Films

The series lasted seven years and used to be available locally in syndication, including at like 3:30 A.M. (once it was on when I went to the emergency room [for some minor stupid reason]!). Then, it suddenly wasn't, and I was not able to get it from the library. Turns out it is now available (including, for now, the whole series free on demand) on the Starz Channel, that is, one of them. Those channels have so much space to fill that the "encore" stuff includes old t.v. shows. The show remains very amusing though again I'm upset the women (other than Brenda to a degree) had much less to do later (the actress playing Jen apparently partially absent for personal reasons).

Found this among the pay movie channels, one of the films available on demand too. Heather Graham, who still looks rather good here at around 40 [she's over 50 now!], is famous for her own role in Boogie Nights. This is a lesser known film with a porn plot, Almost Cherry in fact having various familiar faces. The young lead (she was around 24, but looks younger and the camera does love her) is very good too. It is as much of a character film as anything else, including a family drama in various respects. I only saw parts of it, but it's well shot and performed.

Also popping on is Last House on the Left, the remake of the somewhat infamous Wes Craven original though unlike I Spit On Your Ground, Roger Ebert thought the original was a bit of a classic. The remake, with the parents played by actors often in serious fare, is exploitation fare to be sure. But, it is quality made and for those who like that sort of thing, it provides the goods rather well. The remake in a fashion is also less severe, one of the gang actually having a chance to redeem himself (and survive) and the daughter not dying either.

And, the Sven film, The Thing That Couldn't Die is also good for what it is -- a basic low budget 1950s horror film. It's silly but fun. Sven now and then makes somewhat risque jokes but he did not bring up something someone else might have -- the young woman who knows how to use a dowsing rod is not leered at from the evil father from To Kill A Mockingbird (Sven mentions the actor was in that film, but one might miss that he has a significant part) just because he is just plain a creep. Her outfit does emphasize her breasts and later we see her looking at outfits in her room. Even Sven makes a joke later that the camera seemed to focus on the cleavage in a shot involving an important necklace.

The ending is rather lame though -- after various complexities leads to the hundreds of years old living head is reconnected to his body, he vocally bitch slaps a few people and then is immediately disposed of because a holy necklace defeats him.  Which takes less than a minute -- the kinda hero whips it out like a crucifix to protect himself but it's unclear how it winds up around the evil guy's neck unless the scene was cut somehow for this viewing.  And, that's it. Oh well.  Any other 16th Century non-dead around? 

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I also saw a bit of it, but did not really get into it so won't toss in a video here. But, Made in Italy is notable at least since it is a recent role by Liam Neeson in which he does not play some  action granddad role. As to that, he does look pretty good -- and generally believable in action flicks -- for a dude in his sixties.  It is a comedy/drama about him bonding with his son.