Reviews (62)

It's a literary high
Cronenberg's version of Naked Lunch is a brilliant combination of Burroughs' novel and Burroughs' life. He blends the true story of Burroughs life (and his reason for writing) with the surreal dark-comedy 'routines' of the novel until they become one story. The story is a quiet hallucination featuring exterminators, addiction, typewriters in the form of insects, typewriters that grow genitals, a global conspiracy of intelligence agents, the drug trade, homosexual ambiguity, writer's block, accidental murder, and literary paranoia. None of these elements is explored completely. Instead, Cronenberg touches on each one until they form some strange, underlying logic.

This edition of the DVD has enough extras to make it the only version of Naked Lunch you'll ever have to buy. (They won't release a bigger, better edition later.) The BBC documentary is okay. It's about 45 minutes long, giving Cronenberg and William Burroughs a lot of time to speak. (Burroughs is particularly good, with a dry sense of humor and a habit of saying obvious truths that make people uneasy.) The second disc also has stills from the special effects team, showing how the various creatures and organic typewriters were developed.

But it's the first disc --- the movie itself --- that makes it worth buying and watching. The special audio track, shared by Peter Weller and Cronenberg, adds a lot of useful background information. The film itself is bright and sharp, a perfect example of DVD clarity. I highly recommend this DVD to anyone who is interested in the best films of the 1990s. Naked Lunch didn't make as big an impact in theaters as it did in book stores, but it should have.

"It's time to do our Wiiliam Tell Act"
Talking slithering strangely sexual typewriters, addicts of cockroach-exterminating pyretheum powder (who like to breath on cbugs and watch them die while on it), thick-fluid sipping mugwhump creatures, an assortment of strange parasitic characters to represent the sinister parts of you you never knew ere there, and a high as a kite protagonist to narrate it all. What more can I say? This is both a brilliant representation of William S. Burrough's no-holds-barred dark imagination and director Cronenburg's as well, both with the twisted audascity to take all these horrific atroscities of reality and fantasy and breath eroticism & mystery into them...

Impossible to describe or even explain (almost but not quite as incomprehensible as FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS), the movie is not exactly a telling of the book Naked Lunch (even though some characters, namely the vile mugwhumps, show up) as it is a telling of Burroughs writing the book and what he may have imagined while writing it.

THe film starts out with the main character William Lee and his even more "creepy" (if anyone in the Burroughs line ever wanted to label what's inside themselves) wife, Joan, are addicted to the roach powder pyretheum, which Lee obtains thru his job as an exterminator. After playing a drunken William Tell act with his wife and blowing her head off so to say (which actually happened to Burroughs and his wife, and is said to have sparked the writing of Naked Lunch), he escapes to Tangiers, Mexico (with a "ticket" which actually appears to be a syringe). There he flows into a seemingly hallucinatory Interzone--a place populated by all the things mentioned above and tons more weirdness. He also meets the wife of a bisexual author who looks almost identical to his wife...and they engage in a particularly freaky sexual practice in which a typewriter tries to join in. If I say any more, the plot will be totally given away, so just watch, and compared to all the elaborate twists and turns on this unreal path to hell, I've said very little.

Great performances from Roy Sheider (who plays Dr. Benway, another character direct from the book), Paul Weller as Lee, Judy Davis as Joan and the other Joan, and Robert A. Silverman as a truly unique black centipede meat salesman with a disquieting manor (the black centipede meat, as well as Burroughs' thoughts on how centipedes controlled many Interzone lives, were from the novel). You'll either be completely confused or completely tripped out of yr. mind, but you won't leave the film unchanged...just like Burroughs' writings.

welcome to interzone!
In my opinion, Cronenburgs best film, or at least that i've seen. Amazing movie, Peter Weller (robocop) does an awesome job too. One of those joints you pop in the player and are thinking about it a week after you've viewed it. Runaway to Interzone with talking typewriters, giant sea centipedes, and the innermost sanctum of paranoia, bizarre eroticism, delusion, hallucination, and beautifully depressing schizophrenia. It's something else. Tough movie to describe, definitely required viewing for anyone with oddball tastes like mine and a good respect for a true artists unique vision (in this case two artists, Cronenberg and Burroughs). p.s. (just don't ever try the William Tell party trick)

Out to Lunch
If you're going to watch this film then you pretty much already know what you're in for. Take Cronenberg and Burroughs, mix them together and you've got yourself a pretty weird film. And it is weird, but it's also so much more. It deals with addiction like no other film has. Specifically how addiction effects the creative process. This is far from youre average nice Saturday night film viewing, but it's a real treat nontheless. Criterion has once again done an amazing job. I'd be surprised if there's ever a better release of the film.

David Cronenberg's Very Best
Before you even try to watch this movie, realize that David Cronenberg's films are among the most bizarre and perplexing films you will ever see. If you like your films to stick to traditional narratives and standard plot devices you will probably hate 'Naked Lunch' (and any other David Cronenberg film you chance to come across). If, however, you are extremely open minded (as in, "I'm open to watching a movie where people have sex with typewriters that turn into giant insects") you may find yourself addicted to Cronenberg's surreal style of film making.

'Naked Lunch' follows the story of a bug-exterminator-cum-secret-agent who...you know what, forget it...because the plot in 'Naked Lunch' isn't really what this movie is about. I'm not going to say that the movie is plot-less (it's not), but the story (an insane organic blend of sections from Burroughs's novel and episodes from his life) exists mainly as an alibi for Cronenberg's signature style of subconscious imagery; more specifically, for his metaphoric exploration of writing as an erotic addictive binge to "exterminate all rational thought." If that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, don't blame me. The fantastic thing about this movie is that it has a twisted logic that is entirely of its own making, and it sits with you. 'Naked Lunch' is a film that is difficult to deal with. It's a movie that I love, and I don't know if that's going to come across in this review. But, 'Naked Lunch' is nothing if not ambiguous, and that's what makes it great art. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Dead Zone is based on a novel by Stephen King, directed byDavid Cronenberg (Scanners, The Fly) and produced by Debra Hill (Halloween, The Fog). Such a trio of horror vets would be expected to come up with an evening of shocks and gore, but The Dead Zone is a surprise. While it has great atmospheric eeriness and undeniably scary moments, The Dead Zone is at heart a sensitive and thoughtful portrayal of main character Johnny Smith's dilemma. Christopher Walken, king of the vaguely creepy, plays Smith, a man who awakens from a five-year coma with the very mixed blessing of second sight. At the mere touch of a hand, Smith is unwillingly launched into scenes of past and future terror. (Director Cronenberg is said to have fired blanks from a .357 Magnum just out of camera range to keep Walken's flinching spontaneous.) The Dead Zone wisely takes its time telling the story, and thus allows for some great performances. Walken gives a rich portrayal of the conflicted Smith, and Colleen Dewhurst and Tom Skerritt both do welcome turns in smaller roles. The most fun of all, though, is clearly being had by Martin Sheen, who gives a spirited performance as a complete sleazebag. --Ali Davis ... Read more

Reviews (66)

The PRINCE of KING'S Cinema translations!
First-off: I'm not a fan, but acknowledge Stephen King's preeminence among horror writers. Of half-dozen horror novels I've read, my favorite is NEEDFUL THINGS, a wicked Americanization of FAUST's legend. I've more enjoyed...because of eclecticism manifested....straying-off the path with THE RUNNING MAN onto THE GREEN MILE. King could use an editor however; his books aren't sold by the pound.

THE DEAD ZONE, in my estimate, is singular as King's movie masterpiece. Characterization carries the story from tragic beginning to sad, evocative climax. Phasers-not-on-stun master, David Croenberg...SCANNERS; VIDEODROME; THE FLY... deserves plaudits for restraining usual, often grotesque flamboyance. But the show "goes" with Chistopher Walken, playing JOHNNY SMITH. The "Dead Zone" refers to a faculty of Smith's brain...jolted into function by a near fatal car crash...that makes him CLAIRVOYANT.

The excellent cast includes Brooke Adams (as "lost" sweetheart);
Herbert Lom (as psychiatric mentor); Anthony Zerbe (as concerned parent of a reclusive son...Simon Craig...whom Johnny saves from drowning; Colleen Dewhurst (as devoted mother to the town's sexual predator and serial killer);
and Martin Sheen (as Greg Stillson: would-be President of the United States who...in perverse moment of ebulience in power... will start WW III in Nero-like act of self-glorification).

A complicated plot focuses on "blessing"/curse of psychic powers on Johnny. It approaches tragedy (DZ is not a "horror" story") because Walken is superb in refusing to "melodramatize" his most unwanted "celebrity" status as "Who wants to be Psychic?" hero. He hates the "freak quality" it confers; as well as having cost TRUE LOVE.
Again, I think the book was too long; King telegraphed Johnny's heroic confrontation with the American Anti-Christ. However
the film's pacing...particularly pursuing the serial killer...jolts. All...(sometimes Sheen is overly DEMON-strative as Prime Candidate of the Demagogue Community)...actors contribute qualities of NORMALCY King as writer so magnificently exploits to HORRIFY. Perhaps THE DEAD ZONE is really our USA still(son) pretending to be NORMAL when it isn't; with "President Greg" waiting (in THE WEST WING?) to prove it. Again: this is MOVIE KING...or at least crowned PRINCE of cinema efforts...

Intriguing Character-Driven Film
Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken), a young teacher, has been in a coma for the last five years as a result of a car accident. When he suddenly awakens, he finds that the world around him has completely changed. The love of his life, Sarah Bracknell (Brooke Adams) has married another and he has received the dubious gift of second sight. Johnny finds that when he touches another person, he can see their future. Distraught and unable to bear the ramifications of his gift, Johnny retreats into himself and lives alone in a small town in the country. He tutors children in his home to make ends meet and tries to avoid physical contact when at all possible. However, as opportunities to use his gift come up, Johnny finds that he cannot resist. First there is the rapist/murderer, then there is the young boys' hockey team falling through thin ice, and finally there is an obsessed politician (Martin Sheen). In the end, Johnny must make the choice between doing what is right or continuing to endure his bleak, loveless life...

Director David Cronenberg did a wonderful job adapting this Stephen King novel. It is not a horror story like many of King's books are, but a wonderful story about a man's inner landscape. Christopher Walken was fabulous as the self-tortured lead character and I felt that I knew exactly what he was going through, even though he never said anything. He was also ably supported by other actors, including a conflicted Brooke Adams as his love interest and Martin Sheen as a characteture of a smarmy politician who takes kissing babies to a whole new level. Shot almost entirely in a bleak, gray, cold winter, the settings were perfect for this film and really let you focus on the characters. A wonderful movie to curl up at night with.

The Best King Adaption!
John Smith (Walken) leads a humble, but fulfilling life as a teacher, has a sweet girlfriend and an all around normal life until, in his words: "God through and 18-wheeler at me." After a 5 year coma Johnny wakes up to find he knew is a different place and that he is a different person.

I've seen The Dead Zone in bits and pieces many MANY times on TV, but surprisingly never sat down and watched it from beginning to end. Well, one night I popped this baby in and realized what a dumbass I had been. The Dead Zone is simply an unforgettable thriller and quite possibly the best film based on a Stephen King novel. Our hero in this film is the everyman, a man who lives humbly and happily. A man with a lovely girlfriend and would-be wife who is respected in his community. Everything is good in his little world until one rainy night when he has a run in with a big truck that puts him in a coma for 5 years. When Johnny wakes up he finds the world has changed. His girlfriend is now married with child, his job is gone, and his body is shot. AND on top of that he can predict the future of those he touches. Mostly predicting death and destruction, but occasionally seeing the past. This new ability is considered a curse at first. As though God played a cruel trick on him, but after saving a little girl's life, solving a series of brutal murders, and saving a boy from drowning, Johnny considers his gift a blessing.

Just as Johnny begins coming to grips with his abilities he meets Greg Stillson (Sheen), a candidate for a senator and very dangerous man who dreams of becoming president. After seeing some kind of Hitler-esque prophecy Smith sets out to change the future, even if he has to sacrifice himself.

The Dead Zone is of course based on the book by Stephen King and is directed by David Cronenberg who's best known for making sexually surreal thrillers. This is definitely Cronenberg's most straight forward and best film. Shot in the fall, covered in bleak gray skies, and snow, the atmosphere of The Dead Zone couldn't be more perfect. The small town adds a sense of isolation that forces Smith to take digs at a new location at the half way point of the film to get his back together. Cronenberg's usual bleakness is here, but in this film is means something is crucially needed not just for the sake of atmosphere.

Christpher Walken is riveting as Smith, one of his best performances. The tragic everyman, who didn't ask to be anything special, but when it came down to crunch time the guy wagered it all to save the many. A truly powerful exercise in selflessness. Brooke Adams is great as Smith's would-be wife, now torn between her feeling for him and her new love. Great performance! Martin Sheen is a good villain, but takes his character a bit over the top at times. Herbert Lom is good as Johnny's friend/slash doctor as well.

The Dead Zone can be looked upon as a depressing tragedy, but I don't consider it to be that way. The finale speaks volumes about selflessness, seizing your potential and not pissing away your true gifts. The finale while sad is more chilling and unforgettable, not a tragic fate, but a product of ultimate sacrifice.

The Dead Zone is simply a brilliant film, an unforgettable journey, and one of the most fulfilling films I've seen. A true classic and one film that deserves it's place in cinema history. Check it out!

Cronenberg in his best movie!
Exciting adaptation of the Stephen King novel . It turns around a man who uses physic powers to solve multiple murderers and perhaps avoiding the end of the world. Christopher Walken as always , perfect for the role. Cronenberg once more in one of his most challenging works, but he wins all the way. Notice this is a little crossroad of The Green Mile fifteen years after.

OH JOHNNY WHERE HAVE YE GONE?
David Cronenberg took a definite twist from his usual shock-laden films when he helmed THE DEAD ZONE. One of King's best books, this is also one of the best adaptations of his books. Beautifully filmed with an expert talented cast, THE DEAD ZONE is a heartbreaking look at Johnny Smith, a young man who loses five years of his life lying in a coma. When he awakens, the girl he planned to marry has already wed, and has a young son. He is physically handicapped and sentenced to a world he doesn't know or understand. Christopher Walken gives one of his finest performances as Johnny. Beautifully understated and poignantly touching, Walken creates a Johnny you will never forget. And what a fine cast he has to support him: Brooke Adams as his love Sarah who still loves Johnny but knows there is no hope for a future together with him; Martin Sheen as the preening, dangerous Senatorial candidate with a predicted itchy finger; Tom Skerritt as the frustrated sheriff who seeks Johnny's help; Colleen Dewhurst as the mother of a serial killer who knew his crimes; Herbert Lom as Walken's doctor and mentor, who tries to help Johnny adjust; Anthony Zerbe as the father who wants so much for his son to function normally in his world; and Nicholas Campbell as a deputy hiding a horrifying secret.
The stark winter landscapes add to the chill and there are horrors here, but they are the horrors of not belonging, of loving someone you can never have.
A brilliant film and a must for King affecionados and lovers of compelling psychological thrillers. ... Read more

Amazon.com

An early departure from director David Cronenberg's canon of visceral horror, 1979's Fast Company profiles one of his personal passions, racecars, in a gritty melodrama that also features exciting racetrack footage. Veteran toughguy William Smith is top-billed as a champion drag racer who clashes with the unscrupulous oil-company executive (John Saxon) who sponsors his team. Though lacking the gruesome clinical obsessions of his horror features (Cronenberg admits on the disc's commentary that the film was a tax shelter for its Canadian producers), Fast Company is also fascinated with internal machinery (here, car engines instead of human bodies), and it's easily Cronenberg's most approachable film, with plenty of automotive action alongside the solid performances (the cast includes B-movie queen Claudia Jennings in her final performance). --Paul Gaita ... Read more

Reviews (3)

"I have great affection for this movie." - David Cronenberg
The 2-Disc Limited Edition was purchased impulsively on its street date release, after I saw it staring at me on a shelf at a local retailer. Having greatly enjoyed Rabid, The Brood, Videodrome, and Crash, I had long been curious to see Stereo and Crimes of the Future. Yet having picked it up for Cronenberg's two early features, I was watching Fast Company for the sixth time on Saturday night of that same week.

Phil Adamson (John Saxon): You know you're out of your goddamn mind, Johnson. You're out of your mind, and you're over-the-hill. First you turn my trailer into a goddamn whorehouse, now it's an insane asylum!

John Saxon's villainy as the FastCo oil company rep is hilarious. Aside from the wonderfully written dialogue, his facial expressions and gestures are fantastic. Lonnie "Lucky Man" Johnson's (William Smith) team consists of a Western genre family-like trio, with character names such as Billy the Kid, P.J. and Elder; all wonderful performances. Gary "The Blacksmith" Black (Cedric Smith) is Lonnie's top competitor. He is neither a one-dimensional friend nor foe. His personal team members, known as Stoner and Meatball, are a funny pair. Stoner is likable and not-such-a-bad guy, while Meatball is a classic A-hole. Candy (Judy Foster) is Miss FastCo, a not-so-dumb blonde with feelings for Billy, and who makes an admirable stand when her self-respect is threatened by her employer's demands. William Smith and Claudia Jennings are the long-distance relationship lovers that I, on a personal level, have grown strongly attached to. Both, individually and together, add to the film something magical and nostalgic for me that I find very rare in most movies that I've seen. The scenes involved with them makes me feel like a small boy spending time with a favorite aunt and uncle. Mind you, I come from a Hispanic middle class background.
The cinematographer is largely to thank for capturing the humor of the film, as well as the documentary-like and exciting treatment of the dragsters; not to mention a multitude of highly admirable shots. Also worth mentioning is the work of Art Director Carol Spier, as well as the choices of music that significantly add to this wonderful little film. I have to say that Fast Company has been one of the most delightful surprises that I have encountered on DVD so far this year, along with The Passion of Joan of Arc, Flesh + Blood, Humanité, and Diary of a Country Priest.
Now, about Stereo and Crimes of the Future - after my purchase, I got home as fast as I could, and saw them first. Alas, they did not fully appeal to me, though Cronenberg's aesthetic approach to the storytelling on both, and his very nice camera work, did. I am very glad to have finally seen them, and I do intend to redo so again in the immediate future.
Blue Underground along with the personal supervision of Cinematographer Mark Irwin present an amazing print for a late-Seventies B-movie. The colors and sharpness are outstanding; and the sound is extremely satisfying. David Cronenberg's commentary is both interesting and very pleasing. His own enthusiasm on the film, and at the discovery of the restoration of a thought-to-be lost seen is wonderful. Comments like: "...it's very much me. And I don't think anybody else could have made this movie the way ... that I did." He stumbles at this last comment, probably concerned with sounding egotistical. However, with his style being so distinct along with his input into the script, he has justification to make that statement. Cronenberg also remarks on the commentary: "Worth every penny of it, wasn't it?" I quite agree. And am very pleased to hear a director satisfied with his own work, for a change. This film should appeal to fans of Seventies exploitation and car racing, while bitter and stubborn Cronenberg no-nonsense horror fans might need some lubing, or repeated viewings, to appreciate it for what it is and not for what they want it or expect it to be.

Billy "The Kid" Brooker (Nicholas Campbell): You know something, gang? There's a lot of junk you can put down your pipes, you know what I mean. Now I'm talking about the good stuff. You gotta take care of your baby's engine. So I suggest you go like the pros, and go with FastCo. If you want that power, that performance, and that protection. Yeah. FastCo. This is what all the pro racers use. FastCo Motor Treatment. (Chuckles). All right.

An Experiment in Telepathy
Stereo and Crimes of the Future are among the best underground films produced in North America in the late 60's/early 70's, a time when Kenneth Anger and Martin Scorsese were also making their first films. Thanks to Blue Underground for releasing those two important productions (along with the great Fast Company in a fantastic transfer) in such a classy edition.

May the experiment in telepathy begin...

Heaven bless Blue Underground!
I was lucky enough to catch showings of Stereo and Crimes of the Future at a retrospective of DC's career in Manhattan two summers ago. I've been waiting with fingers crossed for someone to release them on DVD. Blue Underground has proved to be a Godsend for genre fans, and this is no exception. Both films are fascinating early art-projects by Cronenberg that any DC fan will want to have in their collection. They are also pretentious, but this is par-for-the-course for such fare, and is not intended as a condemnation. They are striking, wholly original, and, despite their flaws, provide truly memorable experiences. Cronenberg's genius is on display here in an embryonic but unmistakable manner. It was wonderful of Blue Underground to include these two films on a bonus disc: DC fans have always wanted to see Fast Company, but once the novelty wears off and it is revealed as the mediocre film I suspect it to be, we will have Stereo and Crimes of the Future as recompense for the money we spent. And recompense indeed! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Arguably the best and most personal of director David Cronenberg's early films, The Brood is an extremely unsettling horror film about familial disintegration and emotional trauma taken to a monstrous extreme. Art Hindle (Black Christmas) stars as a man embroiled in a bitter custody struggle with his estranged wife (Samantha Eggar), who is undergoing therapy at psychiatrist Oliver Reed's controversial institute. Reed's treatment causes his patients to give form to their inner conflicts, and Eggar--whose psyche is at the boiling point from childhood abuse as well as the custody trial--creates a horde of homicidal humanoid children who enact bloody revenge on anyone who has threatened their "mother." Cronenberg's first feature with name actors and composer Howard Shore has its share of gruesome moments, but the film's subtext--how emotional violence impacts a family--is its most chilling aspect. --Paul Gaita ... Read more

Reviews (20)

The Good Mother
Director David Cronenberg is known for bieng a bit of a maverick behind the camera. His films run the spectrum of either being really good, like the remake of The Fly and Dead Ringers, to the really awful Naked Lunch. Fotrunately, 1979's The Brood, comes in at the upper end of my scale. Unlike most of Cronenberg's other horror flicks, this film has a bit more of an emotional subtext, to go along with its scares.

The stress of a child custody battle between Nola (Samantha Eggar) and Frank Carveth, (Art Hindle) forces Nola to seek treatment from contoversial Dr. Hal Raglan (Oliver Reed). Thanks to regression therapy and other "treatments", his patient soon discovers that a hidden childhood trauma, forces all of her inner conflicts to take the form of a group of murderous child-humanoids. These children will do anything to protect their "Mother".

The film boasts great prefomances by Reed, who's effective at making Raglan-not a typical villian-and Eggar, who really is convincing as Nola-a woman on the edge of insanity. A metaphor for family dynamics, The Brood, has enough psychological and real scares to keep you on edge the entire time. Composer Howard Shore's underscore puts the icing on the cake.

The theatrcal trailer is the only extra on the DVD. Here's hoping that the powers that be release a special edition someday. As one of Cronenberg's best from early on in his career, it deserves it. For now--this version will have to do. Recommended

Rage Made Manifest...
David Cronenberg is one of the most under-rated horror directors of all time. This is one of his forgotten movies. People remember The Fly, Scanners, etc. But THE BROOD gets lost in the terror-shuffle. This is a scary movie! Written and directed by Cronenberg, THE BROOD is a tale of disturbing psychological forces unleashed. Dr. Raglan (Oliver Reed) is using his faddish "psychoplasmics" techniques to "help" a compound full of nuerotics. Among them is Nola (Samantha Eggar), the estranged wife of the skeptical Frank (Art Hindle). When their daughter Candice returns from a visit with mom, Frank finds her back covered in bruises, bite-marks,and scratches. Infuriated by this, he seeks to keep Candice away from Nola and Dr. Raglan. Meanwhile, Raglan's methods of role-playing are bearing strange fruit, as Nola releases her rage toward her mother and father who abused / neglected her as a child. Her rage is somehow made tangible in the form of a "brood" of murderous, mutant children! This results in the bludgeoning deaths of both her mom and pop. Frank and the police are baffled when one of the creatures is autopsied and found to be lacking a navel. The dread mounts when Candice is snatched from her school classroom, leaving her teacher dead on the floor. Where is Candice? What will Frank do to get her back? What is the dark secret of THE BROOD? Highly recommended...

cronenberg; hollywood's challenging pair of brass knuckles
in the midst of a countless crop of directors lacking in personality or vision, there is david cronenberg.
he has, to this day, remained obsessivley true to a relentless, aesthetic vision.
this film and rabid are the two early masterpieces.
brood is gruesome and unsetletting, about as subtle as a pair of brass knuckles, but it is a highly personal film with many layered messages and, like all great art, it challenges you.
rise to the occasion.

An unsettling but thoroughly moving piece from Cronenberg
It is said by the great man himself that this is the closest he has ever got to making a sort of autobiographical film " and I don't want to come any closer " he feels. And in some respects you have to agree with him. The acting all round is superb and unlike in many of Cronenberg's films where the actors are almost wooden in their performance, none of them here are wooden in their performances. There's a sense of realism in this which you won't get from any other Cronenberg film. There's always a creepy sense " of what might happen " than the " wham bam you're dead " sort of horror movie

You don't really need me to tell you the story of the film since many others have commented on it. But I will say this is that Oliver Reed plays his part well. There's always an underlying threat of menace in his voice even when he's trying to convince Frank that he's on his side ( although you probably wouldn't think it at the time )

And as for those side effects that these people have while in his therapy are truly one of the most revolting things you'll ever see. Even though this film is menacingly restrained yet emotional, it'll take a strong stomach to see one of the more gruesome scenes of the film ( although it ain't as gruesome as Scanners or Videodrome )

However this is a film that has to be watched purely being for the reason that this maybe the only time that Cronenberg makes a highly personal movie.

An abused girl's traumatic experiences...
When a man picks up his daughter from a weekend visits with her mother who is institutionalized in a private clinic he notices bruises and bite marks on her back. This is seems to be linked to the psychiatrist at the mother's clinic, who opposes the idea of removing the daughter from the visits. The father then attempts to prevent the mother from seeing the daughter, but finds out that he will most likely lose custody of the daughter if he continues to press the issue into court. Squeezed in between a rock and hard place the father begins to gather evidence that could aid him in a possible custody battle in court. However, this is interrupted by the mysterious murder of the daughter's grandmother. The Brood has an interesting idea, but the story falls flat as the characters make dim and predictable choices. In the end, Cronenberg does not create a story of disturbing suspense as he did in Dead Ringers (1988) and Spider (2002), but he does create a story that equals many other poor horror films. ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Great Movie! :-)
I saw this movie three times, and each time I found something else that I liked about it. I have only seen Vince Vaughn in "Swingers" and "Psycho" and I must say that his performance in this movie was wonderful. All of the roles I have seen in him are so completely different, and his ability to portray such different characters shows his talent.

As for this movie, I loved it. Very rarely do you see a movie about a single father. This movie shows that fathers love and care about their children too and that it is not just the mother who can do those things. The child who played Calvin, Bobby Moat, is absolutely adorable and he and Vaughn had a great chemistry in the film.

I highly recommend this movie. I only wish I could afford to buy it! :-(

ENGAGING!
From beginning to end, "A Cool Dry Place" genuinely entices the viewer. My 20-year old son introduced Vince Vaughn's acting versatility to me when he rented "Clay Pigeons"; his cool, suave manner could "best" James Bond's attitude anyday - and you have to love that "unique" laughter! "Psycho", "Swingers" and "The Lost World:Jurassic Park" are GREAT movies (between my son and I, we own them all), but Vince Vaughn's performance in "A Cool Dry Place" is charming and attractive! Any actor who can portray a "cold, deadly" killer in one movie, but yet portray a loving, but firm, Father in this movie has "Oscar" written into his future.

Joey Lauren Adams was well cast for this film. I bought "Dazed and Confused" last year because I also suffered from the "screwed-up" seventies and graduated from high school in May 1976. I completely related to that movie! I thought Joey Lauren Adams was "Renee Zellweger" - Sorry Joey! After watching "Big Daddy", I had no doubt that there is a BIG difference between the two actresses. Her throaty, sometimes high-pitched, sexy voice is enough to drive Vince Vaughn WILD! She may be a "Veterinarian's assistant", but she HAS MORE CLASS than the woman, Monica Potter, who portrays the "truant" wife. Even though she is "just" the girl friend, she has more wisdom when it comes to "rearing" children and "what is best for the child" and her acting is SUPERB!

Bobby Moat as Calvin is EXCELLENT! A beautiful child and an impressive actor!

Like Samantha K. (Gainesville,FL), I wish I could afford to buy this movie NOW!

One thing leads to another
This is the film that sparked my interest in Vince Vaughan. His performance in this film is so sweet and well done that I just had to have more. Imoved on to Swingers, the Locusts, and another favorite, Clay Pigeons. He doesn't seem to do films like these anymore, so this is definately a great place to start your Vince Vaughan collection.

The Movie is absolutely amazing!!
There are a couple reasons why I highly recommend this movie. One of the most compelling reasons is found in the caliber of the cast involved. The acting job is quite spectacular, very realistic, and the story is very vivid and at the same time rough. Many times a director can't capture the audience's attention on "Every day life" type movies. In this movie, the director hit the nail right on the head! I would stack this movie up against "Lord of the Rings", "The Matrix series", "Fast and the Furious", etc any day. Bottom Line- This movie is genuine and a real piece of art work.

this is a WONDERFUL movie!...
The only reason I heard of this movie was because of Joey Lauren Adams, but I am SO GLAD I hunted it down! It's such a sweet tale, but most importantly, it is REALISTIC. There is no pure evil or pure good in this movie. I found myself sympathizing with each character. The casting is unbelievable. Vince Vaughn and Joey Adams are so convincing and were cast perfectly. The little boy is adorable, i hope to see more of him! I bought this when I was single and childless, and now that i have a 16 month old and husband, it hits me twice as hard. Definitely a tearjerker towards the end. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Fady Ghaly's reviews
(. . .)Coming-of-age sagas are frequently burdened with threat, especially because the genre has been so overworked and even pulverized into cliché. Yet young filmmaker, John Fawcett, pulls off a coup with this hip and arresting drama that's full of spit and attitude, and is relentlessly in your face, whether you like it or not. The Genie-nominated, first-time Toronto director, working from Genie-nominated writer, Peter Wellington's edgy, intellectual script, re-invigorates the genre with panache.

He does so by balancing climactic suspenseful elements with authentic human insights. He does it with a first-rate cast, led by Chris Penn as a psychotic cop killer badly affected by a grim childhood who, when he had reached his breaking point, I guess you could say in a sense, had me on the edge of my seat till I was fully assured that he was conquered-such riveting performance was that compelling. A performance so compelling, it earned him a nomination as Best Actor at the 1996 Genie Awards. Here, Penn really delivers his finest since co-starring in Abel Ferrara's elegiac gangster film, The Funeral. (Even the title itself screams of great mourning for that which is irrecoverably past.)

The three youths played by our rising young stars are at loose ends during a teachers' strike that has closed down their small Ontario town's high school. The three friends, who dispute because their social and intellectual instincts tug in three dramatically different directions, find themselves in a quandary one afternoon as they head toward their secluded shack deep into the wilderness where the pressures of growing up do not have to be faced; however, that severely wounded and yet armed stranger in whom they discover hiding out inside may just be their ticket to real adventure. Overriding common sense, they decide to help the stranger, who we find out is named Luke, rather than report the incident to the police.

"If you want something, you just take it, and then it's yours," Luke says, and they do, and they love it. They get themselves into trouble and the thought of getting themselves in insubordinate acts excites them. They're loving it. They feel alive. (Luke even builds courage in one of the boys who was dealing with girl trouble, named Kyle, but ultimately had girl trouble no more, for he got that girl, impressed her by filling her in with his knowledge in air crafting as Luke wisely told him to, and his dream was finally fulfilled as he got to show how great his "affection" was upon her as they had sexual intercourse together.)

Over the ensuing days, the adventure escalates gradually into a full-blown moral, ethical and physical crisis. What is so clever with regards to this piece is that, even when, through the audiences' eyes, we want to wail out the words: Wake up, stupid! when one of our teen heroes is about to make a mistake in judgment, the Fawcett-Wellington team make those mistakes understandable. We sympathize. We comprehend. We're involved.

The ambivalence and complexity of the struggle are why The Boys Club has accurately been called a cross between Stand By Me and River's Edge, two landmark films that explored teen anguish with a piercing intelligence, never pandering to the youths or condescending them.

Fawcett walks the same wobbly tightrope, even if The Boys Club remains as a modest film, at least, in scale, that will not gain the notoriety of either Stand By Me or River's Edge.

On the other hand, Penn is a towering force, a raging bull-of-a-catalyst in our teen protagonists' lives. Dominic Zomprogna-being the one to play the part of Kyle-perfectly essays the confused youth torn between intellect and impulse; Stuart Stone, who plays the part of Brad, is a terrific counterbalance as the practical one, while the charismatic Devon Sawa-a dead ringer for Leonardo DiCaprio-is pure feral instinct. (According to Sawa, his character in the film, whose name is Eric, is so unlike himself that it really puts his acting skills to the test. The Boys Club has generally been his most challenging film yet, and yet he passes with flying colors.) Nicholas Campbell provides a compellingly sad-sophisticated portrayal of Kyle's father.

Their personalities mix, the deeming of both their feud and friendship bond and the palpable danger of the narrative ups the emotional stakes. Even Eric, the tough-talking, badly-behaved kid who pushed others such as Brad around and talked about how ineffectual and cowardly they were, becomes nothing more but an ineffectual and cowardly kid himself, while Brad, one who was perpetually antagonized by him, became the brave one who was willing to risk his own life in order to prevent Kyle from losing his, and, most vitally, Kyle's bother's, who was shot earlier on in the dorsum and left to bleed to death inside their shack.
"Kyle, he's getting beaten around. We have to do something. We have to do something," Brad urgently pleads.
"What? No wait...you know what, we'll just call the cops, huh?" the apprehensive Eric says.
"No, it's too late-"
"We'll call the cops-"
"It's too late," Brad continues, and they ultimately find a way to enter their shack without Luke indicating any signs of their existence, a time when even greater heat was summoned.
The Boys Club is not at all just kids' play. It is an inexorable and deeply powerful film that tests friendships and human insight, and yet it doesn't ever overdraw upon a single factor that would diminish it from being the masterpiece that is, because that's precisely what it is despite of the fact that it was shot as a Canadian film on a skin-and-bones budget, will not be released in most countries-which is a shame-and was shown at only a few theaters in Canada. (Mind you, it, however, is available on VHS and DVD in, aside from Canada, Australia and the U.S. as well.)

The Boys Club, although the affect it has upon me isn't quite as great as it once was-for I have now watched it so many times, that it has reached an extent where the amount can no longer be counted anymore-it, nonetheless, is a film that will forever be special to me. Not only because the tension that was generated by these kids in danger influenced me to become a writer, an interest that has drastically altered me as a person, for I now I'm capable of expressing my feelings in a way I never thought possible; but, in addition, because, after having stepped inside a video store one glorious day, it instantaneously drew me to purchase a copy of it on DVD despite of the fact that I merely had a VCR-a machine that was left setting alone no longer, for I the following day ended up purchasing the player itself, a highly sophisticated machine in technology that has forever altered both my experience and outlook upon movie-viewing.

Fady Ghaly's reviews
Coming-of-age sagas are frequently burdened with threat, especially because the genre has been so overworked and even pulverized into cliché. Yet young filmmaker, John Fawcett, pulls off a coup with this hip and arresting drama that's full of spit and attitude, and is relentlessly in your face, whether you like it or not. The Genie-nominated, first-time Toronto director, working from Genie-nominated writer, Peter Wellington's edgy, intellectual script, re-invigorates the genre with panache. He does so by balancing climactic suspenseful elements with authentic human insights. He does it with a first-rate cast, led by Chris Penn as a psychotic cop killer badly affected by a dreadful childhood, who, when he had reached his breaking point, I guess you could say in a sense, had me on the edge of my seat till I was fully assured that he was conquered, such riveting performance was that compelling. A performance so compelling, it earned him a nomination as Best Actor. Here, Penn really delivers his finest since co-starring in Abel Ferrara's elegiac gangster film, The Funeral.
The three youths played by our rising young stars are at loose ends during a teachers' strike that has closed down their small Ontario town's high school. The three friends, who dispute because their social and intellectual instincts tug in three dramatically different directions, find themselves in a quandary; however, that severely wounded and yet armed stranger in whom they discovered hiding out in their shack deep into the wilderness might just be their ticket to real adventure. Overriding common sense, they of course decide to help him rather than report the incident to the police.
Over the ensuing days, the adventure escalates gradually into a full-blown moral, ethical and physical crisis. What is so clever with regards to this piece is that, even when, through the audiences' eyes, we want to wail out the words: Wake up, stupid! when one of our teen heroes is about to make a mistake in judgement, the Fawcett-Wellington team make those mistakes understandable. We sympathize. We comprehend. We're involved.
The ambivalence and complexity of the struggle are why The Boys Club has accurately been called a cross between Stand By Me and River's Edge, two landmark films that explored teen anguish with a piercing intelligence, never pandering to the youths or condescending them.
Fawcett walks the same wobbly tightrope, even if The Boys Club remains as a modest film, at least in scale, that will not gain the notoriety of either Stand By Be or River's Edge.
On the other hand, Penn is a towering force, a raging bull-of-a-catalyst in our teen protagonists' lives. Dominic Zamprogna perfectly essays the confused youth torn between intellect and impulse; Stuart Stone is a terrific counterbalance as the practical one, while the charismatic Devon Sawa-a dead ringer for Leonardo DiCaprio-is pure feral instinct. Nicholas Campbell provides a compellingly sad-sophisticated portrayal of Kyle 's (Zamprogna) father.
Their personalities mix, the deeming of both their feud and friendship bond and the palpable danger of the synopsis ups the emotional stakes. The Boys Club is not at all just kids' play. It is a stern and powerful film that tests friendships and yet doesn't ever overdraw upon a single factor that would diminish it from being the masterpiece that it is.

The Boys Club, though the affect it has upon me isn't quite as great as it once was, it, nonetheless, is a film that will forever be special to me. Not only because the tension that was generated by these kids in danger influenced me to become a writer, an interest that has drastically altered me as a person, for I now I'm capable of expressing my feelings in a way I never thought possible; in addition, because it, after having stepped inside a video store one glorious day, drew me to purchase a copy of it on DVD despite of the fact that I only had a VCR, a machine that was left setting alone no longer, for I the following day ended up purchasing the player itself, a highly sophisticated machine in technology that has forever altered my outlook upon movie-viewing.

Fady Ghaly's reviews

My remarks toward this picture
Coming-of-age sagas are frequently burdened with threat, especially because the genre has been so overworked and even pulverized into cliché. Yet young filmmaker, John Fawcett, pulls off a coup with this hip and arresting drama that's full of spit and attitude, and is relentlessly in your face, whether you like it or not. The Genie-nominated, first-time Toronto director, working from Genie-nominated writer, Peter Wellington's edgy, intellectual script, re-invigorates the genre with panache.

He does so by balancing climactic suspenseful elements with authentic human insights. He does it with a first-rate cast, led by Chris Penn as a psychotic cop killer badly affected by a grim childhood who, when he had reached his breaking point, I guess you could say in a sense, had me on the edge of my seat till I was fully assured that he was conquered-such riveting performance was that compelling. A performance so compelling, it earned him a nomination as Best Actor at the 1996 Genie Awards. Here, Penn really delivers his finest since co-starring in Abel Ferrara's elegiac gangster film, The Funeral. (Even the title itself screams of great mourning for that which is irrecoverably past.)

The three youths played by our rising young stars are at loose ends during a teachers' strike that has closed down their small Ontario town's high school. The three friends, who dispute because their social and intellectual instincts tug in three dramatically different directions, find themselves in a quandary one afternoon as they head toward their secluded shack deep into the wilderness where the pressures of growing up do not have to be faced; however, that severely wounded and yet armed stranger in whom they discover hiding out inside may just be their ticket to real adventure. Overriding common sense, they decide to help the stranger, who we find out is named Luke, rather than report the incident to the police.

"If you want something, you just take it, and then it's yours," Luke says, and they do, and they love it. They get themselves into trouble and the thought of getting themselves in insubordinate acts excites them. (spoiler) What is so clever with regards to this piece is that, even when, through the audiences' eyes, we want to wail out the words: Wake up, stupid! when one of our teen heroes is about to make a mistake in judgment, the Fawcett-Wellington team make those mistakes understandable. We sympathize. We comprehend. We're involved.

The ambivalence and complexity of the struggle are why The Boys Club has accurately been called a cross between Stand By Me and River's Edge, two landmark films that explored teen anguish with a piercing intelligence, never pandering to the youths or condescending them.

Fawcett walks the same wobbly tightrope, even if The Boys Club remains as a modest film, at least, in scale, that will not gain the notoriety of either Stand By Me or River's Edge.

On the other hand, Penn is a towering force, a raging bull-of-a-catalyst in our teen protagonists' lives. Dominic Zomprogna-being the one to play the part of Kyle-perfectly essays the confused youth torn between intellect and impulse; Stuart Stone, who plays the part of Brad, is a terrific counterbalance as the practical one, while the charismatic Devon Sawa-a dead ringer for Leonardo DiCaprio-is pure feral instinct. (According to Sawa, his character in the film, whose name is Eric, is so unlike himself that it really puts his acting skills to the test. The Boys Club has generally been his most challenging film yet, and yet he passes with flying colors.) Nicholas Campbell provides a compellingly sad-sophisticated portrayal of Kyle's father.

Their personalities mix, the deeming of both their feud and friendship bond and the palpable danger of the narrative ups the emotional stakes. (spoiler)
The Boys Club is not at all just kids' play. It is an inexorable and deeply powerful film that tests friendships and human insight, and yet it doesn't ever overdraw upon a single factor that would diminish it from being the masterpiece that is, because that's precisely what it is despite of the fact that it was shot as a Canadian film on a skin-and-bones budget, will not be released in most countries-which is a shame-and was shown at only a few theaters in Canada. (Mind you, it, however, is available on VHS and DVD in, aside from Canada, Australia and the U.S. as well.)

The Boys Club, although the affect it has upon me isn't quite as great as it once was-for I have now watched it so many times, that it has reached an extent where the amount can no longer be counted anymore-it, nonetheless, is a film that will forever be special to me. Not only because the tension that was generated by these kids in danger influenced me to become a writer, an interest that has drastically altered me as a person, for I now I'm capable of expressing my feelings in a way I never thought possible; but, in addition, because, after having stepped inside a video store one glorious day, it instantaneously drew me to purchase a copy of it on DVD despite of the fact that I merely had a VCR-a machine that was left setting alone no longer, for I the following day ended up purchasing the player itself, a highly sophisticated machine in technology that has forever altered both my experience and outlook upon movie-viewing.

A great thriller, a hot guy, what more could you ask for?
This movie was excellent and skillfully done. I don't only love it because one of the main stars, Dominic Zamprogna, is SOO hot, but just because it's a great movie. It is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that you will have to watch from beginning to end.

Cool Movie ,Hot Chick
This Movie is cool it sounds like me and my friends and something that would happen to usand Amy Stwerwart who plays megan ohh-ahh man she so so incredibly hot man shes got me dreamin but the movie is cool watch it. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

B-Movie Masterpiece!
This movie is Dice's best since Ford Fairlane and Crime Story! He turns out a fantastic performance as a bad guy. Shannon Tweed, in her best role yet, plays the kick boxing heroine who, stunt double or no, really kicks the tar out of the bad guys. Other B-Movie greats are here, including Robert "Showgirls" Davi, Rowdy Roddy Piper, and a few other familiar faces. Piper gets the stuffing beat out of him with a bag of ice in one of the film's best scenes. Don't miss this one, watch it late at night, but be sure to watch it!

Been wanting this movie for YEARS!...
I have been wanting this movie for a long, long time. Originally it was ONLY available on VHS, but thanks to miracle that is DVD, this "cult" CLASSIC may now be enjoyed for many years to come! Andrew Dice Clay ROCKS!...

The Woman "Die Hard" turns into Typical Bad B-Movie Fare
Originally a HBO movie, it's amazing a lot of work went to put together what would obviously be a "shoot-em up" movie, slated only for the late hours of the night. Trying to be a woman's "Die Hard," this picture tries to bring life with granted, an interesting selection of villains, and to have a woman be in the "Die Hard" role. However, by the time this movie was made the "Die Hard" had been done so many times it was cliche, and this movie tries to aim for a lot of plot twists and a lot of violence to try to breathe life. It's only life may really be due to B-rated humor. No, it's not because of the premise of Shannon Tweed saving the day as former Beauty Queen now action star, Sharon Bell, doing Karate kicks. It would've probably worked well with a different actress (and no, she does not have to be "butch"). But the bad, obvious scenes of her "stunt Double," do make this movie worth the commentary of Mystery Science Theatre.

The story in short-- a Miss Universe (or Galaxy as they called it) pageant is taken over by "terrorists" and the leader, Andrew "Dice" Clay (yes, that's right, Andrew Clay) is asking for 5 million dollars in diamonds or all of the hostages will die. Shannon Tweed, the hostess of the pageant, escapes and takes the Bruce Willis role as she sneaks around and sweats and offs baddies. Your typical "Die Hard" plot. Like in "Die Hard," the hotel is taken over ridiculously easy, even by pre-9/11 standards. In fact, when within fifteen minutes after the takeover one of them says "the hotel is completely empty" (by two or three of the five terrorist), it's completely laughable, new hotel or not, inept hotel manager or not (the hotel manager character badly acted).

The only interesting aspect of this movie is it actually tries to appeal the woman audience watcher (this was the time when action movies were often praised for being for both "The girl" and "the guy"). Yes, it tries to do this with Andrew "Dice" Clay. Women do take aggressive roles in the movie (including a police woman) and the women hostages, themselves, do at times manage to overtake the male chauvenist "terrorists." In fact, one of the reasons why the villains seem so villainous is their blatant, negative attitude towards women (except maybe for the computer geek).

But the main reason why we see the villains are evil is that we get to see them kill eleven characters in the beginning of the movie with blood and gore highlighted. Of the blockbusters of this type, I don't recall either "Die Hard" or "Speed" going for the jugular so soon. Once the mostly "Silencer" deaths are dealt with, we later get to see violence against women, villains killing cops as if they are playing a video game, a character being blown up, a character's eyebrow taken off, someone attacked repeatedly by a bag of ice, and a machine gun death that's trying to outdo a scene from "The Godfather." Then there's the gratuitous line from Andrew Clay, "The tiger doesn't do it for the meat. It does it for the blood. Now, that's not sick. That's purpose." The sad thing is, a lot of it seems unnecessary and minimizes the terror. The only interesting aspect of the terrorists, was the whole "fail safe" plot, which may be a difficult to buy, but deals with a bunch of bombs placed against the foundation of a building and the only thing keeping it off is a villain's living pulse within range. Oh, that and they kill the winner of "Miss Galaxy" and make the runner-up the new winner to show a TV audience they mean business.

As for the plot-- why the villains would do what they do, considering the international coverage of an international beauty contest only reveals how dumb the villains are and one wonders why they hadn't died a long time ago from their other acts of third-world terrorism (which they refer to). Because the reason for their terrorism is so ridiculously trivial and unlike "Die Hard" really had no reason for them to take over a hotel, this movie end up truly becoming one of those turkey "B" movies. If it wasn't for the humor (some of it unintentional) this movie would only then be rated V for violence, a lot of which is gratuitous.

Rated Two stars only because it did have its "moments"

Boom Boom Boom Boom
Absolutely Fantastic. This is a must buy if your sat at home on a Friday night and you need a good laugh. Anyone who can defuse a bomb by muttering the words 'boom boom boom' is a god in his own right. There are also some handy tips if your mobile phone ariel breaks and how to pretend your a hostage. Shame there not making a third... bummer.

what happened?
...lets recap this movie: beauty contest, terrorist, barbie turns in to rambo, some people die, bad dialog, and the one thing that could have saved this movie, didnt happen...

this is a Shannon Tweed movie, about a bueaty contest, and there is never any sence at all with anyone wearing less than a bathing suit

at least that would have made this ok to watch "late-night" ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Trying to Leave
Mooney Pottie is an eccentric, teenage, odd duck in the small Irish-Catholic town of New Waterford on Cape Breton, Nova Scotia---a town where the mere mention of the Blessed Virgin will stop a sinner "in his tracks". Played to perfection by Liane Balaban, Mooney is determined to escape from her small-town life by any means possible (including cleverly trying to get herself a false bad reputation and then planning to tell her parents she is pregnant so they will send her away).

Mooney befriends a new neighbor, Lou (played with brilliant perfection by Tara Spencer-Nairn) after an initial period of wariness at this transplanted New Yorker's enthusiasm for New Waterford.

This comedy reveals its quirky twist in the first scene, a wedding and funeral being held at the same time in the local Catholic church. The pregnant bride shares the altar with her father's casket - showing the inherent thrift of the locals! Of course, sorting out the sympathy and wedding cards becomes a bit of a problem.

The authenticity of the script can be attributed to the fact that it was written by a woman who actually lived in New Waterford in the 70s, the time in which the movie is set.

Despite her desire to get out, we see the beautiful, if rough, vista of Nova Scotia through Mooney's eyes and realize the pull this incredible coastal area has on her.

A delightful film---every actor does a fine job and the coastal settings are spectacular.

Quirky fun
A thoroughly enjoyable comedy, set in Cape Breton, in which the rebelliously strange Moonie Pottie tries to escape her small town life. Hampered on all sides by her family, peers, and everyone else in town, Moonie figures the only way out is to pretend to be pregnant-- so she'll be sent away to have the child.
What follows is an unusual, subtle, and charming story, featuring plenty of great characters: Moonie's best friend Lou from New York, who finds acceptance in New Waterford by punching out the local girls philandering boyfriends; Cecil Sweeney, the local high school teacher, who is completely besotted with Moonie, and lives off the leftover chile she brings him; the priest, who dreads his hours the confessional and dreams of having long hair and a little terrier; the doctor with a perpetually bleeding hand...and so on. The cast are all great, ranging from unknowns Liane Balaban and Tara Spencer-Nairn, to well known Canadian actors Nicholas Campbell and Mary Walsh (hilarious as Moonie's parents).
The type of movie you like to see more than once, to get all the little jokes. ... Read more

Description

Rowdy Roddy Piper is stuck in one tough neighborhood. In the heart of Jungleground, a forgotten, urban wasteland controlled by roving gangs, Lt. Jake Cornel (Piper) is brought before Odin, the psychotic war chief of the most ruthless gang. Cornel becomes the centerpiece in a deadly game where he is hunted through the burned-out tenements and abandoned streets solely for Odin's amusement. Cornel's ultimate goal is to reach home before dawn or Odin will kill his girlfriend. The chase is on... ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Roddy Piper + an outstanding villain = A great movie
All Detective Jake Cornel (Piper) wants is to ask his artist girlfriend Sami to marry him, but just as he's about to pop the question, duty calls. Jake has to go down to Jungleground, an area so filled with drugs, gangs, and mayhem that the police refuse to patrol there. Jake is captured by the Ragnarockers, a Norse mythology loving gang led by Odin, a techno-punk psychotic with a warped sense of humor. Odin decides to play a game with Jake. If Jake can make it home through Jungleground by dawn, he will be free. To further handicap things, Odin sends a team of "soldiers" after Jake, and dispatches two goons to kill Sami at dawn should Jake fail to return home. JR Bourne stands out as Odin--what a great villain!! Check this movie out. Joe Bob Briggs even chose it as one of his year's best!!

Futuristic Thriller with a Standout Villain!
All Detective Jake Cornel (Roddy Piper) wants is to ask his artist girlfriend Sami to marry him, but just as he's about to pop the question, duty calls. Jake has to go down to Jungleground, an area so filled with drugs, gangs, and mayhem that the police refuse to patrol there. Jake is captured by the Ragnarockers, a Norse mythology loving gang led by Odin, a techno-punk psychotic with a warped sense of humor. Odin decides to play a game with Jake. If Jake can make it home through Jungleground by dawn, he will be free. To further handicap things, Odin sends a team of "soldiers" after Jake, and dispatches two goons to kill Sami at dawn should Jake fail to return home.

This is one of my very favorite Roddy Piper movies, mainly because of the outstanding performance of JR Bourne, who plays the villainous Odin with charisma and style. Check this movie out!

Surprisingly enjoyable
This movie was surprisingly enjoyable. Just let your brain relax and sit back and enjoy. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Trapezoidal
Jack Palance plays an insane villain who takes over a mining colony on a planet with a population of about 12 (who spend most of the film hiding from Jack in a cave). He uses his newfound power as head (and now sole) miner to crash his only interstellar ship, manned by a robot, into the headquarters of the galactic government on earth (actually, Ontario Place), thus causing so much damage that it takes the government all of 10 minutes to make repairs. Jack then demands that he be made supreme dictator on the strength of this demonstration, and apparently also because of his ability to cast cool spinning holograms of himself. The earth government is too afraid to counterattack Palance (who no longer has the means to even leave his planet), so it looks like he'll get his wish, except that several heroic types hijack an unfinished battleship in order to launch a counterattack. Once on Jack's planet, they must defeat about 20 slow, clumsy robots that look like mini-fridges with legs and which can be taken out if you hit them once over the head with a staff. Luckily for Jack, all the good guys are absolutely incompetent morons (although not as incompetent as the good miners who stand still long enough so the robots can electrocute them in battle). Oh yeah, there's one robot who turns good and gains the ability to teleport for no apparent reason and which, for comic relief purposes, falls in love with the lead female (which means it must consider itself to be either a male or a lesbian). Some poor mutant children (they look like Edgar Winter) show up to pull at your heartstrings, and there's production design straight out of Space: 1999 and Battlestar Galactica which could give you a bad case of disco fever.

The movie never gets dull, but is not that as funny as my description might make it sound. It's not as good as anything from Towers' amazing Franco period, but is far better than his dismal South African period (apartheid made filming there cheap in the 1980s). The only real reason for getting this movie is out of some bizarre nostalgia for the late 1970s/early 80s or for Palance's performance which is so entertaining that you might forget that his character is only slightly more threatening than someone on life support.

Makes Buck Rogers Look LIke Citizen Kane
Beyond your wildest imagination.... beyond belief is more like it. In the wake of STAR WARS came the cheap knock-offs like STAR CRASH and THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME, which placed the blame on H.G. Wells. Jack Palance, once again, is the evil villain, trying to force the moon colony (the Earth is a wasteland from the great robot wars) into making him their dictator because he controls the only supply of medicine that counters the effects of radiation (I didn't know that there was radiation on the moon). Scientist Barry Morse, his son (Nicholas Campbell) and the beautiful Anne-Marie Martin (billed here as Eddie Benton) make off in the Star Streak to stop the dastardly Palance. They are accompanied by SPARKS, a robot with more than a passing resemblance to a trash can. Meanwhile, Carol Lynley of POSEIDON ADVENTURE fame leads a pathetic group of rebels. I cannot believe that the gang at MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 overlooked this turkey. BLUE UNDERGROUND has brought this embarrassment back to life, so fans of Grade-Z cheese will be able to experience the gentle, slow motion ballet of "time dilation." ... Read more

Reviews (3)

"I have great affection for this movie." - David Cronenberg
The 2-Disc Limited Edition was purchased impulsively on its street date release, after I saw it staring at me on a shelf at a local retailer. Having greatly enjoyed Rabid, The Brood, Videodrome, and Crash, I had long been curious to see Stereo and Crimes of the Future. Yet having picked it up for Cronenberg's two early features, I was watching Fast Company for the sixth time on Saturday night of that same week.

Phil Adamson (John Saxon): You know you're out of your goddamn mind, Johnson. You're out of your mind, and you're over-the-hill. First you turn my trailer into a goddamn whorehouse, now it's an insane asylum!

John Saxon's villainy as the FastCo oil company rep is hilarious. Aside from the wonderfully written dialogue, his facial expressions and gestures are fantastic. Lonnie "Lucky Man" Johnson's (William Smith) team consists of a Western genre family-like trio, with character names such as Billy the Kid, P.J. and Elder; all wonderful performances. Gary "The Blacksmith" Black (Cedric Smith) is Lonnie's top competitor. He is neither a one-dimensional friend nor foe. His personal team members, known as Stoner and Meatball, are a funny pair. Stoner is likable and not-such-a-bad guy, while Meatball is a classic A-hole. Candy (Judy Foster) is Miss FastCo, a not-so-dumb blonde with feelings for Billy, and who makes an admirable stand when her self-respect is threatened by her employer's demands. William Smith and Claudia Jennings are the long-distance relationship lovers that I, on a personal level, have grown strongly attached to. Both, individually and together, add to the film something magical and nostalgic for me that I find very rare in most movies that I've seen. The scenes involved with them makes me feel like a small boy spending time with a favorite aunt and uncle. Mind you, I come from a Hispanic middle class background.
The cinematographer is largely to thank for capturing the humor of the film, as well as the documentary-like and exciting treatment of the dragsters; not to mention a multitude of highly admirable shots. Also worth mentioning is the work of Art Director Carol Spier, as well as the choices of music that significantly add to this wonderful little film. I have to say that Fast Company has been one of the most delightful surprises that I have encountered on DVD so far this year, along with The Passion of Joan of Arc, Flesh + Blood, Humanité, and Diary of a Country Priest.
Now, about Stereo and Crimes of the Future - after my purchase, I got home as fast as I could, and saw them first. Alas, they did not fully appeal to me, though Cronenberg's aesthetic approach to the storytelling on both, and his very nice camera work, did. I am very glad to have finally seen them, and I do intend to redo so again in the immediate future.
Blue Underground along with the personal supervision of Cinematographer Mark Irwin present an amazing print for a late-Seventies B-movie. The colors and sharpness are outstanding; and the sound is extremely satisfying. David Cronenberg's commentary is both interesting and very pleasing. His own enthusiasm on the film, and at the discovery of the restoration of a thought-to-be lost seen is wonderful. Comments like: "...it's very much me. And I don't think anybody else could have made this movie the way ... that I did." He stumbles at this last comment, probably concerned with sounding egotistical. However, with his style being so distinct along with his input into the script, he has justification to make that statement. Cronenberg also remarks on the commentary: "Worth every penny of it, wasn't it?" I quite agree. And am very pleased to hear a director satisfied with his own work, for a change. This film should appeal to fans of Seventies exploitation and car racing, while bitter and stubborn Cronenberg no-nonsense horror fans might need some lubing, or repeated viewings, to appreciate it for what it is and not for what they want it or expect it to be.

Billy "The Kid" Brooker (Nicholas Campbell): You know something, gang? There's a lot of junk you can put down your pipes, you know what I mean. Now I'm talking about the good stuff. You gotta take care of your baby's engine. So I suggest you go like the pros, and go with FastCo. If you want that power, that performance, and that protection. Yeah. FastCo. This is what all the pro racers use. FastCo Motor Treatment. (Chuckles). All right.

An Experiment in Telepathy
Stereo and Crimes of the Future are among the best underground films produced in North America in the late 60's/early 70's, a time when Kenneth Anger and Martin Scorsese were also making their first films. Thanks to Blue Underground for releasing those two important productions (along with the great Fast Company in a fantastic transfer) in such a classy edition.

May the experiment in telepathy begin...

Heaven bless Blue Underground!
I was lucky enough to catch showings of Stereo and Crimes of the Future at a retrospective of DC's career in Manhattan two summers ago. I've been waiting with fingers crossed for someone to release them on DVD. Blue Underground has proved to be a Godsend for genre fans, and this is no exception. Both films are fascinating early art-projects by Cronenberg that any DC fan will want to have in their collection. They are also pretentious, but this is par-for-the-course for such fare, and is not intended as a condemnation. They are striking, wholly original, and, despite their flaws, provide truly memorable experiences. Cronenberg's genius is on display here in an embryonic but unmistakable manner. It was wonderful of Blue Underground to include these two films on a bonus disc: DC fans have always wanted to see Fast Company, but once the novelty wears off and it is revealed as the mediocre film I suspect it to be, we will have Stereo and Crimes of the Future as recompense for the money we spent. And recompense indeed! ... Read more

Description

John McWhirter is a hard-drinking reporter whose award-winning career is slipping away. But he's just been handed the story of a lifetime and his editor wants the scoop. A group of radicals want McWhirter to protect a beautiful fugitive who is actually a Palestinian operative on the run from the FBI and an assassin. As the pulse-pounding action builds to an astonishing climax, McWhirter must fight for both the woman he loves and the story of a lifetime--and hope he doesn't have to choose between them. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Made for TV and should have stayed there.
Trite made-for-TV movie with Victoria Principal as a woman trying to be a perfect housewife. After her father-in-law tires to rape her, her husband begins to question the mental state of his wife. With the help of his father he finds a doctor willing to medicate her into submission and into a mental hospital. Only after some horrific experiences does he being to realize the truth of what he has done to the woman he loves.

As TV movies go this was below average. The plot was choppy and slow moving. And their contempt for the mental health system is so obvious you have to think the screenwriter was trying to get back as his shrink does. If this really based on a true story then there should have been some epilogue to cover what happened to the snake pit the lead was condemned to. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Made for TV and should have stayed there.
Trite made-for-TV movie with Victoria Principal as a woman trying to be a perfect housewife. After her father-in-law tires to rape her, her husband begins to question the mental state of his wife. With the help of his father he finds a doctor willing to medicate her into submission and into a mental hospital. Only after some horrific experiences does he being to realize the truth of what he has done to the woman he loves.

As TV movies go this was below average. The plot was choppy and slow moving. And their contempt for the mental health system is so obvious you have to think the screenwriter was trying to get back as his shrink does. If this really based on a true story then there should have been some epilogue to cover what happened to the snake pit the lead was condemned to. ... Read more