Tag: Ed Lauter

DEATH WISH 3 (1985)

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Directed By: Michael Winner 
Written by: Dan Jakoby 
Based on characters created by: Brian Garfield 
Cinematography: John Stainer 
Editor: Arnold Crust 

Cast: Charles Bronson, Ed Lauter, Martin Balsam, Deborah Raffin, Gavin O’Herlihy, Kirk Taylor, Alex Winter, Tony Spiridakis, Marina Sirtis

Architect/vigilante Paul Kersey arrives back in New York City and is forcibly recruited by a crooked police chief to fight street crime caused by a large gang terrorizing the neighborhoods.

This film is a cult classic to many and it’s very easy to see why. As it is supposed to be New York, but you can tell not only it’s a set but actually filmed in England!!!!

This film doesn’t bother to put up any pretense; it cuts to the chase immediately. No real drama, just Charles Bronson’s friend getting immediately killed when he is on his way to visit him in NYC. So he seeks revenge after being arrested as a suspect in his friend’s murder. He is in the same holding cell as the film’s main villain. Definitely a full pedal to the metal.

When I say things are kept simple I mean it when it comes to this film. As the villain is middle-aged and a gang leader. A gang that never leaves the neighborhood and he himself looks middle-aged with a bad haircut in his balding frame. There is no rhyme or reason for his or his gang’s killing. Even when they say he has a clean arrest record. It seems like maybe because he is a trust fund kid or makes enough money to afford a good lawyer. Nope, he just has others do his crimes for him. 

As soon as Charles Bronson comes into the neighborhood he defends it openly. While a detective supports it. You wonder if the cops are dirty after one of the older couples has their gun taken away by cops after a complaint from the criminals.

At least by the end, he gets to the neighborhood helping fight off the gang. This might be because the neighborhood has become a literal war zone. With explosions, guns, blades, and machine guns.

As usual, this film gives Bronson a love interest. So far in these movies, he must personally lose two people. The film opens with the death of his friend and then the death of a lawyer he was dating who was much younger than him. Her death is senseless, but it does provide the motivation to finally make him mad. 

The film is ridiculous in itself, but it is more fine and entertaining than the last film. As this

The film really gives fans of this franchise what they want and gets to the action immediately. It also helped that the film capitalized on the vigilante shooting in New York by Bernard Goetz at the time. As the film shows that only violence will help cure bad violence.

The film still has its fate share of gruesome exploitive violence against women. Including a sexual assault and an attempted one in which the woman is stripped bare. These attacks happen even in the middle of a battle or war towards the end. Makes it even more over the top and distasteful. Many might blame director Michael Winner, this was the last time he directed frequent collaborator Charles Bronson or any of the DEATH WISH movies. Director Winner also seems to take particular glee in the violence and nude scenes.

The last two are forgettable and more basic. He brought the sleaze to these films that whole bad certainly helped them to stand out. So that this filled like his over-the-top opus.

The artillery certainly is used more and it’s more of a battle. Eye for an eye as most victims in the neighborhood are elderly. Which is disheartening to watch. The guns get bigger with Bronson seeming to have a signature gun like Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry. 

This film has a more recognizable cast. Though in the end, you are a fan of ridiculous action, give this film a try. As it is certainly entertaining with a disturbing dark side. 

Grade: C

NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE (2001)

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Directed By: Joel Gallen 
Written By: Michael G. Bender, Adam Jay Epstein, Andrew Jacobson, Phil Beauman & Buddy Johnson 
Cinematography: Reynaldo Villalobos 
Editor: Steven Welch 

Cast: Chris Evans, Chyler Leigh, Jaime Pressly, Eric Christian Olsen, Mia Kirshner, Samm Levine, Ron Lester, Joanna Garcia, Sam Hunnington, Randy Quaid, Lacey Chabert, Eric Jungmann, Cody McMains, Nectar Rose, Samaire Armstrong, Beverly Polcyn, Ed Lauter, Paul Gleason, Mr. T, Molly Ringwald, Cerina Vincent

A sendup of all the teen movies that have accumulated in the past two decades. After breaking up with his girlfriend, Priscilla, a popular jock, Jake Wyler makes a bet with his friends that he can’t make ‘ugly girl’ Janey Briggs into prom queen. After spending more and more time with Janey, Jake really starts to think whether he wants to keep the bet on or not.

The first thing you’ll notice about this movie is that it looks ugly. The sets, the film everything looks washed out but still dirty, heaped, and grungy. One remembers how heavily this was advertised primarily by MTV at the time

The scenes never look Natural or even nice looking. The actors look like they have either bad hair dye jobs or bad wigs. The actors are all obviously too old to play teenage characters though that is part of the spoofing.

While this film has Its moments and makes a point here and there nailing its targets it still needs a major overhaul. A lot of jokes seem repetitive and are not clever, they are nasty. Just to be nasty. The film is not as smart as it likes to think it is.

The film feels like a rushed product. Like it is speeding along not aware of its Many flaws. As it seems fast and loose and doesn’t pay any respect or seem to have more than a general understanding of the films it is parodying.

The cast is likable but this film will only serve you with a few chuckles, but hardly a laugh. Even as a spoof this film needed to be better thought out. Like THE SIMPSONS or the NAKED GUN series of films. Which could be lowbrow and funny but still had a lot of well-thought-out and set-up jokes.

One of the good things in this movie is a lockable cast. Especially actress Chyler Leigh as the female lead. She is the only thing that shines bright in the pit of despair of this film. Also the abundant nudity of actress Cerina Vincent as the foreign exchange student. Which is like a work of art itself. On the opposite spectrum, it is sad to see Randy Quaid in this film. As he is a better actor than the material and he gives a bad performance. Then again he doesn’t have that much to work with.

Just like the characters, it highlights the film seems a bit too juvenile as it is obsessed with sex and nudity. Of course, the characters are but it feels like that is the main interest of the film Also. Which leaves it for only a certain kind of audience

When it comes to spoofing. Too many go for the easy jokes that they are supposed to be about, but a truly strung spoof will somehow raise above what they are spoofing to be a strong comedy in their own right and that seems to be a rarity. This is why when it comes to films such as these they never rise above a certain level

I can give the film credit that it hits all of its marks, but unfortunately not in a very clever way and all the cruder. At least not as bad as it seemed like a lot of spoof movies at the time that just tried to be year-end send-ups of whatever was popular or trending, this was better as it was more focused but barely. That seems to have needed a team of comedy writers to make skits and sketches and form into a story 

Grade: D+

GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN (1985)

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Directed By: Alan Metter 
Written By: Amy Spies 
Cinematography By: Thomas E. Ackerman 
Editor: Donald Rawlins & Lorenzo DeStefano 

Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Helen Hunt, Shannen Doherty, Jonathan Silverman, Ed Lauter, Biff Yaeger, Ian Giatti, Holly Gagnier 

Janey is new in town, and soon meets Lynne, who shares her passion for dancing in general, and “Dance TV” in particular. When a competition is announced to find a new Dance TV regular couple, Janey and Lynne are determined to audition. The only problem is that Janey’s father doesn’t approve of that kind of thing. 

Based on the popular Cyndi Lauper hit song. That strangely isn’t used instead a cover version is.

This film is a perfect film for teenagers that parents will want them to watch as it is inoffensive and most of the trouble the characters get into is so innocent It’s almost cute. You don’t really have to edit this film much to broadcast it on television.

It tries to have more blue-collar characters versus the rich even though they all come from the suburbs, but it’s so easy to just make the villain a pampered rich girl that to Defeat. The protagonist as more working-class makes the divide and the lire of selling out so much more great.

Just like Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare the supporting characters are so much more interesting than the leads. Who strangely for a change really has very little angst and very little to actually rebel against.

As one would be more entertained by watching her best friend played by Helen Hunt and his best friend played by Jonathan Silverman romance one another them the two leads. That would have truly been different. One of the many early performances I remember her in even if Helen Hunt in this film looks a little long in the tooth but she gives the most fun performance throughout. I believe this might actually be my favorite performance of hers.

This is also an early role for Sarah Jessica parker who at this point I only remembered from SQUARE PEGS and FOOTLOOSE. Though for quite a while it was her definitive performance in my view until maybe L.A. STORY

One can admit this is not a good film but It’s thoroughly entertaining, but very 1980’s. This could easily be a cult classic which is Interesting because like most it didn’t start out trying to achieve that honor. Instead, it tries to track and include all of the fads of the time period.

The title of the film is based on the popular Cyndi Lauper hit song, but they couldn’t get the rights for her to sing it so they use a different vocalist and beat.

His father saying to forget his job when Faced with being fired unless his son throws the competition. Telling him if you can win this dance contest do it. Is a scene that means well but is hilarious to watch in all seriousness that it is intended

The fact that she never tells her father why she is sneaking out. This might help her and make things easier for her to go to dancing practice he may understand though he is strict it’s only dancing. Though then there would be no movie.

The 80’s cliche it the bad boy rebel who can dance immaculately well is one that strangely never caught on. His sister is played by a young Shannen Doherty. So this film is filled with plenty of child actors who amazed to gain life-long noted acting careers.

Co-star Holly Grangier is actually a trained dancer and did all of her own dancing.

Even the punks who crash and ruin the rich rivals debutante break into choreographed dancing. Through the close up’s slow mayhem and wild dancing throughout.

This movie is a trip but a worthwhile oddity to the collection.

Even though this movie can easily be seen as a cash in on Cyndi Lauper’s popular single and building a movie or story around it.

It’s ridiculous but fun and a pretty good representation of the theme of the song and the times it takes place in even if slightly toothless. It manages what it aims for and entertains It’s audience and luckily left an impression on them and a noted memory.

If I didn’t know better it seems like this type of innocence is what the Saturday morning show SAVED BY THE BELL aimed for

Kristi Somers was originally supposed to work only one day on this film. However, Director Alan Metter liked her performance so much, that a couple of additional scenes of her were added into the movie. This is one of her more legitimate movies and performances. As usually, her body of work was playing best friend happy characters who were sexy and usually bad influences in many T & A sex comedies of the ’80s. yet she was always someone to watch and enjoy as an actress also, even though she was usually topless.

I have a confession to make this film is a total guilty pleasure for me. I used to watch this all the time on cable and even had a taped version of it to watch.

This film continued my crush with Sarah Jessica Parker at the time. So it’s nice to see her be a child star who made it a life-long career. In movies, I first noticed her in FIRSTBORN, FOOTLOOSE and the television show SQUARE PEGS. Here she is rebellious against her father’s strictness but so cute and innocent and quite the dancer.

 Grade: B

THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN (REMAKE) (2014)

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townthatdreaded

Directed By: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Written By: Roberto Agguire-Sacasa
Based On the Screenplay of the 1976 film Written By: Earl E. Smith
Cinematography By: Michael Goi
Editor: Joe Leonard 

Cast: Anthony Anderson, Addison Timlin, Veronica Cartwright, Travis Tope, Ed Lauter, Gary Cole, Joshua Leonard, Edward Herrman, Arabella Field, Spencer Treat Clark, Denis O’Hare

65 years after a masked serial killer terrorized the small town of Texarkana, the so-called ‘moonlight murders’ begin again. Is it a copycat or something even more sinister? A lonely high school girl, with dark secrets of her own, may be the key to catching him. This is a loose remake of the 1976 film by the same name based on “The Moonlight Murders” incident in Texarkana

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