Two of them, 1984’s “The Warrior and the Sorceress” and 1985’s “Barbarian Queen,” were paired in a double-feature DVD last year that you now need to sell or pay forward. Here, they’re joined by 1983’s “Deathstalker” and 1987’s “Deathstalker II.” As you may have surmised, barbarian movies were big business in the 1980s, following Arnold Schwarzenegger’s […]
roger corman
Posted inArts & Culture
Women in Cages Collection / Women in Prison Triple Feature
“Cages” comes as part of the irresistible “Roger Corman’s Cult Classics” line, which is only natural since the skinflint producer practically invented the sub-genre with lots of skin. In the dank, Filipino prison that is 1971’s “The Big Doll House,” the more unfortunate inmates hang in bamboo cages outside to bake in the sun. Inside, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Battle Beyond the Stars
As with “Star Crash,” I’d much rather watch it than the Lucasfilm product any day of the week. “Battle” has none of the cultural impact, but all of what makes pop culture fun. Besides, it boasts the credit “and George Peppard as Cowboy,” and how many films can claim that? (That’s rhetorical.) As the evil […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Mega Python vs. Gatoroid
It attests to the overall laziness of the “we have the title, so just crap it out” production. So do all the shadows that give away the day-for-night shots, and the green-screened elements sporting rough edges. Once competitors on the ’80s pop charts, Debbie Gibson and Tiffany are competitors in this swamp-set sigh-fi thriller. Deb’s […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Blood Bath
The similarities can’t be accidental, nor problematic — there’s plenty of room in horror fanatics’ collections for both. New to DVD from the MGM Limited Edition Collection, “Blood Bath” is far less concerned with comedy. William Campbell of “Dementia 13” headlines the picture — in black-and-white, not color as the box reads — as Antonio, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The Ron Howard Action Pack
His transition from in front of the camera to behind it is encapsulated in “The Ron Howard Action Pack,” which pairs two pictures he did for Roger Corman: 1976’s “Eat My Dust,” which he starred in so that he could leverage his way into starring, writing and directing 1977’s “Grand Theft Auto.” One of Corman’s […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The Terror / Dementia 13
Well, for one thing, the movies may reside at the B level, but they’re not trash. For another, Cultra has given ’em a good scrub-over that they’ve always deserved but have never had. If you’ve bought these before on budget DVD sets, dig them out and ditch. These new versions are spiffy, inexpensive and contain […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Jackson County Jail / Caged Heat
The former begins with an uncharacteristic, but appropriate meta touch, as a projectionist loads a reel of film to unspool an image onto a theater screen — it’s for a sanitary napkin commercial within the narrative, but it may as well be “Jackson County Jail” itself. The “Time Machine” starlet Yvette Mimieux portrays Dinah, a […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Dinoshark
That’s all the setup given by the Roger Corman production, and really all a Syfy-weaned audience asks of it. Before we proceed, allow me to explain the complex concept: Dinoshark is half-dinosaur, half-shark. Please re-read that as many as needed for your mind to grasp. The glorious, sun-soaked Puerto Vallarta is the site of many […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Sharktopus
The latest example can be summed up in one word, and that word is “Sharktopus.” You may have already seen it on Syfy, but Blu-ray restores it to the pristine splendor for which it was intended. Yes, I’m kidding (but not about the Roberts sibs). “Sharktopus” is a CGI quickie from producer Roger Corman, who […]