Letters are arranged from newest to oldest.

To contact The Unknown Movies, click this link

---

May 3, 2012

DEAR
TRACI LORDS
IT WASN'T A BAD MOVIE,  IT WAS A GREAT MOVIE.   YOU HAD A GREAT SPANISH ACTOR IN IT.    JORGE RIVERA, ZACH GILLIAGAN I HAVEN'T SEEN IN ALONG TIME.    I HAVE SCREENPLAY JUST FOR YOU Ms. lords   It's an action/adventure Ms. lords.
It involves two women and they,  well  i would like to tell you in person.   My address  is [DELETED].  If you ever
get into to Portland.  I wrote this screenplay for you,  I wrote your character,  the woman you would play in this movie.   With major stars i also
want in it.   like Alyssa Milano,    Holly Marie Combs,  Nicolas Cage.

Daubert Frekals

Huh?

May 1, 2012

[re: Dog Soldiers]

Just wanted to say I mostly agree with your review, I REALLY hate seeing stupid characters, especially in horror films.  One particularly glaring example is in The Ring.  After Rachel finds out that the tape might be cursed, instead of getting rid of it or hiding it in a safe place, she leaves it out where her son could easily find it. Though I thought Lock Up was a decent movie in spite of the logic gaffe. 

I do disagree with Ebert quite a bit on what he considers to be an "idiot plot"  For example the movie Run with Patrick Dempsey (LONG before Grey's Anatomy, which IMO is not a good indication of his talent) Ebert thought the plot was idiotic, I personally didn't see it that way at all, I thought the main character was fairly likeable and made the best decisions he could considering the bad situation he was in.  I also hate the derogatory tone Ebert sometimes takes in his reviews as he insults anyone who might actually enjoy the film (his reviews of The Raid:Redemption, Universal Soldier and Battle: Los Angeles being a few examples) I also hated how he gave four stars to Knowing  one of the single stupidest and worst movies I've ever had the displeasure of seeing, let's just say out of all the films you've given negative reviews to, i'd gladly watch them over Knowing in a heartbeat.

P.S. I think Run would actually be a good choice for your next review, even though Ebert reviewed it, it got a very limited theatrical release and did pretty poorly (it made less then a million dollars) and it's been virtually forgotten as it's only available on VHS.  I think you might enjoy that film well enough.

Michael Prymula

Thank you for your e-mail. I actually did see Run years ago, and while I didn't like it, I do remember enough about it to think it would make for an interesting review. I'll keep an eye out for it during my regular patrols of thrift shops and Value Village.

April 6, 2012

[re: Terror House]

Thanks for liking the film.

If you are interested there's a FB site for it.

Best

Linda

April 4, 2012

Love your site; your reviews are top-notch and a terrific read.  Just letting you know that Rituals has been released by Code Red.  It features a crisp transfer and is uncut.  Also includes an interview with star Lawrence Dane.  Your site is one of the few with a detailed review, so I thought you and your readers might find the info of interest.  Thanks, and keep up the great effort!

Andrew Dowd

February 6, 2012

Hiya!

First, I wanted to say you run one of my favorite obscure/b-/genre movie websites. It's nice to read about movies I'll likely never see, and you have a way of opening with an entertaining digression that always works its way back to the subject.

I also have a suggestion: Please add the film's title to the <TITLE> tag of your reviews.

I know you probably have a template, but it'd help readers out if the film title was up there at top. Right now each review has the same title. But adding a unique film title, something like "Death Weekend - The Unknown Movies," would help us readers find the right review in our bookmarks.

Regards,

Zeus

Thank you for the nice words about my web site. And thank you for your suggestion. Yes, I use a template, but I'll change the <TITLE> tag for each new review from now on. I'll also do it for my old reviews, but since I have over 500 movie reviews, don't expect the changes to happen right away.

February 4, 2012

[re: That Championship Season]

Golan and Globus actually made one other film that was pretty good, at least in my opinion: Runaway Train. It was apparently a remake of a Japanese film. John P Ryan, whom I liked ever since It's Alive, is the villain.  I think his presence is the reason I watched it. It also has Christopher Walken, Eric Roberts, and a very unglamorous Rebeccca de Mornay. She must have been impressed by the script or maybe just desperate for work, to agree to appear on camera looking like that.  

Sandra

Yes, Runaway Train is a very good movie. I'm surprised it didn't do better at the box office, since it has a number of breathtaking action sequences for the mainstream crowd.

January 31, 2012

I was the guy you referred to as the Weird Al Yankovic dead ringer in the musician scene of Outtakes.   Here is an interesting fact about my part in the movie.   I was promised $250 for filming at Lake Point Tower in Chicago and another $250 if the movie was ever produced.   I never received  a cent for my part and my name did not appear in the credits (which is probably a good thing).   It has been a source of amusement through the years for me and my friends.   I did not however end up as a bathroom attendant.   I'm a retired police officer now.  I have to agree with your assessment of the film, it probably is one of the baddest movies ever.

Anthony

January 27, 2012

Hello,

I recently read and enjoyed your review of If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horses Do? I noticed that you made many references to Ed Wood when discussing the film. Because of this, I thought you might be interested in knowing that: the scene where the solders enter the Christan's home to sexually attack the wife uses a sound track which is PROMINENTLY in Ed Wood's 1953 film Jail Bait. I just thought it was a fun coincidence and worth sharing with someone else who loves exploitation films.

Cheers!

J.L.

January 25, 2012

Hello,

I've known you website for ages, strictly speaking from year 2006. I found interesting your publication Hugo The Hippo which I googled! I'd love to use it in a project I'm involved with called "Geek Science", so I'm seeking your permission for translation to Haitian Creole language. "Geek Science" is a freemium-model non-English language orientated startup with collection of scientific articles, personal notes etc. in several languages that is collaboratively edited by volunteers from around the world since 1999. Young and old, students and professors - even your neighbor could be a volunteer member.

If you agree, we will credit you for your work in the resulting translation's references by stating that it was based on your work and is used with your permission, and by mentioning the name of my project "Geek Science" back to:

http://www.badmovieplanet.com/unknownmovies/reviews/rev411.html

Thank you for your time and patience. I look forward to your response next week.

Best wishes,

Susan Basen

I am flattered that you think so well of my review of Hugo The Hippo that you want to use it in a project! Yes, as long as you give me credit, you are free to use my review.

January 22, 2012

Howdydo.

Thanks, your Choke Canyon review spared my blowing 75 cents @ a nearby thrift store.

I could endure just 20 minutes of Bang Bang Kid before tossing it back in the rental pool, so am only familiar with the title thru the memoirs of its producer, Sid Pink (So You Want To Make Movies, 1989).

BBK indirectly came about when Pink struck an insane deal with the 60's TV syndicate, Westinghouse, to produce 36 pictues for its stations in 5 years,  (He anaged to deliver 19 timekillers in 2 years before balking over the usual creative differences.) 

You wrote that BBK was directed by 'two Italians', Georgio Gentilli and Luciano Leli.  The film was actually helmed by Stanley Praeger, an American theatrical director also involved with the cult 60's tv show, Car 54, Where Are You?  Gentilli  was likely the AD, and Leli was paid for the use of his name.  Euro co-productions required quotas of both actors and technicians from each participating nation to qualify for government subsidies.  (It was common in the 60's to see TV Guide list cheap films with several countries of origin.)  Although a certain number of each nationality was represented, countries also demanded the presence of a US actor, howeveer faded.  Tom Bosley must have been hard up for work, because the producer was surprised when he readily accepted the initial fee. 

After the film wrapped a week ahead of schedule, the editor soon discovered why - he could only assemble 67 minutes of usable footage. Hence, the added filler about the five hired killers, plus the medieval malarkey.

Born pitchman Pink claimed Bang Bang was "a love story loosely based on Taming Of The Shrew(!), and the unreliable robot was intende to generate yocks.  I suspect the story really originated with a Twilight Zone episode, wherein Lee Marvin managed a malfunctioning robot fighter.  The finale is suspiciously familiar.

Mike Mueller

December 22, 2011

Hey, I've got another recommendation for you, only this time it's a different type of film.  It's a comedy called Without Men , the story revolves around a small Mexican town where all the women end up having to fend for themselves after the men are called off to war. Rosalba (played by Eva Longoria) becomes the mayor after her late husband is killed, and the women all learn more about themselves and life. it's a clever, funny and charming film with likeable character, Eva Longoria proves that she's more then just a pretty face, as she plays a strong, vibrant woman who despite being a natural born leader, finds she has much to learn from others, and she also ends up in a relationship with another woman, the outspoken and somewhat masculine Cleotilde, their relationship is handled very well, it's a shame gay relationships are so rarely shown in mainstream films.  This film admittedly does have some flaws, Christian Slater's character feels extraneous to the rest of the film and he looks somewhat out of place, but aside from that it was a pretty good film that left me with a very warm feeling that most Hollywood films fail to give me.  So does that sound like an interesting film to you?

Michael Prymula

Yes, it does sound like an interesting movie. I've gone to my Internet DVD rental service and requested it. While I don't know if I will review it, I'll definitely watch it. Thanks for the suggestion!

December 4, 2011

[re: Skateboard Madness]

Hello--
 
This is based on memories 33 years old, and I was a fairly stupid kid at the time.
 
But I had a teacher, at a Montessori style school called The Children's School, I believe it was Mike McKinney (& Mike, if you're out there, I hope I guessed right on the spelling), who worked on the claymation part of this film, or knew the guy who did the animation, or both.
 
Somewhere shortly before I graduated (78? 79? 80?) to high school, they brought a projector in to the classroom (I want to think a BIG projector--maybe 16mm) and showed us that skate sequence, as well as a bunch of outtakes and behind the scenes footage for making it.  The whole skate park seemed immense (in terms of work) when they showed it--I want to say it was at least 8 or 10 feet on a side, maybe much bigger.
 
A few years later, I caught part of the flick on TV, and was immensely impressed I knew someone related to it.  At this point, I'm impressed and happy to find myself back in that classroom--no matter how hazily.
 
Thanks for writing about it!

Rob Stafford

November 5, 2011

[re: Top Secret]

Was this made for tv ?  I think I saw it, though the only scene I remember is the one where Sheldon Leonard tries to get them so drunk that they will have a car accident once they leave his house, but Cosby goes to the bathroom and sticks a finger down his throat, thereby derailing that particular cunning plan.  I remember thinking that Hitchcock did that  better. 

Sandra

Yes, the movie was made for TV. However, I don't remember Cosby sticking a finger down his throat. If he had done that, I definitely would have mentioned it!

October 19, 2011

[re: Zoo Radio]

Hi. I just noticed that during Jay Roach's response to your review of this film he mentions Paul Feig; this may be the same man who directed this year's Bridesmaids, with Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph (both Saturday Night Live people). Did a Google search on "Paul Feig" and "Zoo Radio" and got a few hits so it appears it's the same guy. Just thought you might be interested...

John Abramson

October 17, 2011

I found your review of Goliath Awaits after searching for the name of the movie I remembered from my childhood. Although your review is not bad, unfortunately it is based on the heavily edited VHS version of the TV Mini Series that aired in 1981. I do hope you find a copy of the full version of the movie/mini series as it answers more of your questions and fills a lot of the sub plot holes that are littered through the edited version. I found it rather unfortunate they even released such and edited version as it took away from the overall element of the show. it seems at the time they were just trying to make a few dollars off of Mark Harmon's image from that era.
 
Good luck,
 
Mike Miller

If I ever come across the full-length version, I will definitely watch it and subsequently update my review.

October 6, 2011

Hey! I was doing a search for me in that FABULOUS movie Earthbound, and I came across the "tidbits" you and I discussed over a decade ago.

Believe it or not, I FINALLY saw the movie.

Believe it or not, I actually SAW myself in the movie...

Here's the funny part (for me): I was watching the movie on video, and about half way through it, I FELL ASLEEP!

Wow.
 
When I watched the movie with my kids, they could see me right away. I was in the opening sequence at a high school track... the camera pans on me and a few other members of the BYU track team running hurdles... which i'd never done before (actually, I'd never run track before). Then, the coach calls us in. The director told us "take a slow jog across the field and kinda shake down, as though you were warming down." Well, I'd never done that before, so while the other guys are kinda loosly jogging, I'm doing some sort of arm and head and leg motions. My kids said: "Dad! Were you having a seizure? WHAT are you DOING!?!?!"
 
Then you can see me in the locker room sequence, right in the front of the scene. I don't remember anything much other than that... as I said, I didn't even stay awake through the movie!
 
Hope this gives you some more tidbits!

David Kuhns

October 3, 2011

Love your website. Here is a gem I just watched via Netflix from 1990 called Pastime. No idea why the studio dumped this pretty darn good baseball movie that features a surprisingly amazing performance from noted television character actor William Russ (played Ben Savage's father on Boy Meets World). Currently available on Netflix Instant Streaming.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105109/

Jon Pace

September 26, 2011

Hi,

I stumbled across your site and I think it's great.

Have to thank you for the review on Equilibrium.  I picked this movie up a few years ago and never watched it.  I'm glad I have now thanks to you.  The action scenes are awesome.  The story line was a bit, not it wasn't even a story line, it was an idea. An idea that wasn't thought out.  I'll have to do some research to see if this was a book or based on a book.  Just remembered, wasn't the whole better living though drugs and no emotions in some movie like THX?  Guess I'll google that and watch that movie again.

This would have been much better than Matrix (which wasn't all that great to me, just more FX) if some though had gone into the story.  Did you notice that some characters had no emotion while others seemed to have too much? I mean those on the drug that is.  People seemed too docile rather than just the highs and lows of emotion being leveled out.  Why did the cleric try so hard to be the best?  No pride or joy leaves little impetus for doing a good job.

Just some random thoughts above.

Thanks again

Danneauxs

September 18, 2011

Hi there,

Just saw Cracking Up last night and then stumbled upon your page! Awesome that you got a response from the director.

I just wanted to let you know that I recently launched a similar site, http://hidden-films.com, about movies not available on Netflix (good and bad). I will certainly link to your page--and mention it if I wind up reviewing any of those Unknown Movies that aren't on Netflix. Any sites like this are a huge help to me, so thanks for that.

Talk soon,

Sam

Nice site! To anyone who can't wait for their latest fix of The Unknown Movies, I highly recommend going to Hidden Films!

August 31, 2011

[re: Rustlers' Rhapsody]

The boring shenanigans with Rex and Wildfire are dressage (see Wikipedia), an Olympic sport.  For the bad guys, ranch hands who spend a great deal of their time riding horses, the clapping is quite the show of professional respect toward their opponent.

John Perkins

August 27, 2011

Keith,

Don't think I've mentioned it before, but your site is really terrific! A true inspiration.

Mike Watt
Sirens of Cinema
Fangoria

Thanks very much for your kind words. It's been kind of quiet here lately, so I'm glad to know that someone's out there reading my reviews!

July 31, 2011

Hi, many years ago I watched what I consider a decent unknown movie, it was called The Shadow Men, it starred Eric Roberts, Sherilyn Fenn and Dean Stockwell. The basic plot is a couple and their son go camping, they decide to ho home and as they do are chased by a UFO. After the alien encounter, they call the Air Force to report the incident which leads to a visit by Men In Black, who turn out to be alien-human mutants.

I have only recalled it been showed on TV once and that is the time I recorded it on VHS. I haven't seen or heard of it since then and everyone I ask has never heard of it. If it intriques you then you may want to research and review it.

By the way your unknown movies sight is brilliant, keep up the good work, I enjoy reading your reviews of these unknown films.

David Jarvis

June 28, 2011

Hey, I had to tell you about a Mickey Rourke movie. I know you don't like him but he has turned out some good work. You see M R is a method man and if the material isn't suited to that particular acting style it can look awfully bad. However, the movie Homeboy, especially the first third of it is just right for that particular acting discipline. Then there's Angel Heart and The Wrestler as well. Just my 2 cents worth mind you. Thanks for putting up that great site.

Cheers,

Karl

Angel Heart and The Wrestler were indeed good. Never seen Homeboy, but I'll keep an eye out for it.

June 23, 2011

I know your posting on the R rated Cinderella has been out there a long time but I just read it.

Yes, you made a fairly accurate analysis but (there's that word) I obviously enjoyed it more than you (I got a copy from somewhere years ago).

While the Lord Chamberlain, or whatever, is no comedian, he did add a lot to what otherwise would have been a REALLY boring movie.

The Step Mother should have been re-cast and the stepsisters were a bit too burlesque. They did have what I thought was one of the high points though, with there performance of "Do it to me."

And you did not mention what I felt carried the whole project. "Oh, the Snapper" I tried to get the band I was working with at the time to plagiarize it, but with no success.

Enough of my critique of your critique. I enjoyed reading it and enjoy your site.

Carlocen

PS: I think this company did another one called Fairy Tales or something.
 
OOPS! Just saw your review of Faiy Tales. Couldn't agree more. No mention of Irwin Corey?

May 21, 2011

I was just wondering, did you ever check out Hulk Hogan's other kids films Santa With Muscles and McCinsey's Island? I'd love to see you review those films, espeically the former, which is so bad it's almost fascinating.

Michael Prymula

After reviewing Secret Agent Club, I thought that one Hulk Hogan movie was enough for me. However, after getting your e-mail, I did some research and found that Santa With Muscles is currently number 58 on the IMDb's "Bottom 100" list. So I am tempted, though I already have a Christmas-themed movie picked for this upcoming Christmas. Maybe the Christmas next year.

May 16, 2011

[re: Navajo Joe]

In case you're wondering how Reynolds got involved in this film in the first place, well he only agreed to do the film because he was under the impression that it was being directed by Sergio Leone, by the time he was realized it was instead being directed by Sergio Corbucci, it was too late for Reynolds to back out of the film, he would often joke about how he found the "wrong" Sergio

P.S. Just read your Hard Cash review (I personally thought it was an OKish film), and you were surprised to see Kilmer in it, I too was surprised at the time to see Kilmer in a DTV film, course it's not at all shocking nowadays considering that Kilmer is doing at least 3 DTV films per year, the worst being Moscow Zero, a film so awful I gurantee you, it'll make EVERY single bad film you've ever seen look like a masterpiece by comparison, it fails on every conceivable level you can possibly imagine, if you value your sanity, stay FAR FAR away from Moscow Zero.

Michael Prymula

May 15, 2011

Howdydo.

I can't much share your enthusiasm for The Great Smokey Roadblock, and suspect that most viewers felt swindled.  With an A-list star, however faded,  as the lead, audiences would expect a similar grade of action. Four lousy cruisers - some roadblock.

According to Fred Olen Ray's swell but out-of-print book, ""The New Poverty Row'" (MacFarland), Smokey grossed $205,834 for its first 3-day weekend in (nearby) Charlotte, NC alone,  leading me to believe the flick may have been four-walled.  Dimension Pictures  premiered Smokey @ '78 Cannes, along with their other prestige releases, the Phillipino-lensed Night Creature and The Redeemer - Son Of Satan.

Facing multiple lawsuits for the usual creative accounting, Dimension filed for bankruptcy in Feb of '81.

regards

Mike Mueller

May 12, 2011

Just re-read your review of Cat City, and wanted to give you my angle on the thing. I've first seen it in the eighties, when I was in primary school and my sister in kindergarden. It was called Ловушка для кошек (Cat Trap) here. Don't remember why I went the first time (maybe it was along with my class), but the movie swept me, and probably many kids across the country, off their respective feet. You say that the movie can't decide what kind of movie it wants to be, so there's juvenile humour along with bedroom scenes (a naked breast, you say? I have to rewatch it) and bloody shootouts. Well, that's what kid my age wanted from a cartoon - to be palatable, but also take me as a real man, who won't cringe looking at carnage - or hearing about it. It was actually a nice strategy by the authors - many deaths and violent scenes were hinted at, but not shown explicitly, like when the police car is squashed by cats' tank, or the evil cat ordering to exterminate the team responsible for the mouse bank raid, of when evil cat's assistant gets a rough treatment by his boss, next time showing in bandages.

Anyway, there was much adult stuff going on in the movie, and that's exactly what attracted kids like me. You can imagine that we didn't get many movies of that kind in Russia back then, we had no Batman or ninja turtles on our TV, so this was our choice of cartoon cool. I remember, for my second (or third) time I took my sis to watch it, collecting her from the kindergarten during the day. She liked it, too.

The movie was also nicely dubbed, as you can see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FYY0bbGGKA (Gumshoe's name was Grabovsky, by the way - which sounds at least less generic, if not more cool).

Also you should note that the film is clearly a parody of James Bond-type movies, and therefore Gumshoe easily getting out of all trouble is just that - the exaggeration of Bond's similar traits.

All in all, you can say that the cartoon was a minor cult here, and so some people were interested in the sequel, too. I've watched it, and though there's many nods to the former cartoon, the technical side is less shoddy, and there's also a prolonged battle between a giant cat from hell and Cat Trap 2.0, I think it has lower quality overall, as a movie. But you may be interested in it, too.

Best regards,

Ilya Chentsov

May 7, 2011

Hello!

Just read your review of Star Kid, and as I learned that the suit's name was Cy, I had a flashback to older times. I was working for Cybiko company - they manufactured portable radiocomputers (also called Cybiko) for teenagers, which were a hot novelty in 1999-2000. Once, I came upon a fan site, where a guy had a whole fanfic called CyMech about a Cybiko unit which transformed into a robotic suit. The story wasn't finished and was quite goofy (probably written by a teenager, no offense to them) - well, itself kinda like a B-movie, and now I know where it probably comes from.

Unfortunately, the site (Cybikosanctuary.com) is down now, and I couldn't recover the "book" from there (though maybe I have it somewhere in my archives).

So, thank you for pointing me to that movie. I've watched it, too, and was quite pleased. Reminded me of Flight of the Navigator, but this one is more intense and more fun.

Best regards,

Ilya Chentsov

April 10, 2011

[re: The Great Smokey Roadblock]

Hi,

I thought you might be interested to know that the BASIC game you mentioned is almost certainly 'Trucker' from the book 'Big Computer Games' by David H. Ahl, and a scan of it is available online at:

http://www.atariarchives.org/bigcomputergames/showpage.php?page=87

Yours,

James.

I took a look at that link, and yes, that's the game I tried to enter into my computer! Thanks for helping me relive some teenage memories.

March 23, 2011

Hello Greywizard!

With a group of friends, I saw Hearts And Armour at The Director's Guild in Los Angeles in 1982.  It was a test screening of some sort; no credits and the back row of the theatre was full of executive types.

Within minutes of the start of this movie, the audience knew what they were in for.  Some of my friends began loudly cracking jokes and soon the entire audience was laughing and joining in with comments and quips!

Before the movie was halfway through, I took a look at the back row to find it quite empty.

Thanks for reminding me of one of the best "so bad it's good" films I've seen!

Ed

March 20, 2011

Hi Grey,

After reading your disappointment in your Earth Minus Zero review, I wanted to let you know that I have checked out some of the PM movies you've reviewed. So your efforts are not in vain.

Keep up the good work,

Bryan

You've made my day! Thank you!

March 6, 2011

You probably know this already but there is a documentary on the making of Troll 2. It's called Best Worst Movie and its on Netflix. I haven't seen it yet, but that's gonna change in a minute.

Rob

I do indeed know about Best Worst Movie. Believe me, I would love to watch it, but I haven't found a copy of it to watch anywhere here in Canada.

March 6, 2011

Hi Greywizard!

Love your unknown movies website. been visiting time and again over the past few years and i enjoy reading your reviews. they are engaging, substantive, and hilarious - thanks! 

Just wondering, will you soon review The Crypt by Craig McMahon? it's a train wreck of a movie and i'd love to hear what you have to say about it (if you've already wasted time watching it...)

Rock on,

Heroman

Unfortunately, The Crypt never came to any of the video stores in my city, nor is it available on Rogers Video Direct (the Canadian equivalent of Netflix.) So it's unlikely I'll be seeing it any time in the near future.

February 19, 2011

Howdydo.

Can't disagree with a syllable of The Curse review.  For a film lensed in rural Tennessee, it looks grimy, grubby, and thoroughly unbucolic. The meteor scene rivals the non-FX of Teenage Monster, wherein a common sparkler stands in for a meteor shower.  Surprising that the director/actor's following flick was the sunny, breezy Indiana Jones knockoff, The Further Adventures Of Tennessee Buck.

No anecdote of a personal experience to open yr review suggests that you couldn't relate to Gas-s-s-s at all.  Well, most didn't.

One wit once suggested that Easy Rider nearly bankrupted H'wood when producers trampled over themselves in attempting to manufacture a clone. Whether 'counterculture' flicks were based on books (Strawberry Statement, Getting Straight), bankrolled by major studios (RPM, plus the above), fashioned by artsy auteurs (Zabriskie Point), or banged together by cheapskates like Corman, all appeared to be clueless that much of Rider's draw sprung from its casual attitiude about drug use.
'Tis profoundly odd that the sole performers who prospered because they 'got it' were lowbrow stoner comics Cheech 'n' Chong.

You mentioned a soundtrack album at the review's close.  Was this found thru research, or were you already aware of its existence?

The film was'nt shown near my jerkwater town, but an expansive, somewhat adulatory review in ROLLING STONE motivated me to spring for the soundtrack and novelization, a common promotional practice back in primitive times when kids read more than "where r u?" texts.  Heck, Corman's Tomb Of Ligeia and X- The Man With The X-Ray Eyes even got their own comix.  Owned those, too.

The "novel",  hastily assembled like the film, copied the dialogue, linked with a few descriptive passages.  The soundtrack highlight for me featured two breezy, folkish tunes with twin female leads, credited to GOURMET'S DELIGHT.  This was actually Joy Of Cooking, a west coast act with a major label contract in the 70's.  I believe they still exist in some form.

Available for trade:  Beyond Reason.  Telly Savalas as a psycho psychoanalyst.  Not terribly good, but the only film I know of written, starring, and directed by the Greek chromedome.  You know you're in for a rough one when the closing technical screencrawl is larded with "post" fix-up credits.

Mike Mueller

February 2, 2011

Hello there!

First of all, let me say, that it was very sad for me, that you was disappointed by Lonely Hearts. But nevermind.

I would glad to recommend you this one with Dolph Lundgren. http://www.imfdb.org/index.php/Silent_Trigger

Honestly, I don't know how can I rate this movie. First time I watch it almost 10 years ago and wasn't impressed but that menacing unfinished highrise stuck in my memory. Recently I rewatch it...maybe that was nostalgia, but it seems now I like it.

Thanks.

Andrey Zhuravlev

I did watch Silent Trigger many years ago. I don't remember too much about it, except that it looked slick and expensive despite what was probably a limited budget. If I come across it again, I'll definitely consider giving it another go.

January 24, 2011

i have just found your website for the first time and im telling u now im gonna be on this alot because i love unknown movies. but instead of looking through ever movie by title hoping to find a good one (obviously you know the title could sound good but the movie could blow ass) i was wondering if there is a way to see which movies you thought were good by not having to read through ever single review one by one. like having a link to "Movies I liked" and "Movies i thought sucked d*ck" so far i found no such links. i will look harder if there are such links. if not, it would be really bad ass if such links existed on your site.

Thanks for the website its what ive been looking for, for a long time

PS. i dont mean to be rude if its sounds like i am being rude its just having links like that would save me a hell of alot of time

Thanks again from a big fan

Jeffrey Dahmer jk

Uh, "Movies I thought sucked d*ck"? Anyway, I don't give movies ratings or put them in categories like the ones you suggested because I want readers to read reviews in their entirety. Since I put in a lot of time watching the movies and writing the reviews, the least readers can do is read each review in its entirety. Also, if I put movies in categories like what you suggested, it might cause readers to skip reading reviews of movies that, while I personally found to be bad movies, might actually sound appealing to certain readers based on my descriptions.

January 24, 2011

Hi Greywizard.

Sitting over in Sweden and stumbled across your site the other week. Great site and great reviews of many unknown (to me) movies. I honestly can´t understand how you find the time for these long and thorough thoughts, but I´m glad you do! Equilibrium was one movie I totally missed, but rented it and I have to thank you for that. :)

Regarding some reviews involving Dolph Lundgren I must add that he´s quite a character. He has a lot of self-irony, does his acting for fun (without any big ambitions and dreams), and he probably laughs more at his own movies then his audience do. He recently made a public "come back" in Swedish TV (beeing away for many years so not many knew who he was) announcing interest in getting involved in the politics of our country. Since he is good friends with Arnold it could be fun aswell haha.

Anyway I just wanted to write a letter with my appreciation of your site!

Best Regards,

Jake Nest

PS. A couple of tips for reviews (not sure how well known they are in Canada or in the USA):

Still Crazy - Fabulous story about an old rock band. Great music and the actors actually playing the instruments themselves. Staring: Stephan Rea, Jimmy Nail, Bill Nighy Billy Connolly (Boondock Saints), Tim Spall (Rockstar), Helena Bergström.

The Violent Breed (Razza Violenta) - The most horrific B-movie action I´ve ever seen. I guess you would love taking it apart and shredding it by its feet :) The ending scene alone is worth the trouble finding it!

Thanks for your e-mail and suggestions. I think Still Crazy would fit well on my site, so I'll look for it in my city's video stores. As for The Violent Breed, it was released on videotape over here years ago. In fact, I remember I rented it, though the long period that has passed between then and now has caused me to forget what I saw. But if I find a used copy in my travels, I'll pick it up.

January 22, 2011

Hi, I was looking at your website of unknown movies (to be honest I was looking for a movie idea for a school project, using a movie my teacher probably hasn't seen) but I thought I'd suggest a movie for you to watch. If you haven't seen the movie Box of Moonlight, I would highly recommend you do. No one I know has heard of it so I suppose it's pretty unknown. It really is such a gem though, one of my favourites. I've been trying to buy it for over 6 months now but it's always on back order. I came across it when I was watching a lot of Sam Rockwell movies since he's one of my favourite actors. Anyway that's all I have to say, have a good day.

Ella Barris

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll keep my eye open for it.

December 3, 2010

[re: Gas-s-s-s]

I've always enjoyed this movie. Maybe you should give it another try and realize it's just a fun, silly comedy.
 
"The events of the movie center around hippie couple Coel (Corff) and Cilla (Elaine Giftos), who are traveling around the country to reach a specific place in New Mexico where many survivors are traveling to... though just why so many survivors are traveling there is never made clear."
 
Just like EVERY movie about survivors traveling somewhere, they heard that's where to go. This IS the ONLY one where it turns out to be the place to go.
 
"Established characters constantly and suddenly bring in issues out of the blue, like when one of the thee leading ladies declares forty minutes into the movie that not only she is all of a sudden pregnant, but she is about to give birth."
 
No one in the film "declared" they were "all of a sudden pregnant," Cindy Williams character is obviously pregnant when she is introduced at the record store.
 
I enjoy your reviews keep up the good work.

Ken Toops

Believe me, I wanted to like this movie. I thought I would, because I like Roger Corman, American-International movies, and the post-apocalypse genre. But I simply found the movie to be an utter mess and its attempts at humor out of control and not well thought out. As for your two points, I know movies of this kind typically involve survivors travelling somewhere, but this movie never made clear what this specific destination had that other potential destinations didn't have. As for Williams' character's pregnancy, I guess all that baggy hippie clothing got in the way of clearly seeing her bulge.

November 6, 2010

[re: Canadian westerns]

I think of a couple of them, but the only title I remember is Harry Tracy, Desperado starring Bruce Dern and Helen Shaver.  Dern plays the last survivor of the Wild Bunch, who has become something of a dinosaur circa 1900.  It was filmed in BC, but is set (of course !) in Oregon. He was inteviewed on local tv while he was filming it, and came across as extremely intelligent and decidedly weird.

Oh, and The Grey Fox, of course !  Which happens to have a very similar plot.
 
By the way, its some years since I saw Dan Candy's Law, but I remember the plot differently:  the indian is arrested for killing the steer ( the tribe was supposed to be learning to be tax-paying cattle ranchers, not slaughtering the stock) and Sutherland, who has had a few drinks, tells him "Get a good night's sleep, because we are going to hang you first thing in the morning!"  Ha, ha - only Almighty Voice believes him, and breaks out of jail, killing McCarthy in the process.  So Candy's obsession is fueled by guilt at causing his friend's death, especially since McCarthy had a wife and young son.  

Sandra

Thank you for reminding me about The Grey Fox - how could I have forgotten that movie? As for your memories of Dan Candy's Law, I took another look at the opening of the movie after getting your e-mail. While your interpretation does seem to match parts of the opening, in my defense I must point out that these opening few minutes go by so fast and with a lot of footage seemingly missing that I think many viewers would be as confused as I was. As I said in my review, I suspect that the low budget prevented key scenes of explanation being filmed.

October 8, 2010

I’ve been reading your unknown movie reviews all day; just thought I’d shoot you a quick note that I’ve been enjoying it immensely.  I consider myself a bit of a movie buff, but you’ve got me beat 8 ways ‘til Tuesday.  And you show a lot of good insight into the process.  Love it.  Keep it up.

Mose Wingert

September 16, 2010

Loved your opinion piece on Troll 2.

But you should mention to all your readers that the director of that amazing film said he was preparing for a sequel -  Troll 2, Part 2 - and I can only hope he gets Deborah Reed (the Troll Queen) to sign on for it. Most of Troll 2 is a lot like a Steve Martin movie. But it's the Deborah Reed part that makes it worth watching again and again.

Matthew Montchalin

BACK to main page