featured-movies – Cult Celebrities

Hot Rod (1979)

Gil — Mon, 06 Jan 2020 01:06:19 +0000

The 1979 film Hot Rod, also known as Rebel of the Road, is a low-budget made-for-TV film directed by George Armitrage, who later directed a few renowned films such as Grosse Pointe Blank.

The movie stars Gregg Henry, a Judge Reinhold-resembling actor, along with Pernell Roberts of Bonanza fame, Robin Mattson as the love interest Jenny, and Grant Goodeve as the villain jock.

Hot Rod (1979) Plot

Starting out with the main character, Brian Edison, driving towards the small town of Lyons. California to participate in the national drag race in a few weeks. He picks up a hitchhiker who is heading to the town for his new job as a DJ for the local radio station. They soon realize that the town is owned by the corrupt root beer company king, T.L. Munn (played by Robert Culp) who has bribed the sheriff into doing his bidding. The root beer magnate and his corrupt cops spend the majority of the film sabotaging Brian’s chances at winning the race, giving him tickets right and left and ultimately destroying his engine.

Despite the setbacks, almost everyone in the town has a vendetta against T.L. Munn and they help Brian put together a new car, a Willys coupe which he drops a Hemi engine into.

The film is full of tropes, like Brian stealing the girlfriend from the cocky son of the root beer magnate, spontaneous block parties, and some good-old stick-it-to-the-man vibes. The theme of the story is like Footloose or Rambo for car people. Ultimately, the corrupt police and the businessman who owns them get their just deserts.

The car is very much a car guy’s film, though, and it stays accurate enough to the hobby. The jargon makes sense, instead of the typical movie jawing-on, they spend a good amount of time getting greasy, and they choose rare cars like the Willys coupe, rather than going for just any old Mustang or Challenger.

Gil

Gil attended film school in Los Angeles for a short time before leaving for better. He worked in film & media production for several years, traveling to 50+ countries. Obsessed with feel-good 80s teen comedies, sword-and-sorcery films, and gritty sci fi noir, Gil is a fan of the weird and campy. His favorite films include Blade Runner, Alien, Mad Max, and Drive.

Miami Connection (1987)

Gil — Thu, 21 Mar 2019 01:01:57 +0000

The 1987 film Miami Connection is a kung-fu action film. It has become a cult classic, famous for being blissfully un-self-aware and renowned for the in-movie band, Dragon Sound.

The movie was produced and directed by Y.K. Kim, a Korean martial arts personality, and he also starred in the main role.

Y.K. Kim mortgaged his taekwondo school, used up all of his savings, and got loans from friends in order to finance the movie. He finally sold it to a distribution company for $100,000.

Miami Connection (1987) Movie Plot

Ninjas, riding motorcycles and swathed in black, interrupt a coke deal somewhere in Miami. The ninjas steal the drugs and go to a club. Seeing his sister onstage with the bassist of the performing band, he becomes angry. The band, Dragon Sound, is made up of five orphaned men who room together, go to college, play music, and train taekwondo.

When another club owner starts a fight because Dragon Sound was hired away from his club, a street fight ensues and Dragon Sound beats them. The gang of ninjas attack the band, but are beaten once again. Accidentally killing one of the leaders of the gang, the band is now targeted by the ninjas.

The keyboardist reveals that he has been looking for his father. He learns that his father has been located, so they pitch in to purchase a suit, and on the way to the airport they are ambushed by the ninjas. They battle in the park, and manage to kill all of the ninjas. The keyboardist, heavily injured, is visited in the hospital by his father.

Gallery

Gil

Surf Nazis Must Die (1987)

Stu — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 01:38:36 +0000

The 1987 film Surf Nazis Must Die is a classic B-movie from director Peter George and starring Gail Neely, Joel Hile, Robert Harden, Tom Shell and Barry Brenner. The movie is a campy horror film from Troma Entertainment about a woman whose son is murdered by Nazi punk surfers.

The film was considered a failure by most critics, even considering it’s tongue-in-cheek purpose, but it has since become a cult classic.

Surf Nazis Must Die Plot

An earthquake strikes California, and the beaches are in ruins and run over by gangs of thugs. A neo-nazi gang, led by a kid named Adolf (played by Barry Brenner) calls himself the “führer of the new beach” and becomes a warlord in control of the beaches, feared by all other gangs. Some of his gang members include Eva (played by Dawn Wildsmith) and Mengele (played by Michael Sonye).

A black oil well worker, Leroy (played by Robert Harden) is killed by the surf Nazis.

His mother, Mama Washington (played by Gail Neely) learns of her son’s death and goes into a fury. She is living in a retirement home, but she leaves, gets a handgun, a motorcycle, and grenades, and heads to the beach to attack the gang of neo-Nazis.

Gallery

Dawn Wildsmith in Surf Nazis Must Die (1987)

Michael Sonye in Surf Nazis Must Die (1987)

Surf Nazis Must Die (1987)

Joel Hile as Hook in Surf Nazis Must Die (1987)

Gail Neely and Dawne Ellison in Surf Nazis Must Die (1987)

Michael Sonye (aka Dukey Flyswatter) as Mengele in Surf Nazis Must Die (1987)

Surf Nazis Must Die (1987)

Joel Hile and Dawn Wildsmith in Surf Nazis Must Die (1987)

Surf Nazis Must Die (1987)

Michael Sonye (aka Dukey Flyswatter) as Mengele in Surf Nazis Must Die (1987)

Dawn Wildsmith as Eva in Surf Nazis Must Die (1987)

Surf Nazis Must Die (1987)

Dawn Wildsmith as Eva in Surf Nazis Must Die (1987)

Joel Hile as Hook in Surf Nazis Must Die (1987)

Gail Neely in Surf Nazis Must Die (1987)

Robert Harden and Gail Neely in Surf Nazis Must Die (1987)

Stu

Interests include:: coffee, jackhammers, grandma’s medicine cabinet and sympathetic yawning.

www.thestable.icu/

Chopping Mall (1986)

Gil — Tue, 13 Nov 2018 20:20:09 +0000

The 1986 film Chopping Mall is a low-budget horror film. It was directed by the famed B-film director Jim Wynorski, and produced by Julie Corman, the wife of famous B-film producer Roger Corman.

The movie was a critical and box office flop, but has since garnered a massive cult following and done well on video. It is known for a campy, tongue-in-cheek take on contemporary horror film, and a self-aware humor with taglines like “Where shopping costs you an arm and a leg” and “Half off is just the beginning!”

The movie also features small appearances by other Corman regulars, like Toni Naples who appears as one of the bathing suit models in the beginning of the movie.

Chopping Mall (1986) Movie Plot

A large new shopping mall implements three robot security guards to combat a growing crime wave.

After closing one night, a group of teen workers decide to stay in the mall past curfew and party in a furniture store. A thunderstorm begins, and strikes the security computer on top of the mall, causing the robots to go rogue. One couple, Mike (played by John Terlesky) and Leslie (played by Suzee Slater) get killed by the robots and the other teens flee.

Gathering together after a period of chaos, they arm themselves with guns from a sporting goods store and flares from a home improvement store. They attack the robots and decide to destroy the command center.

One teen, Greg (played by Nick Segal) is thrown off a balcony to his death. Linda (played by Karrie Emerson) is killed by a robot and her friend Rick (played by Russell Todd) rams a golf cart into a robot in a successful suicide attack.

Finally, the surviving teens Allison (played by Kelli Maroney) and Ferdy (played by Tony O’Dell) destroy the last robot by igniting paint thinner and escape the mall just as the sun is coming up.

Gallery

Kelli Maroney and Tony O’Dell in Chopping Mall (1986)

Kelli Maroney in Chopping Mall (1986)

Karrie Emerson and Russell Todd in Chopping Mall (1986)

John T. Terlesky in Chopping Mall (1986)

Suzee Slater in Chopping Mall (1986)

Tony O’Dell in Chopping Mall (1986)

Kelli Maroney, Karrie Emerson and Barbara Crampton in Chopping Mall (1986)

Barbara Crampton in Chopping Mall (1986)

John T. Terlesky and Suzee Slater in Chopping Mall (1986)

John T Terlesky and Suzee Slater in Chopping Mall (1986)

John Terlesky in Chopping Mall (1986)

Suzee Slater in Chopping Mall (1986)

Chopping Mall (1986)

Karrie Emerson and Russell Todd in Chopping Mall (1986)

Karrie Emerson in Chopping Mall (1986)

Kelli Maroney in Chopping Mall (1986)

John Terlesky in Chopping Mall (1986)

Kelli Maroney in Chopping Mall (1986)

Karrie Emerson in Chopping Mall (1986)

Russell Todd in Chopping Mall (1986)

Tony O’Dell in Chopping Mall (1986)

Barbara Crampton in Chopping Mall (1986)

Nick Segal in Chopping Mall (1986)

Mary Woronov in Chopping Mall (1986)

Chopping Mall (1986)

Mary Woronov and Paul Bartel in Chopping Mall (1986)

Chopping Mall (1986)

Kelli Maroney in Chopping Mall (1986)

Kelli Maroney, Karrie Emerson and Russell Todd in Chopping Mall (1986)

Kelli Maroney and Tony O’Dell in Chopping Mall (1986)

Chopping Mall (1986)

Tony O’Dell in Chopping Mall (1986)

Kelli Maroney in Chopping Mall (1986)

Chopping Mall (1986)

Kelli Maroney in Chopping Mall (1986)

Gil

Deathstalker II: Duel of the Titans (1987)

Gil — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 04:34:07 +0000

The 1987 film Deathstalker II: Duel of the Titans is a low-budget sword and sorcery film. It is the second in a series of four fantasy movies (including Deathstalker, Deathstalker III: The Warriors from Hell, and Deathstalker IV: Match of Titans) produced by Roger Corman. The film has become a cult classic.

Corman had a contract to produce several films in Argentina, and Deathstalker II was the last of these. He hired director Jim Wynorski, who ended up improvising most of the film on the fly, writing parts at the hotel for shoots the next day. Sets from previous films were reused, even though they were disused and falling apart. The film was produced for an amount around $400,000. Swords were made of wood and painted silver.

Of all four Deathstalker movies, this movie stands out as it doesn’t take itself seriously, and is very self-aware.

One of the most notable off-the-cuff moments is when Sultana, the sorcerer’s sidekick, announces she is done with the Sorcerer and abruptly leaves. Reportedly, this is because Toni Naples, the actress playing Sultana, had an early flight out of Argentina and the director thought it would be funny, so they improvised this jarring departure.

Deathstalker II: Duel of the Titans Movie Plot

Deathstalker (played in this film by John Terlesky) helps a seer named Reena (played by Monique Gabrielle) with a series of tasks. As it turns out, Reena the Seer is actually a persona of Princess Evie, who has been deposed from her rightful throne by a sorcerer named Jarek (played by John LaZar) and his sidekick Sultana (played by Toni Naples).

The sorcerer creates a vampiric clone of Princess Evie, forcing her to become Reena the Seer. She gains Deathstalker’s trust and embarks with him upon a journey to claim back her throne. During the journey, they’re attacked by a lesbian warrior gang of Amazons (led by an Amazon Queen played by María Socas) as well as zombies and other monsters.

As expected, the film culminates in a final showdown between Deathstalker and Jarek the sorcerer.