SykkBoy Reviews

Killer Tongue (1996)

I LOVED THIS FLICK!

[10/10 · 28 July 2001]

Wow, what a movie!

This is strictly for the b-movie lovers only. All you namby pamby Julia Roberts movie going public should just stick to renting that piece of trash "Steel Magnolias" again while the rest of us enjoy great flciks like this.

I get a kick out of reviewers that rented this and expected high cinema...hello McFly, it's a movie called "The Killer Tongue"

Anyways, the movie concerns a hot chickie played by the always gorgeous Mindy Clark (billed here as Melinda Clark) who was a standout in "Return Of The Living Dead 3" who eats some alien infested soup and becomes a chickie with a mutant, talking tongue.

Her poodles eat the soup and POOF they become drag queens.

Anyways, I don't want to spoil the twists and turns and fun stuff.

I got a huge kick out of Robert Englund (who plays Freddy Kreuger) and Doug Bradley (who plays Pinhead in the "Hellraiser" movies) towards the end when Robert tells Doug "I like you better with the natural look" a great inside reference about the Pinhead makeup.

So, if you want something different then by all means check this out. If you haven't even seen a NightMare On Elm Street or Hellraiser movie, please proceed to the Julia Roberts aisl of the video store. ;)

Blades (1989)

Not Troma's Finest Hour

[4/10 · 27 June 2001]

As a hardcore Troma fan, I must say this is one of the lesser works. This movie is truly got the Troma completist. There are some inspired moments and how can a fan of bad movies not enjoy the premise of a killer lawnmower?

I found this one quite dull in many scenes. I have no problems with low budget-no budget movies and bad acting is one thing I always look forward to from Troma movies. This had all of those which I enjoyed, but there was so much more they could do with this movie. One thing that can kill a great movie is too much dialog, and this movie has too many scenes of long dialog.

It's certainly not the worst of the bad movies, but it is a disappointment for the Troma team which I admire greatly.

Nice try, but let's see a couple sequels and see what we can do about the long dialog.

Jack Frost (1997 Video)

Great fun

[8/10 · 26 June 2001]

I really like this movie. It's MUCH better than the lame Micheal Keaton movie of the same name and was done for 1/10000th of the budget.

This movie, as with all good bad movies, doesn't take itself too seriously. The comedy is dark but funny. It does drag in a few spots, but for the most part is an amusingly fun ride for the b movie fanatic (like me). For the b movie fan, this is a must have for your video collection. For the non b movie fan...you'd be in the wrong aisle if you spotted this one.

Color of Night (1994)

Another that most people will hate, but I enjoy

[7/10 · 21 June 2001]

I got a kick out of this movie. Sure, the dialog is cheesy and the story a bit contrived...but there's naked Jane March, easily one of the most beautiful women in movies today.

Brad Dourif has also never given a poor performance.

This reminded me of something Fred Olen Ray or Jim Wynorski would have done (not a bad thing in my eyes) but they could have done it with probably a tenth the budget. Sure, they wouldn't have gotten Bruce Willis or Jane March, but it's basically one of their movies with a bigger budget.

This isn't a title that I'd rush out to see, but will stop the remote when it's on HBO and enjoy on that purely cheesy, total popcorn movie level.

So solid movie, a few laughs (unintentional), naked Jane March and in the directors cut, naked Bruce Willis, Leslie Anne Warren in a lesbian scene with Jane March...what more could a b-movie fan want? 7/10

Basket Case 2 (1990)

A classic sequel to a classic movie

[10/10 · 21 June 2001]

This is one of the few sequels that is actually better than the original. Perhaps the bit bigger budget and better makeup effects are an asset there.

To the poster that claimed this is a "trainwreck" movie. I disagree. If you truly knew your b-movie history, you'd know that Hennenlotter NEVER takes his movies seriously. There is always a little nudge and a wink to his movies. They are equal parts cheese, dark humor and monster movie. they are played more for chuckles and giggles than scares.

SEMI-SPOILERS: This is a fun little movie about Belial and Dwayne (who didn't really die in the first one, rather ended up in the hospital) finding their way to a house of freaks, where they fit in. Eventually Dwayne starts to feel left out and wants to be "normal". He falls in love, as does Belial.

Along the way they get entangled with a tabloid reporter who wants to expose this house of freaks. They also run across a huckster sideshow scammer who's trying to capitalize on a fake freak show (he claims to have the bones of Belial) and of course gets a visit from the freaks.

The babies at the end is a great twist as are a few of the other twists (especially Dwayne's girlfriend revealing why she isn't "normal".

Another cheese classic from Hennenlotter. Rent this along with the original "Basket Case", "Frankenhooker" and "Brain Dead" (Not the Peter Jackson movies that is a/k/a "Dead Alive") and enjoy a Hennenlotter triple bill. I do agree the third one wasn't in the same league as the first one and this great sequel.

Showgirls (1995)

Great fun if you're not expecting too much

[10/10 · 19 June 2001]

I see a lot of negative about this film and wonder why. I think a lot of it is that it's been trashed so badly by critics that everyone wants to be on that "I hated it too" bandwagon.

I, for one, enjoyed it. So, a lot of you got tricked into watching a late night Cinemax "after hours" presentation that had a huge budget. Don't fret over it. Paul Verhoeven has always been known for blowing things up gloriously (aspects of a movie, not necessarily explosions).

This is a great movie for those who aren't expecting Academy Award winning performances...it's a fun late night nothing better to do movie. Myself and a few friends have the dialog memorized and follow along with it. We even create some of our own dialog.

I guess I also get a kick out of moviegoers who get a trick played on them and then get mad because of it. If you went into a movie that was created by Paul Verhoeven and Joe Eszterhas and was rated NC-17, expecting an artsy fartsy film, the joke was most definitely on you.

I on the otherhand, having seen everything Fred Olen Ray and Jim Wynorski have done, expected a fun, cheesy sex movie...and I got it...

9/10 and worth repeated viewings, especially for the great performances by Robert Davi and (yes) Elizabeth Berkley (for taking a chance on such a movie).

Trashy and proud of it, can't go wrong with that...

Highway to Hell (1991)

Fun little film with hilarious in-jokes

[8/10 · 19 June 2001]

I saw this enjoyable movie several years ago and it always sticks in my mind as a fun little flick. There are a lot of in-jokes that people who aren't b-flick movie buffs, like myself, probably won't get.

My favorite was on Patrick Bergen's towtruck, the inscription reading "Satanic Mechanic" (an allusion to "Rocky Horror Picture Show"). I also got a kick out of Hitler and Attila the Hun playing cards together...

The cameos by the Stiller family (Ben Stiller, Jerry Stiller, Anne Meara) are great fun too as well as the ever so lucious Lita Ford "Sex drugs and rock n roll, baby").

I also enjoyed Hellcop, who's played by CJ Graham, who was Jason in "Friday the 13th, Part 6" and who is now a general manager at a local Las Vegas Casino. Also, be sure to check some of the carvings in his face...a lot of cute in-jokes there as well ;)

A fun movie that doesn't take itself too seriously (so neither should you), though it does lag a bit in a few places.... 9/10

Caddyshack II (1988)

Not nearly as good as the first

[6/10 · 19 June 2001]

While this lackluster sequel isn't nearly as good or funny as the first, it's got a few laughs and is likeable enough.

I'm not much of a Jackie Mason fan, but was amused by his performance here. Randy Quaid was hilarious as always and stole the movie from Mason.

I also got a few chuckles here and there from the golf course makeover.

So, don't expect much, but it's good for a few laughs and worth catching on HBO...

Can't Hardly Wait (1998)

Nothing special, but not bad

[6/10 · 14 June 2001]

When I first heard about this flick, I mainly only wanted to see it for Melissa Joan Hart (even knowing she had a very brief role). I'm no fan of "giraffe neck" Jennifer Love Hewitt and in this movie she did her typical "I have large breasts, so don't really need acting talent" impression...

Being of the Generation X variety, I liked this movie more than my fellow Gen Xers and a few grumpy boomers...(FWIW, American Graffiti was overblown and if you weren't of that era, it was nothing special). MY egenration had "Fast Times At Ridgemont High" and the John Hughes films. This was a nice throwback to those films. Simple, humorous and fun. No overblown plots, character development, etc. just a fun time at the movies.

Amongst the other positives: Seth Green, not a bad performance yet. MJH, not many scenes, but then, I'm a tad bit biased ;) The band that never gets to playa single note (having had a high school garage band, I got a kick out of the pretentious lead singer, the guys arguing over what they were going to wear, etc.) The nerd's first beer Jenna Elffman as the stripper

A nice pleasant film that sadly sounds as if some funny scenes got cut to appease the MPAA and get a PG13 rating...funny that this movie has the same rating as "Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom" where a man pulls another man's beating heart out of his chest (not that I'm against some good old fashioned heart ripping, just odd that these two movies carry the same rating). Maybe is Speilberg had directed this...

Overall, a decent little film 7/10

That's My Bush! (2001)

One of the funniest shows on television

[13 June 2001]

I admit, I didn't care much for the first episode, as it took until the second episode for me to "get it". I caught the first episode on reruns and found it funnier. I had South park expectations.....sure they have some of the absurd humor (some call it gross-out, I call it funny).

This is the great anti-sitcom for those like me who hate total crap like Friends, any TGIF "comedy" and anything with "cute kids"...thank god this show doesn't have cute kids...yet...

For those who complain about changing the channel after 2 minutes...um, so you're saying you only saw 2 minutes of the show and you made up your mind in that time/ I guess it is true about the short attention spans in America.

I realize that the shows that Parker and Stone do aren't going to appeal to everybody, but hey, I hate Friends and that crap gets good ratings...go figure...

BTW, favorite episode is the Euthanasia episode...the dracula references for Dr. Kervourkian, the mace weilding security guards, Dr. K dressed as Laura Bush and the whole douche thing just had me rolling...juvenile? yup and I wouldn't have my comedy any other way....for sophisticated comedy I watch Frasier, for fun, absurd, laugh out loud humor, my TV stays on Comedy Central, especially That's My Bush and South Park...

Stir of Echoes (1999)

Very good movie and IMHO better that TSS

[9/10 · 13 June 2001]

I'm probably one of the few that enjoyed this movie better than "The Sixth Sense"...

I think I have a bit of a bias since my band used to do a great cover of "Paint It Black", but I just found the movie fascinating...I agree the digging scene went on a bit long, but I also understand why...this was to illustrate his determination to find out what he was after.

I felt the ending was a bit rushed, but still liked it as opposed to a lot of horror movies these days.

*Semi-Spoiler* I also have to take issue with the post about violence towards women...the girl was the victim of the attack, but it was hardly glorifying that act...the two guys got their just deserts...I suppose now the only ones who can have violence against them are white males age 25-45? How boring would that be? These types of movies hardly glorfiy violence against women...I could get off on a whole new rant regarding the treatment of women in movies, but I'll save that for my website ;)

Overall, a great movie with a few chills, a few surprises and solid acting. 9/10

Return of the Living Dead III (1993)

Don't think of this as a sequel...

[9/10 · 13 June 2001]

This movie isn't really a true sequel to "Return Of The Living Dead" (A Dan O'Bannon masterpiece) or "Return of the Living Dead Pt II" (Ken Weiderhorn's piece of sh*t sequel).

Think of it as taking zombies movies to a different level. The acting wasn't bad although *SPOILER* the Mexican zombie was a bit lame...Screaming Mad George is capable of much better. *END SPOILER*

Brian Yuzna is a great director (this and "Society" which is greatly underrated, show that he has a good eye and is actually a horror movie fan rather than some snobby music video director doing a quickie horror movie to pad his resume) and the rest of the cast isn't bad.

The ending actually brought a tear to ol' SykkBoy's eye, a rare feat indeed...

To the poor soul who couldn't find the gore in this movie, I think you got stiffed and grabbed the Blockbuster R-rated version....no wonder you hated this movie so much...

This is one of the all-time great zombie movies and Mindy Clark isn't exactly hard on the eyes. I have a thing for pierced women, so probably enjoyed certain parts of this movie more than the average fan ;)

So, a great ride but truly isn't for everyone...btw, nitpicking a bit, but this movie actually did hit a few theaters....although, I don't get elitist over straight-to-video flicks...I like the just as much, if not more than Hollywood Blockbuster crap...

Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)

Another great cult classic!

[9/10 · 13 June 2001]

Anyone familiar with my ratings knows I love good bad movies...I prefer a cheesy $85,000 silly rubber monster/nekkid screaming bad acting type movie to overblown crap like "Titanic" and "Pearl Harbor"...

I want to be entertained and that's what this movies does.

Great theme song by The Dickies, amazing makeup for such a low budget, a nice mixing of old b-movie pros and a few newcomers, some decent comedy and a knowing sense of parody.

It satirizes movies like "The Blob" and mixes in some great clown jokes (cotton candy caccoons, acid cream pies, killer popcorn) and some people don't understand this, but the creators of this movie KNOW they aren't producing the next "Citizen Kane" and that's the fun of it.

As for the guy who claims to be catching up on cult classics and hated this movie, you REALLY need to catch up on your movies if you didn't recognize any of the actors in this movie...I mean a movie that has John Vernon (Animal House), Royal Dano (The Killer Inside Me), Grant Cramer (Hardbodies) and John Allen Nelson (Hunk) in it can't be all bad...

So, for a great clown double bill, grab "Killer Klowns From Outer Space" and "Shakes The Klown" then put on your red rubber nose and have a blast...

Galaxy of Terror (1981)

Merely average Alien clone

[7/10 · 13 June 2001]

I'm usually a fan of "Alien" clones/ripoffs, but when you've seen as many as I have, you become a bit jaded...

This isn't bad, just nothing special...some decent gore and you can never go totally wrong with Ray Walston aboard.

I first saw this film in high school when I still had a thing for Erin Moran of "Happy Days" and that caused t\me to stay up and watch it.

There were some inventive death scenes and it was a fun concept: "what you fear will cause your death"

Of course in any cheesy sci-fi/horror flick, you can't expect a whole lot of logic, acting or direction, and this falls into that nicely.

You could spend your renting dollars on a lot worse "Alien" clones/ripoffs....worth a rent or "2am, can't sleep" type night if it pops up on HBO

The Brood (1979)

Wow!

[8/10 · 13 June 2001]

I remember seeing this movie as a kid and it scared the heck out of me. I was only 11 or 12 and defied my parents by staying up and watching it. I became a Cronenberg fan at an early age.

This movie is pretty grisly and unsettling so it isn't for everyone. I saw it again recently and it did seem a bit moer hokey then when I first saw it, but it was still entertaining and I liked that it was like the horror movies of today where they through in a funny catchphrase or lame comedy bits. I like my horror straight up...comedy-horror movies hurt true horror movies as now everyone expects a punchline when someone dies.

Cronenberg is near the top of his game here...not his best (my personal favorites are "Scanners", "Dead Ringers" and "Naked Lunch"), but still good.

Not for the squeamish or easily offended (but then again, what worthwhile horror movie is?)

Damnation Alley (1977)

Whole lot of cheesy fun

[7/10 · 13 June 2001]

Killer cockroaches, Jan Michael Vincent, Paul Winfield, George Peppard, giant scorpions, ultimate SUV's, inbred hillbilly types and dusty old Las Vegas where the slots still work...all combine to make a fun little, albeit cheesy, flick.

As a kid this movie was a fun Saturday matinee movie and to this day, still a fun Saturday Matinee movie...grab a big bucket of popcorn, turn your brain off and have some cheesy fun...

Small Soldiers (1998)

Not Dante's Best, But Still Good

[8/10 · 10 June 2001]

Unfortunately, I missed Small Soldiers in it's theatrical run. I was aware that it was Phil hartman's last movie but wasn't aware it was a Joe Dante film. I am a huge fan of Dante and his characteristic in-jokes.

This wasn't as good as the "Gremlins" movies or "The 'burbs" but was very entertaining. My kids loved as did I and I think we liked it for different reasons. As a film buff I always get a huge kick out of the in-jokes and references (often leaving my wife wondering what's cracking me up).

The script is admittedly a little weak and at times dark...but not every "kids movie" has to be fluffy happy Disney dreck.

As for the comment that anti-war sentiment has no place in a kid's movie...um, so, I guess pro-war is better?

This movie is great escapist fare and fun...I especialy enjoyed the scenes of the soldiers fashioning their own weapons from household items.

I also have to take issue with the "Frankenhooker" comment (BTW, "Frankenhooker" gets a huge 10 from me). I liked the Gwendy dolls. It was fun and added a scary (for the kids anyways) element. It added a sense of danger and was a fun little jab at not only Barbie, but girls' obsessions with them.

Again, not Dante's best, but still great entertainment value.

Amazon Women on the Moon (1987)

Not good, not bad

[7/10 · 10 June 2001]

Like all "comedy sketch" type movies, this one was hit or miss in the joke department. There were some extremely hysterical segments and some that fell extremely flat.

I like these types of movies, but often find myself feeling how I did with this one: hit or miss....

Not as good as "The Groove Tube" but better than "Kentucky Fried Movie"

Darkman (1990)

One of my all-time favorites

[10/10 · 9 June 2001]

I may be a bit biased since I was in attendance at one of the Fangoria magazine's "Weekend of Horror" expos and received an autographed "Darkman" t-shirt from Sam Raimi...

Still, I really enjoyed this movie. Sure there was some so-so acting and I'd much rather have seen Bruce Campbell in the lead role, but the story was fun and had that comicbook feel (which was the whole point actually).

I saw a comment stating this movie wasn't for kids...well, that's what an "R" rating means.

This movie really needs to be seen for the amazing helicopter stunt...one of the best action sequences I've seen on film.

I also think Tony Gardner did an outstanding job with the Darkman make-up and the Elfman score was good as always.

This story is a bit of a stretch of realism, but wasn't Batman, Superman and any of the other comic book heroes?

This movie isn't for everyone, but if you are a fan of the old Universal horror movies, comics, Sam Raimi and/or just good old fashioned popcorn entertainment, check this movie out.

Boiler Room (2000)

Good first half, not so good second half

[7/10 · 30 May 2001]

I was excited to see this movie as had done my time in a couple boiler rooms fresh out of college....

What I like about this movie was the realism of the sales calls. Each character in the movie felt like someone I'd actually worked with/for.

The first half was great and I was enjoyig every minute of it...the second half, it started declining and the end felt rushed...I felt like maybe I had fallen asleep and missed a 20 minute chunk of movie...

All in all, I enjoyed the movie, but I liked "GlenGarry Glenross" and "Wall Street" more...

River's Edge (1986)

One of the best of the 80's

[10/10 · 30 May 2001]

This is actually among my all time favorites...

This movie hit close to home in that these were the kind of kids I went to school with (not murderers...rather the outsiders who's biggest concern was their next drug score). The acting was decent and I recently saw this on video and it wasn't dated too badly as are a lot of the 80's movies. This was the perfect anti-Hughes teen movie.

Slayer on the soundtrack was also a HUGE bonus as are the acting performances by Krispin Glover, Keanu Reeves (well, as good as he can get anyways ;)), Dennis Hopper, Joshua Miller, Roxana Zal and Daniel Robuck.

Great flick but not for everyone...

Naked Obsession (1990)

A fun guilty pleasure movie with decent acting

[10/10 · 25 May 2001]

I first saw this movie a long time ago on Joe Bob Briggs' Drive-In Theater (remember when TMC had this...they REALLY need to bring him back).

A decent cast with the gorgeous Maria Ford, one of my favorite porn stars Madison (billed as Madison Stone), Rick Dean (in an amazing performance), William Katt (Greatest American Hero), Wendy MacDonald and the lovely Elena Sahagan...plus a special appearance by my favorite cheesy movie director, Fred Olen Ray and Roger Craig (yes, the football player).

The plot is a bit simple, a city councilman rallying against filfth wanders into a strip club and ends up in trouble...

Rick Dean as Sam Silver is amazing and mesmerizing. The strip club scenes are great and the dances well choreographed...too often movies set in strip clubs have gals on stage who look like they've never seen a pole before....

The addition of a bit of a surprise ending and some dark humor make this one of those great popcorn flicks...

The Dark Backward (1991)

Bizarre, yet oddly compelling...

[9/10 · 25 May 2001]

Wow, what can you say about a movie that features necrophilia (implied), 3 600+ pound women in lingerie, everything covered with a layer of dirt, slime, goo, etc., and Wayne Newton??

This movie is definately not going to appeal to everyone. In fact, when I pop this baby into the VCR for my friends, it's about a 50/50 split on love/hate. I mainly got it becuase the makeup effects were done by Tony Gardner.

Admittedly, there are a few places the movie drags no, but overall I enjoyed this movie about a garbageman by day, a terribly unfunny comedian by night, who grows a third arm (on his back no less). Bill Paxton is great as his trashy/opportunistic buddy and the scene of him in bed with 3 extremely large womn in lingerie....has to be seen to be believed...

Another of those in my video collection that I'm careful about showing to friends...that whole love/hate thing and all...

Video Violence 2 (1988 Video)

A lot of fun

[9/10 · 22 May 2001]

This video, shot on camcorder is a lot of good campy fun. It's not for the weak of heart or the easily offended but is a fun bad movie.

It features a couple guys who host a late night pirated tv show featuring snuff videos their fans send in (they even have an in-studio band). Kind of America's Funniest Home Videos on crack.

I loved it, my wife was offended, so I guess it's one of those videos you either love or hate...if you're looking for something different and totally sick, check this out...if you want acting, production values and plot, go rent "Titanic" for the 100th time...

Goremet, Zombie Chef from Hell (1986)

A little cheese for the burger

[6/10 · 22 May 2001]

High brow plot? no! Decent Special Effects? No Good acting? not on your life

What we do have is a weird little piece of video here. While it's not at the top of my must see bad movie list, it is one of the entertaining party movies where you and a few drinking buddies get together and watch a bad movie and play the home version of MST3K.

It's basically shot on a camcorder with lousy effects, bad acting, cheesy fakey gore but that spirit of a guy with $150 in his pockets and a few drinking buddies who decide to shoot a movie.

So, worth a look for the bad movie lover, but nothing to go out of your way for if you are just casually into bad movies. 6/10