(9/10)
Here's a dynamite little B-movie that nobody remembers. It boggles my mind that I actually saw this in a
movie theater when it was released. How the movie industry has changed for the worst in the last
twenty or so years! But I digress,
This is one of those ferociously tasteless comedies where everything is so exaggeratedly tasteless you
have to laugh, even at the most offensive jokes. It's all presented in a fairly good-natured, cartoonish
fashion you can't help but laugh (though something tells me plenty of people CAN help it).
The premise is a new gameshow gives death row prisoners one last shot at winning their freedom by
being contestants on the show. If they lose they're executed on the air just before the smirking, ego
maniacal host goes to commercial (and oddly some of the commercials also involve executions). The
show has it's detractors - a parade of protesters are always outside the studio with picket-signs, but the
smug host doesn't care very much as he defends the show against angry but sexy feminist Gloria
Sternvirgin (yes, it's that level of humor).
Anyway, the host and Ms. Sternvirgin are forced to bound together when an obnoxious, ill-mannered hit
man comes looking for the host for having executed a famous mob boss on the show and assumes the
two are a couple. That's pretty much it, but the movie manages to stay twisted, absurd, and fresh
throughout without wearing the joke too thin. John Cafferty as the host, Robin Blythe as Ms. Sternvirgin
and Beano (an actor who shares his name with an anti-diarrheal product) are appealing and fun. It's a
shame they never went on to more after this. Though a bad taste fest shot for twenty-five cents that
nobody remembers is possibly not a sure-fire ticket to stardom.
Not to get on a political rant, but when I saw this in 1987 it was hysterically funny because it was such an
insane idea. Watching it in 2009 I'm struck by how close to actually seeing something like this we may
actually be. With the demand for reality television and the obvious blood lust of our society (which is
what made the 'Faces of Death' series and it's many imitators so popular) could it be that far off? Sadly
the only difference I would see is that they probably wouldn't have the protesters.
Hard to come by, but certainly worth looking for. It is (or was) available on as the bottom half of a double
feature disc with a William Shatner thriller from the early 80's called "Kidnapping of the President" (an
odd pairing, to be sure).
Here's a dynamite little B-movie that nobody remembers. It boggles my mind that I actually saw this in a
movie theater when it was released. How the movie industry has changed for the worst in the last
twenty or so years! But I digress,
This is one of those ferociously tasteless comedies where everything is so exaggeratedly tasteless you
have to laugh, even at the most offensive jokes. It's all presented in a fairly good-natured, cartoonish
fashion you can't help but laugh (though something tells me plenty of people CAN help it).
The premise is a new gameshow gives death row prisoners one last shot at winning their freedom by
being contestants on the show. If they lose they're executed on the air just before the smirking, ego
maniacal host goes to commercial (and oddly some of the commercials also involve executions). The
show has it's detractors - a parade of protesters are always outside the studio with picket-signs, but the
smug host doesn't care very much as he defends the show against angry but sexy feminist Gloria
Sternvirgin (yes, it's that level of humor).
Anyway, the host and Ms. Sternvirgin are forced to bound together when an obnoxious, ill-mannered hit
man comes looking for the host for having executed a famous mob boss on the show and assumes the
two are a couple. That's pretty much it, but the movie manages to stay twisted, absurd, and fresh
throughout without wearing the joke too thin. John Cafferty as the host, Robin Blythe as Ms. Sternvirgin
and Beano (an actor who shares his name with an anti-diarrheal product) are appealing and fun. It's a
shame they never went on to more after this. Though a bad taste fest shot for twenty-five cents that
nobody remembers is possibly not a sure-fire ticket to stardom.
Not to get on a political rant, but when I saw this in 1987 it was hysterically funny because it was such an
insane idea. Watching it in 2009 I'm struck by how close to actually seeing something like this we may
actually be. With the demand for reality television and the obvious blood lust of our society (which is
what made the 'Faces of Death' series and it's many imitators so popular) could it be that far off? Sadly
the only difference I would see is that they probably wouldn't have the protesters.
Hard to come by, but certainly worth looking for. It is (or was) available on as the bottom half of a double
feature disc with a William Shatner thriller from the early 80's called "Kidnapping of the President" (an
odd pairing, to be sure).
 |
Rating;
| by Jim Haggerty |
