Are you a fan of the original classic TV shows like KNIGHTRIDER, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, MAGNUM P.I? Well, if so, you are a fan of GLEN A. LARSON Productions... and that means that you have to check out this week's coolest listing... the made-for-TV pilot THE HIGHWAYMAN. It's a post-apocalyptic derivative based on a traveling secret government lawman who drives around in a futuristic armored 18-wheeler truck rig, powered by rockets and lots of other goodies. Cult actor SAM J. JONES of FLASH GORDON fame stars as the tough-as-nails titular character. What blows my mind on this actioner is the amount of cult film star-power in this gem. How many times have you seen ROWDY RODDY PIPER, MICHAEL BERRYMAN, WINGS HAUSER, LYLE ALZADO, JIMMY SMITS, and G. GORDON LIDDY all in the same film? And that's not all. The co-writer of this gem is none other than the Godfather of Gore... Mr. HERSCHELL GORDON LEWIS, which also probably explains why WILLIAM KERWIN (star of H.G. LEWIS classicks BLOOD FEAST and TWO THOUSAND MANIACS!) found his way onto the cast. And this space-age truck must be seen if you have never had the pleasure of catching THE HIGHWAYMAN on prime-time before it was canceled years ago. And if you like mean mother truckers, you also might want to check out the other 18-wheeler themed epic this week, THUNDER RUN, starring FORREST TUCKER in his last feature film along with co-star cult hottie ELIZABETH KAITAN. It looks like we are a bit short this week on hard-core gore, but we do have SHALLOW GRAVE, which is a rare slasher film about 4 teenage college girls terrorized, stalked, and murdered in a small Georgian town. For lighter horror-fare, check out I WAS A TEENAGE VAMPIRE, a highly entertaining and likable horror comedy, which might make a nice double feature with the 80s schlock WEEKEND PASS or STEWARDESS SCHOOL, the latter a misfire sex comedy featuring former HAPPY DAYS TV show star DONNY MOST in one of his infrequent starring roles. If you are looking for action, can we recommend SCORPION featuring the awkward acting talent (but truly awesome dry look hairstyle and full mustache to boot! Check out the link...) of TONNY TULLENERS, a former Karate champion that kicked CHUCK NORRIS' ass in a middleweight competition years ago. Or if you're in the mood for INDIANA JONES-like entertainment, and didn't get your fill with the latest installment in theaters, why not watch the slightly obscure Aussie ripoff entitled SKY PIRATES, which throws a bit of sci-fi time travel into the mix. We like this one a lot. WORLD GONE WILD is premium exploitation at it's finest and stars ADAM ANT along with vet BRUCE DERN as a tough hippie dude in charge of a desert outpost. Rounding out this batch is a totally obscure Iranian Cinema gem about the Iraq Iran war entitled DESERT LION aka: PRAYER CARPET OF FIRE. Being that this is an Iranian film, you can guess which side the storyline favors. Gritty, dusty, and brutal, but also strange to watch this semi-propaganda film play out from a different viewpoint other than the good old U. S. of A. It certainly shows the tough conditions of middle east ground warfare as the poorly equipped troops of the Iranian army battle the encroaching armored tanks of Iraq with hand-to-air missiles and machine guns. Another film this week is VIPER, a home-grown terrorist film storyline starring LINDA PURL and KEN FOREE of DAWN OF THE DEAD fame. YAJU DEKA aka: BEAST COP is our Japanese film pick this week... and features the nasty story of a dysfunctional family mixed in with a not so friendly and honest cop. Very weird storyline as the boy has an allegiance with his miscreant father, who also happens to beat his mother on occasion and also does quite a bit of drugs and dealing on the side. Nobody to root for in this seriously downbeat Japanese crime drama. OCEANS OF FIRE is another all-star cast gem... a sort of DIRTY DOZEN taking place on an off-shore oil rig starring GREGORY HARRISON, BILLY DEE WILLIAMS, and DAVID CARRADINE. The convicts enlisted to help include LEE VING from the punk band FEAR, LYLE ALZADO again, and former boxing champions RAY 'BOOM BOOM' MANCINI and KEN NORTON. This is an out-to-sea potboiler featuring lots of explosions both on and off the oil platform. Well, get to it and check out these gems in closer detail. Just click on the widget above and remember... NO BOOTLEGS EVER with Z-Grade!
Showing posts with label biker gang. Show all posts
Showing posts with label biker gang. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
My way or THE HIGHWAYMAN
Are you a fan of the original classic TV shows like KNIGHTRIDER, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, MAGNUM P.I? Well, if so, you are a fan of GLEN A. LARSON Productions... and that means that you have to check out this week's coolest listing... the made-for-TV pilot THE HIGHWAYMAN. It's a post-apocalyptic derivative based on a traveling secret government lawman who drives around in a futuristic armored 18-wheeler truck rig, powered by rockets and lots of other goodies. Cult actor SAM J. JONES of FLASH GORDON fame stars as the tough-as-nails titular character. What blows my mind on this actioner is the amount of cult film star-power in this gem. How many times have you seen ROWDY RODDY PIPER, MICHAEL BERRYMAN, WINGS HAUSER, LYLE ALZADO, JIMMY SMITS, and G. GORDON LIDDY all in the same film? And that's not all. The co-writer of this gem is none other than the Godfather of Gore... Mr. HERSCHELL GORDON LEWIS, which also probably explains why WILLIAM KERWIN (star of H.G. LEWIS classicks BLOOD FEAST and TWO THOUSAND MANIACS!) found his way onto the cast. And this space-age truck must be seen if you have never had the pleasure of catching THE HIGHWAYMAN on prime-time before it was canceled years ago. And if you like mean mother truckers, you also might want to check out the other 18-wheeler themed epic this week, THUNDER RUN, starring FORREST TUCKER in his last feature film along with co-star cult hottie ELIZABETH KAITAN. It looks like we are a bit short this week on hard-core gore, but we do have SHALLOW GRAVE, which is a rare slasher film about 4 teenage college girls terrorized, stalked, and murdered in a small Georgian town. For lighter horror-fare, check out I WAS A TEENAGE VAMPIRE, a highly entertaining and likable horror comedy, which might make a nice double feature with the 80s schlock WEEKEND PASS or STEWARDESS SCHOOL, the latter a misfire sex comedy featuring former HAPPY DAYS TV show star DONNY MOST in one of his infrequent starring roles. If you are looking for action, can we recommend SCORPION featuring the awkward acting talent (but truly awesome dry look hairstyle and full mustache to boot! Check out the link...) of TONNY TULLENERS, a former Karate champion that kicked CHUCK NORRIS' ass in a middleweight competition years ago. Or if you're in the mood for INDIANA JONES-like entertainment, and didn't get your fill with the latest installment in theaters, why not watch the slightly obscure Aussie ripoff entitled SKY PIRATES, which throws a bit of sci-fi time travel into the mix. We like this one a lot. WORLD GONE WILD is premium exploitation at it's finest and stars ADAM ANT along with vet BRUCE DERN as a tough hippie dude in charge of a desert outpost. Rounding out this batch is a totally obscure Iranian Cinema gem about the Iraq Iran war entitled DESERT LION aka: PRAYER CARPET OF FIRE. Being that this is an Iranian film, you can guess which side the storyline favors. Gritty, dusty, and brutal, but also strange to watch this semi-propaganda film play out from a different viewpoint other than the good old U. S. of A. It certainly shows the tough conditions of middle east ground warfare as the poorly equipped troops of the Iranian army battle the encroaching armored tanks of Iraq with hand-to-air missiles and machine guns. Another film this week is VIPER, a home-grown terrorist film storyline starring LINDA PURL and KEN FOREE of DAWN OF THE DEAD fame. YAJU DEKA aka: BEAST COP is our Japanese film pick this week... and features the nasty story of a dysfunctional family mixed in with a not so friendly and honest cop. Very weird storyline as the boy has an allegiance with his miscreant father, who also happens to beat his mother on occasion and also does quite a bit of drugs and dealing on the side. Nobody to root for in this seriously downbeat Japanese crime drama. OCEANS OF FIRE is another all-star cast gem... a sort of DIRTY DOZEN taking place on an off-shore oil rig starring GREGORY HARRISON, BILLY DEE WILLIAMS, and DAVID CARRADINE. The convicts enlisted to help include LEE VING from the punk band FEAR, LYLE ALZADO again, and former boxing champions RAY 'BOOM BOOM' MANCINI and KEN NORTON. This is an out-to-sea potboiler featuring lots of explosions both on and off the oil platform. Well, get to it and check out these gems in closer detail. Just click on the widget above and remember... NO BOOTLEGS EVER with Z-Grade!
Friday, June 23, 2006
PUSHING UP DAISIES
1973 {aka: FIVE MINUTES TO FREEDOM}
This is some piece of work. This rare slice of schlock cow-pie is best left for the heartiest of ROSS HAGEN fans... and most cult film fans barely know who he is anyway. The setting is modern times, but concerns a gang of washed-up crooks that get busted while attempting a bank robbery dressed as nuns. After getting locked-up and put on a chain-gang, they eventually plot an escape, get sprung by some of their other buddies, and prepare for their next big score. The hapless crew pulls off their next heist successfully, and they head out into the desert on dirt bikes... runnin' from the law. They wind up in Mexico at a whorehouse and play with the naughty wimmin (hmmm...sound familiar yet?), and then eventually are holed up and surrounded by the cops in a beat-up shack. Cue the slo-mo SAM PECKINPAH cinematography and audio... as all the miscreants bite the dust one at a time, all the while joking and singing a drunken bar tune.
Nonsensical from start to finish, this low-rent ripoff of THE WILD BUNCH on dirt bikes is pitiful at best. You might notice that CHRISTOPHER GEORGE is second billed in this wrong-headed exercise in plagiarism, but the prolific veteran actor only peeks his head into the action early on as a doofus gas station attendant... for just a brief moment.
A footnote to this Z-Grade hall of fame inductee is that the director (IVAN NAGY) later became notoriously famous for his involvement with HEIDI FLEISS and her former celebrity house of prostitution ring. If ya find this anywhere on DVD or VHS, you've found a true bottom-of-the-barrel treasure. Last time I saw this film was on a VHS tape I recorded from a vintage late-night broadcast. Long gone now.
This is some piece of work. This rare slice of schlock cow-pie is best left for the heartiest of ROSS HAGEN fans... and most cult film fans barely know who he is anyway. The setting is modern times, but concerns a gang of washed-up crooks that get busted while attempting a bank robbery dressed as nuns. After getting locked-up and put on a chain-gang, they eventually plot an escape, get sprung by some of their other buddies, and prepare for their next big score. The hapless crew pulls off their next heist successfully, and they head out into the desert on dirt bikes... runnin' from the law. They wind up in Mexico at a whorehouse and play with the naughty wimmin (hmmm...sound familiar yet?), and then eventually are holed up and surrounded by the cops in a beat-up shack. Cue the slo-mo SAM PECKINPAH cinematography and audio... as all the miscreants bite the dust one at a time, all the while joking and singing a drunken bar tune.
Nonsensical from start to finish, this low-rent ripoff of THE WILD BUNCH on dirt bikes is pitiful at best. You might notice that CHRISTOPHER GEORGE is second billed in this wrong-headed exercise in plagiarism, but the prolific veteran actor only peeks his head into the action early on as a doofus gas station attendant... for just a brief moment.
A footnote to this Z-Grade hall of fame inductee is that the director (IVAN NAGY) later became notoriously famous for his involvement with HEIDI FLEISS and her former celebrity house of prostitution ring. If ya find this anywhere on DVD or VHS, you've found a true bottom-of-the-barrel treasure. Last time I saw this film was on a VHS tape I recorded from a vintage late-night broadcast. Long gone now.
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