Nobody Puts Swayze in a Corner

Today marks the 23rd anniversary of the release of DIRTY DANCING. While ROAD HOUSE and POINT BREAK would be highly deserving pix to endorse for your Saturday night Swayze pleasure, don't overlook STEEL DAWN, his entry in the post-apoc sweepstakes...

This is My Happening and it Freaks Me OUT!

Today marks the 92nd anniversary of the birth of author Jacqueline Susann, probably most famous for writing the best-selling novel Valley of the Dolls. The huge hit was later made into a movie starring Patty Duke, Sharon Tate and Barbara Parkins.

To be honest, I've neither seen the film nor read the book it's based on. But I consider the Roger Ebert-penned "sequel" to be one of the ten greatest movies I've ever seen.

August 17, 1974: Historically Inaccurate But Awesome Song Tops US Charts

Say what you want about the 1970s and the incredibly inane pop culture that it spawned, but I love 70s music, especially the wave after wave of bubblegum that crashed on our shores thanks to bands like The Bay City Rollers and Paper Lace.

Back in 1974 the UK's Paper Lace was actually cheated out of being a two-hit wonder. Before their original version of "Billy Don't Be a Hero" could be released in the States (written by Paper Lace’s Mitch Murray and Peter Callandar), Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods released their version of the Civil War-inspired tale and watched it top the charts in March.

Determined not to let the same thing happen with their take on organized crime in the US the band released the incredibly catchy "The Night Chicago Died" and watched it rocket up the charts and reach the #1 position on this date. Forget the fact that the battle commemorated in the track never happened and that the "East side of Chicago" is essentially under Lake Michigan – since when did we ever let historical inaccuracies get in the way of a good tune?

You know it's a great song when it can't even be ruined by a Western gunfight parody intro and a zillion shrieking Japanese girls.

Zombie Tipping Point?

We've already had a couple zombie horror-comedies, AMC is rolling out a zombie drama aimed at mainstream America and NBC announced the pickup of a horrific-sounding "zomedy" about zombie and vampire buddy cops. But this Ford commercial might be the official zombie tipping point.

Bangalese HULK Trailer

I know a lot of people are excited for the SHARKTOPUS flick but a Bangalese Hulk flick with a rickshaw that transforms into a machine gun-sporting super-weapon? I'm there.

BLOOD SURFing on FearNet

Around the first of each month I skim the listings on Comcast's niche On Demand channels – IMPACT and FEARNet – to see what they're offering. It's usually a pretty standard grab-bag of horror, action and T&A fare with the odd, out-of-nowhere treat like BLOOD GAMES popping up every now and then.

While scanning the current line-up I felt it was my duty to inform fellow Comcast subscribers (and anybody else who has access to FEARNet) that James Hickox's super fun nature-run-amok beasts and breasts classic BLOOD SURF is currently airing.

Here's a snippet of what I said about the flick after being turned on to it by David Zuzelo of TOMB IT MAY CONCERN...

If you're a fan of the science-gone-awry/big-monster flicks that clogged video store shelves in the 1980s and 90s, BLOOD SURF is a more-than-worthwhile purchase or rental. It's no surprise that director Hickox cut his teeth working on entertaining schlock like MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, WAXWORK and his brother's HELLRAISER III and WARLOCK 2. The flick shows a genuine affection for the exploitation genre, delivering bared breasts, blood, guts, out-of-leftfield twists and explosions aplenty.

Check out the full review at the Exploitation Retrospect website.

July's Baker's Dozen

Not sure how but despite vacationing for a week I somehow managed to squeeze in a baker's dozen of flicks in July, including three in an actual theater!

GONE WITH THE POPE was definitely the jaw-dropping highlight of the month – and probably the year depending on what happens at Exhumed. Still, the only things from my list I wouldn't recommend would be ANGELS & DEMONS (which made DA VINCI CODE seem zippy and fast-paced) and THE GREEN MONSTER (a bad sov horror flick that probably started out as a neo-MOTEL HELL but digressed into something else). I'd even grudgingly recommend METAMORPHOSIS if only for Christopher Lambert's over-the-top turn as a newly minted vampire.

Highly Recommended
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GONE WITH THE POPE
TOY STORY 3
TRUTH OR DARE?: A CRITICAL MADNESS

Recommended
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PREDATORS
FRANKENSTEIN'S CASTLE OF FREAKS
ZOMBIELAND
PLANET HULK
AMERICAN DRIVE-IN
METAMORPHOSIS
COLD STORAGE
BLADES

Not Recommended
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THE GREEN MONSTER
ANGELS & DEMONS