were. So far, so good. Hollywood's been crying out for risk-takers ever since Frank Capra's 'You Can't Take It With You', a successful anarchist comedy, won Best Picture. The problem here isn't one of historical inaccuracy. 'Auto Focus' simply isn't compelling. Director Paul Schrader puts so much emphasis on Bob Crane's sexual peccadilloes that he neglects to remind us why we cared about the story in the first place: Hogan's Heroes was inspired stuff. Sure, it was campy! It was also groundbreaking, controversial and well-written. The characters were distinctive, there was great on-screen chemistry and it was just plain FUNNY. We don't get that from Schrader's film and it's a shame. [N.B.: A Hogan's Heroes montage, left on the cutting room floor, is included in the extras. See it. Those few seconds would have improved the movie tenfold.]

To understand its shortcomings further, one needs to look at 'Auto Focus' within the framework of the director's career. With screenplay credits like 'Taxi Driver', 'Raging Bull' and 'The Last Temptation of Christ', Paul Schrader has shown that he can bring passion to tough treatments. 'Auto Focus' ought to be a perfect vehicle for him' tense, violent and sordidly perverse. Is its failure a sign that he should stick to writing? While no 'auteur', Schrader is a very good director. He's never developed a style, per se, relying instead on a Douglas Sirk cum Nicholas Ray blend of social melodrama (e.g., 'Blue Collar', 'Hardcore', etc.) His results with biographical cinema, however, are mixed. 'Mishima' is the best of this part of his work; 'Patty Hearst' is a disaster. Then we have lopsided efforts like 'The Comfort of Strangers' and 'Witch Hunt', films marked by an icy detachment. How do we explain the inconsistency? Schrader didn't write them. He didn't write 'Patty Hearst' either, as a matter of fact. And while 'Auto Focus' is a passable script for a first timer, it isn't award-winning material and, once again, it isn't Schrader's.

The biggest problem with Michael Gerbosi's script is proportion. What begins as a simple Jekyll and Hyde piece loses focus at some point' grasping for something else to say and coming up empty-handed. Much of the footage between Crane's second marriage and his tragic death could be removed without damaging the integrity of the narrative, and this comprises nearly one-third of its length. The homoerotic syzygy that John Carpenter and Bob Crane represent may have been exciting to Gerbosi as playwright, but on the silver screen' it just doesn't work. It works flawlessly in Sunset Boulevard, but, where Crane may be a kind of Joe Gillis, Carpenter is no Norma Desmond. It works in American Beauty, but, where Carpenter may be a kind of Frank Fitts, Crane is no Lester Burnham. No, what you have here are two moderately intriguing lowlifes, locked in a fatal embrace for most of the picture' each dragging the other into swingers' hell.

Also absent are the establishing shots and broader character development that separate the seventh art from the stage. The claustrophobic, egocentric 'Citizen Kane' got around this through the strength of its Mercury Theater cast. In place of exterior shots, Welles gave us Kane's retinue for context. Auto Focus is virtually all Greg Kinnear and Willem Dafoe and while lightly peppered with capable 'bit' players (e.g., Ron Leibman, Kurt Fuller and Ed Begley, Jr.) remains a bland, household recipe. I knew Werner Klemperer personally, and it's a pity that Fuller isn't allowed to do more in portraying him here. Werner had a wonderful acerbic sense of humor, indescribable and lost forever with his death. Based on his accounts of Crane, the movie delivers an excellent depiction of the man's hypocrisy... a conservative, 'Christian' family man with a world-class libido. Werner said, "On the surface, he seemed a gregarious fellow, but, underneath the facade, he was antisocial and troubled... a social/antisocial, so to speak." This film's too-tight 'auto focus', unfortunately, fails to place this psyche in its proper milieu.

Kinnear's self-loathing narcissist is on the mark, and I have to give him kudos for that. He even managed to copy many of the actor's mannerisms and speech patterns. It's brilliant work. If at times he lacks some of Crane's smugness, we can forgive him. His 'likeable' version says more about human nature than the off-putting original did. I've heard 'Auto Focus' compared to 'Boogie Nights', as if Crane were as naive a patsy as Dirk Diggler. This is simply false, and it does a tremendous disservice to Paul Thomas Anderson's ampler work. At its core, 'Auto Focus' isn't a decent man's descent into dissolution. It is an unholy union, predicated on superficiality, which turns ugly when one partner opts out. When ultimately Carpenter wins the struggle, Crane posthumously exonerates him. Yes, we get it, already: They are halves of the same whole. The 'reject-me-and-die' syndrome. This is 'Star 80' all over again, an embarrassingly apologetic portrait of murder.

I grew up watching old reruns of Hogan's Heros, so when this came out I rushed to the movies to see it. I was aware of Bob Cranes murder but was unaware of the extent of his swinger lifestyle. This movie did a wonderful job at showing the downfall of this great entertainer. Greg Kinnear did a wonderful job as Bob Crane, but William DaFoe stole the show, He was John Carpenter, Cranes partner in crime. He might have just been the most creepy person portrayed in a film yet! Don't let this pass you by, if you do you'll regret it.

a great retelling of a celebrity who had it all then lost it with sex and drugs and booze and then one night he was murdered and no one till this day knows who killed Bob Crane. Kinnear is exact and he shows how Crane's life took a spiral to oblivion. Willem Dafoe is also great as John Carpenter, the man with the technology and the person who takes Kinnear into the world of sex. gripping, graphic, hypnotic and powerful. Kinnear plays a whole new role as Crane and he does it good

Now, if you're in the mood for a great campy Sci Fi, you've found the right movie. This is exactly the thing midnight movies are made out of. Cheesy painted backgrounds, big rubbery monsters that can barely move. Excellent. Grab the popcorn and enjoy!!

Fans of classic science fiction should love this. People who are just casual fans may not appreciate the film, but for people like myself who enjoy the classic sci-fi movies of the 50s and early 60s ,this movie was very entertaining and just plain fun

Let's face it, this is quite possibly the goofiest, dorkiest, silliest slab of limburger ever to ooze forth from the septic bowels of hollywood! That's why I love it so much! Thank God for "Cinemagic"! This modern marvel separates the film into its distinct pieces. There are the normal colors on earth and in the spaceship (MR1), this let's you know that you are in the BOREDOM ZONE, and allows you to go to the bathroom, bake a pizza, or do some long overdue engine work on the car. Then, there's the headache-inducing pink of Mars. This tells you that the good stuff is about to happen. What good stuff? Well, first we've got the gigantic, rubber, woman-eating plant that grabs the beautiful female astronaut, but is too slow in the old devouring department! Next, the infamous BAT-RAT-SPIDER-CRAB (one of the coolest cheese-puppets ever constructed) that crushes Les Tremayne between two boulders and loses it's eyesight to the sonic freezer gun named "Cleopatra". Finally, The titanic, gooey jello-mold with the Marty Feldman peepers that thankfully puts an end to Jack Kruschen! Remember, think pink! The rest is naptime. Peace...

BRIDE OF THE MONSTER (aka BRIDE OF THE ATOM) is another collaboration between Ed Wood, the worst director of all time and horror legend Bela Lugosi (and let's not forget Tor Johnson). This entry centres around mad scientist Lugosi's attempt to create a master race of atomic superbeings to carry out his goal of (What else?) world domination.
Amusing,but not as good/bad as PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE. The movie is still worth a look if only for the "seriousness" with which Wood made it. BRIDE OF THE MONSTER's most "elaborate" set piece is a giant rubber octopus which makes the squid in 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA look like footage from a Jacques Costeau documentary. A fun time-killer for lovers of bad movies, especially at its compact 69 minute running time.

"Bride of the Monster," also known as "Bride of the Atom," is the 1956 Ed Wood film where Bela Lugosi wrestles with a giant fake octopus (oh, THAT Ed Wood film). The argument here is not that this is a good movie, but we are talking Ed Wood, which means a whole different criteria for evaluating a film and your enjoyment in viewing same. Yes, this is a bad film, but there is such an earnestness to Wood's efforts that he is obviously oblivious to it all, which makes the film equally endearing and depressing. The man got his movies made, so I just do not see this as sad as those people who finally get the opportunity to make a film and make some dreadful splatter flick. So, now, Ed Wood is not in the lowest circle of the cinematic inferno. This is not a four-star film, just a four-star experience. Big difference.

Lugosi is the evil mad scientist Dr. Eric Vornoff, who uses his dumb assistant, Lobo (Tor Johnson) to capture the locals so he can use atomic energy to transform them into supermen back as his laboratory in an abandoned house in the middle of a swamp where the pet rubber octopus out back is used to dispose of the mistakes. Intrepid girl reporter Janet Lawton (Loretta King) investigates the disappearances, although her fiance, Detective Lt. Dick Craig (Tony McCoy) tries to warn her off. Janet is captured by Lobo and (horrors) forced to wear a wedding dress (thereby justifying if not explaining the title). Can Dick and the other cops rescue her in time?

"Plan 9 From Outer Space" remains the apex of bad Ed Wood films, but all things considered "Bride of the Monster" probably comes in second. The acting is probably worse, but so is the script, so I do not find as many memorably lines that force you to howl in laughter. Much is made of Lugosi's participation in these Ed Wood flicks and this is the one where the old actor has the most to do as he goes tampering with God's domain. He gives it his all despite the problems with the script and the fact there is no budget for making this movie. "Night of the Ghouls" is considered a sequel to this film because Tor Johnson again plays "Lobo," but do not expect any more continuity between the two than that if you bother to track it down, but then there is not reason for you to do so. After "Plan 9 From Outer Space" this is the Ed Wood film to check out, and if you really want to find out more about Ed then "Glen or Glenda." But beyond those three, you are on your own.

I watched this movie expecting another enjoyable PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE catastrophe. I was surprised to find myself liking the movie a lot. The main reason is Bela Lugosi. He is in rare form as Dr. Vornoff, chomping up the scenery like a demon-possessed chainsaw! Also, Tor Johnson plays "LOBO" Dr. Vornoff's hulking zombie assistant with far more animation than his PLAN 9 role as a hulking zombie police detective. My only complaint is that Vampira was not in BOTM to round out the terrible trio! Plot? Dr. Vornoff (sounds like cheap vodka doesn't it?) is attempting to take over the world by creating an army of radiated supermen (unfortunately, he keeps killing his victims instead). He and Lobo live in a big, spooky abandoned house with their pet octopus (??!). A female reporter gets nosey after a pair of locals disappear. She goes to the "vacant" old house to snoop around. She is captured by Lobo and taken to Vornoff's lab. Somehow, she ends up in a wedding dress and is set to be zapped by Vornoff's evil contraption, when suddenly, Lobo goes berserk, untying the girl and attacking Vornoff! This leads to Dr. V being zonked by his own machine, turning him into a giant (check out the Bela-double in the 7" platform KISS shoes). This all ends in a duel between Bela and the lifeless rubber octopus. Now, from what I've just described, how can you possibly lose?? Buy this masterpiece right now...

Slackers is pretty much your average college romp film, only in this case, the bottom line is "Love brings out the best in people, even cheaters." A fairly well cast movie (especially Jason Schwartzman as a quasi-psychotic stalker, trapped in the persona of a campus geek), the story held some definite possibilities, but the movie really doesn't provide anything more than an interesting way to kill about 90 minutes. Not overly side splitting, as was Animal House, but not a complete waste of celluloid either, I found myself laughing out loud during a few scenes (most of which included Schwartzman and cameo players Mamie Van Doren and Cameron Diaz). So...if you're looking for the next academy award winner, this isn't it. If you have an hour and a half to burn, and enjoy fluff movies, this movie will probably sit alright with you. The DVD is devoid of special features, so unless you just have a penchant for collecting campus comedies, I would just stick with renting this one.

I am a guy who can relate to Slackers. It is a great movie that is sure to become an instant classic. Devon Sawa heads the cast and stands out the most. Also starring is James King (Devon's love interest), and Jason Schwartzman (Devon's blackmailer). The plot is that Devon and his two friends run a scam to pass College. Schwartzman finds out about it and threatens him into helping him get together with King. As the show goes on a lot more laughs come into play. Cameo's include Cameron Diaz and Gina Gershon just to name a few. My favorie scene is between James and Devon at the pool, there you can catch a glimpse of Devon's behind. You can also see it briefly in the locker room scene. Be warned this movie has a lot of nudity...

This movie made me laugh ...