Vincent-Schiavelli Movie Reviews

Lurking Fear isn't really that accurate of an H.P. Lovecraft adaptation, but, as far as movies go, what cinematic try ever has been? While this is a sad and movies have been dismissed (with good reason) because of this, I think it would be a bit rash with this movie. I say this because the movie is still entertaining, has a little bit of gore and a few tensely horrific moments, sports a good cast including the immortal Jeffrey Combs, and has a nice looking "monster" design.
The story is about a now isolated town that, over the years, has been steadily deprived of its occupants by creatures dwelling in tunnels beneath the local cemetery. Through haphazard means, our main characters Cathryn Farrells, looking for a little vengeance, and John Martens, looking for a fortune buried somewhere in the cemetery, find themselves teamed up with a disposable cast (poor Mr. Combs) as they try to live through the night.
Besides, subhuman creatures feeding on flesh-flavored Pop Tarts is enough to bring out the kid in all of us!

In this chilling tale based on a story by horror-master H.P. Lovecraft, an isolated desert town has been ravaged for years by grotesque creatures who dwell in the depths beneath the local cemetery.
Cathryn Farrel returns to this miserable place with one goal in mind: to avenge the brutal death of her beloved sister by the creatures. In the midst of a storm, she wires the decaying graveyard with enough explosives to blow the entire undead population back to hell...for good!
Young John Martens shows up with his own score to settle. His mission is to recover a fortune in loot buried somewhere in the cemetery by his now dead father. Before the night is through these two strangers find themselves unlikely allies in an effort to defend themselves against the hungry undead as well as an equally deadly gang of misfits who aim to beat John to the hidden cache.
In a terrifying, bone-chilling clash, they battle with ghouls in a blood-soaked finale.

In this chilling tale based on a story by horror-master H.P. Lovecraft, an isolated desert town has been ravaged for years by grotesque creatures who dwell in the depths beneath the local cemetery.
Cathryn Farrel returns to this miserable place with one goal in mind: to avenge the brutal death of her beloved sister by the creatures. In the midst of a storm, she wires the decaying graveyard with enough explosives to blow the entire undead population back to hell...for good!
Young John Martens shows up with his own score to settle. His mission is to recover a fortune in loot buried somewhere in the cemetery by his now dead father. Before the night is through these two strangers find themselves unlikely allies in an effort to defend themselves against the hungry undead as well as an equally deadly gang of misfits who aim to beat John to the hidden cache.
In a terrifying, bone-chilling clash, they battle with ghouls in a blood-soaked finale.

The animation is good, especially considering when it was made, but "American Pop" is never quite successful. Once again Bakshi probes the sordid underbelly of his subject, in this case pop music, but nothing here ever comes off quite convincing enough. And his dismissal of punk and rush to embrace the bland beardo post-hippie commercial rock of Bob Seger and Heart betrays Bakshi's age, and maybe a lack of good taste as well. It comes off a bit old-fogeyish.

Like a lot of Bakshi's work, this has to be taken as it is, and the viewer has to bear in mind when and how it was made. Computer animation was in its infancy, and animation was at a low point in the United States, so the fact that this was made and distributed in mainstream theaters at all was a minor miracle at the time.

In short, the musical spots provide the bright moments, but the plot is labored and the characters, particularly the ridiculous "rock star" he invents at the end of the film, are unconvincing. As a historical document of where animation was in the United States at the time, it's viewable; as entertainment, well, it's better than "Heavy Traffic" but certainly not any kind of a classic animated film. See it if you want, but it's not indispensable.

Bakshi attemtps to capture and chronicle the essence of American popular music's evolution in a mere hour and a half. The story is pieced together only loose enough to connect the eras of changing times and music. Most viewers will find the early scenes droll and boring unless they have some grasp of the music of the roaring twenties. By the time the sixties roll in, the audience may need to roust themselves for what proves to be the high point of the film. With creative visual effects that reflect the music and the era, Bakshi reveals his target demographic - the boomer-Woodstock-hippie-turned consumer. The film ends as we progress into the era of Album Oriented Rock and an excellent treatment of Bob Seger's "Night Moves". American Pop may be one man's tribute, but again to end with Seger, "...Rock & Roll never forgets."

I watched American Pop for the first time after seeing a promo for it on the Anniversary Edition DVD of Heavy Metal. I loved Heavy Metal so I figured why not try this one out since it seems to be of a similar genre. Boy was I glad I did...

Not only did I have no clue the movie was made in the early 80's wheh I watched it in 1999, but I was absolutely floored by the fluid animation that was produced by Bakshi's technique of Rotoscoping that was also used in Heavy Metal, Wizards, and Lord of the Rings...

The animation and story line were some of the best I have seen...in any movie!! I never watch many dvd's more than once but this one I have gotten through at least 5 times. It is an absolute masterpiece in animation and Bakshi's best work to date.

Rotoscoping animation is largely misunderstood and doesn't get enough credit. If more animation was done this way, adults would probably enjoy more non-Disneyesque type features geared towards older audiences.

Don't miss this flick if you are a fan of excellent animation...

My godson started watching this movie, which we bought when my 14 year old daughter was much younger. He loves this movie and is driving his parents crazy with it, so I have now ordered the other two so there will be a little variety. He is almost 4 and sometimes watches this 4 or 5 times a day (if he can get by with it). A great movie for your children!!

The original brothers return in this, the third installment in the 3 Ninjas Trilogy. Like a lot of fans of the series, I really enjoyed the first film a lot. It just had the perfect blend of humor, action and drama to make for a great adventure. Michael Treanor as Rocky, Max Elliot Slade as Colt, & Chad Power as Tum Tum really had some great chemistry together. Rocky was more of the sensitive thinker, while Colt was more of the aggressive type. And Tum Tum? Well, he was more a combination of comic relief as well as a way of letting smaller kids feel like they could be a ninja too. But like many fans, I was very disappointed with the 2nd installment, 3 Ninjas Kick Back, because Michael Treanor & Chad Power were replaced by two other actors. This was the biggest mistake in the world and it crippled the franchise as a result. Kids aren't stupid. They will notice when you change actors on them in a movie. Thankfully, Treanor & Power returned for the third installment, 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up.

Directed by Simon S. Sheen, "Knuckle Up" is a story about an indian community being mistreated by a cruel and sadistic landowner (played nicely by Charles Napier) and it's up to the 3 Ninjas to take him down, with the help of a pretty indian girl named Jo (played by Crystle Lightning). The Kevin Costner movie, Dances With Wolves, brought about a huge interest in Indian culture, and "Knuckle Up" is one of the many films about Indians that was made as a result. There is a true mysticism about their ways that the brothers discover and make their own. But then you gotta love the 3 Ninjas Dance!!

This film may not be as clever or humorous as the original, but it still is great fun. Colt fighting a bunch of guys while holding a pizza in one hand is just an example of the cool choreography. And those who scoff at the cuts of Victor Wong (Grandpa) with his stunt double, which were handled more effectively in the first film, should know that this film was made on a very low budget, much lower than the first two films, and they just didn't have the money to make it more realistic. But what's really great about the film is its heart. There's a great moment where Rocky (the thinker) understands the meaning of the flowers and why he and his brothers need to be more like them. Great scene!

The DVD doesn't have much as far as special features. You get both the Widescreen & Full Screen Presentations (I recommend the Widescreen version) as well as some bonus trailers of other films like: Roughnecks, Buddy, Beverly Hills Ninja, The Karate Kid & Jumanji. The front cover of the case is odd because the 3 Ninjas are all dressed up in white karate outfits, which they never wore in the film at all.

This film has a good message and plenty of fun humor, action and heart to entertain just about anyone. I recommend it and the first film highly. It's too bad these guys didn't do the fourth installment (perhaps they were just too old by then?). This would've also made a great TV show for kids too.

3 Ninjas Knuckle Up - Add it to your collection!

"Colt's gonna kiss Jo! Colt's gonna kiss Jo!"
"Come on, Guys! Okay...Maybe I will."
"WHAT??!!" -Michael Treanor, Max Elliot Slade, & Chad Power as Rocky, Colt & Tum Tum - the 3 Ninjas

This movie was not as good as the first one but was better than any of the other ones, especially the one made in '98. Michael Treanor and Max Elliott Slade and Chad Power are the best ninjas, especially the first two. (I like Rocky.) The karate stuff that they do is really cool. The dance scene they did was interesting. In a good way.

This movie was proabably one of the worst films i've ever seen. To the person aka Mike Vegas, have you ever been on a trip to Italy? This movie was filmed entirely in California. WAKE UP!!!!
This movie ranks along side the classic Stallone flick......Rhinestone.

Rodney Dangerfield plays Lupo, the owner of the Serenade Cafe, a very successful Italian restaurant that features singing waiters. Rodney is in his eighties but still manages to fire off some great jokes. When a couple asks him how he keeps his weight down, he replies, "At my age, everything is down!" When he asks an overweight couple how they're enjoying their meal, they grunt their approval while they keep on eating. He warns them, "When you get to the white part, that's the plate!" Lupo hires a female opera singer to entertain the diners. When Gina sings, Lupo falls madly in love with her. Gina (Annabelle Gurwitch) tells him that she can only love a man who is a great opera singer. Since Lupo can't carry a tune, he flies to Italy to be trained as an opera singer by Vincenzo (Richard Libertini). No matter how bad he sings, Vincenzo keeps encouraging him to keep taking lessons so he can keep taking Lupo's money. Vincenzo persuades the local opera company to let Lupo sing. Lupo is so bad that the villagers chase him off the stage and down the streets. The scene of him being chased by villagers carrying torches is reminiscent of a similar scene from Frankenstein! Lupo finally reaches a dock, finds a rowboat and paddles his way to safety. The next morning, he washes ashore on a pond and is found by a young boy, who calls his mother. She is the beautiful Rosa (Anita De Simone) who takes pity on Lupo and takes him home. There we meet her Mamma (Elsa Raven) and Papa (Hamilton Camp) who also take a liking to Lupo. Lupo listens to the family singing as they work, and can't believe how great they all sing. Rosa lets him in on their family secret. The grapes they grow produces a magical wine, and anyone who drinks the wine becomes a great singer! Lupo returns to America and, with a constant supply of wine, becomes the opera singing sensation Lupo the Great! Unfortunately, Gina still wants no part of him. When Lupo discovers that Rosa is going through with an arranged marriage to Marcello (Vincent Schiavelli), a man she doesn't love, he flies back to Italy to stop the wedding. Lupo's attempts to get to the church on time, first on horseback and then with the help of the police, outdoes Dustin Hoffman's similar scene in The Graduate! Lupo arrives just in time to stop the wedding and profess his love for Rosa.

This movie has a more leisurely pace than Rodney's previous films, with less one-liners and more character development. The pastoral scenes in Italy are visually beautiful and give the movie a magical quality. On the other hand, the scenes of the restaurant and surrounding streets in New York City have the look of a soundstage in a movie studio. Considering the peak of the Three Tenors' popularity and Rodney Dangerfield's age, I'm sure this movie would have found a much bigger audience if it had been made several years ago.

Rodney travels to italy to learn how to sing. and meets a charming lady. I tell you, this movie is an adventure. and in this movie, not even the horses show Rodney any respect, like when he calls for the horse, and the horse run away.
and Rodney actally slaps Robert Davi around, can you imagen that? Rodney brawling like Bud Spencer in the kitchen, and to top that, Davi ends up getting suffocated between Annabella Gurwitch legs.
This movie will bring you more than a couple of laughs, its a charming and well done flick, with alote of well known faces, its just a real treat. with a little magic. it has all the ingredients for the perfect movie. it has comedy, romance, wine, women and song, a little action and actually some horror. (you who has seen the movie knows what i'm talking about)
Bravissimo!!

Jean Claude Van Damme had a great run in the late 80's and early to mid 90's,but sad to say I think his generation of film has passed,now the majority of action fans want high priced special effects and a superstitious plot.Van Damme has been criticized for having little or no acting skills.Even though none of his films have ever gotten"two thumbs up" he has had still to this day very loyal fans like myself who would watch him before stallone or shwarzenegger because he brings incredible charisma to movies and always does his own fight sequences.Now I guess I'll critizise "Desert Heat".The storyline is a dissapointing one but the supporting cast is farely well in my mind with Jamie Presley.The overall action is alright, but typical Van Damme,nothing that you haven't seen from him before.The acting performance which I look at since some say he can't act is alright in this movie.I think the character doesn't fit Van Damme because he usually deals with more dangerous villians,in this movie he deals with a bunch of low life rednecks.The film is good but not something I'd watch over and over again.

The movie has a plot, and all the actors do their job very well. The movie does have action. Pretty much this film takes place in a desert, but it is nice. Jean Claude Van Damme's acting is awesome. The women actresses in the movie are really nice looking. The ending of the film I thought was excellent. I recommend this movie to anyone who has not seen it.

This is one of those Van damme movies where u either hate or u love it...In my case i happen to love it. After riding through the desert....van damme is shot and left to die by some washed up rednecks.. Van damme wakes up and finds his motorcycle stolen!!! Van Damme of course gets a tad angry and goes on a rampage to find his motorcycle....there are motorcycle chases, fighting, rednecks, and whole alot of alcohol...There are also some special apearances like Jamie Presely, and Mr. Miagi from the Karate Kid..Great movie....u might wanna rent it first...unless ur a harcore van damme fan like me....just buy the movie and take my word for it..!!!

Private detective Harry D'Amour (Bakula) who is unwillingly drawn to the supernatural travels to LA to investigate an insurance fraud, but finds himself battling an evil cult leader in the Mojave desert after he gets involved with the death of a stage "illusionist". Barker's most ambitious and engaging film to date (based on his short story "The Last Illusion"). Well photographed and a masterful music score, let down by an over-long script and uneven plotting. Barker's attempted horror/detective film noir blend is far too shaky at times. Still, a winner well above genre standards. Be sure to stear clear of the shorter "theatrical cut".

MGM is not known for their great DVD releases but they did a good job with this one. I was not a big fan of the movie when it came out in the theatre. I thought I would give the directors cut a try. The movie is a bit cheesy and I didn't buy Scott as a grizzled detective. The uncut version adds to the story and character development but it's a tad long and I lost interest towards the end of the film. Picture quality is uneven switching between grainy and crystal clear through the whole movie. Sound is awesome though and the disc has some good extras. If you liked the original movie buy it, if you didn't then this version won't change your mind.

I don't quite know why...well, I do...but this is one of my favorite movies. I have seen it on TV at least ten times over the years and if I come across it, I have to watch it. Part of the attraction is Scott Bakula. He was perhaps at his most beautiful in 1995 and the skin shots of him are wonderful. So are the clothed shots. I just like looking at him. And the bad guys are great, so Barkerianly creepy. But, yeah, I watch it for Scott. So throw me out of the movie critics society.

Private detective Harry D'Amour (Bakula) who is unwillingly drawn to the supernatural travels to LA to investigate an insurance fraud, but finds himself battling an evil cult leader in the Mojave desert after he gets involved with the death of a stage "illusionist". Barker's most ambitious and engaging film to date (based on his short story "The Last Illusion"). Well photographed and a masterful music score, let down by an over-long script and uneven plotting. Barker's attempted horror/detective film noir blend is far too shaky at times. Still, a winner well above genre standards. Be sure to stear clear of the shorter "theatrical cut".

MGM is not known for their great DVD releases but they did a good job with this one. I was not a big fan of the movie when it came out in the theatre. I thought I would give the directors cut a try. The movie is a bit cheesy and I didn't buy Scott as a grizzled detective. The uncut version adds to the story and character development but it's a tad long and I lost interest towards the end of the film. Picture quality is uneven switching between grainy and crystal clear through the whole movie. Sound is awesome though and the disc has some good extras. If you liked the original movie buy it, if you didn't then this version won't change your mind.

I don't quite know why...well, I do...but this is one of my favorite movies. I have seen it on TV at least ten times over the years and if I come across it, I have to watch it. Part of the attraction is Scott Bakula. He was perhaps at his most beautiful in 1995 and the skin shots of him are wonderful. So are the clothed shots. I just like looking at him. And the bad guys are great, so Barkerianly creepy. But, yeah, I watch it for Scott. So throw me out of the movie critics society.

This is an ok kids movie, like the movie Jack type, but the kids are not cute in this one! It stars that Ernest guy. Its an okay movie for like 9 and 10 yr olds.

The Treehouse Hostage, an evolutionary masterpiece in the art of high school drama, takes a daring step in analyzing the social dynamics of the youth of our nation. Starring such unsung talent as Jim Varney, who has played the hopelessly lovable Ernest in the well...Ernest movie classics series, plays a ex-vietnam, underwater, basket weaving coach who befriends a hilariously charming talking dolphin named Nicodemus. Jim Varney's arcane knowledge of ancient Filipino stick fighting style makes for a zenith in the realm of martial arts cinema, the culmination of 20th century action. Overall I would recommend this to anyone possessing any type of obsessive compulsive disorder of the shin, of south east Pennsylvanian descent, or is in any way named Bob. 5 stars. Nuff said.

i enjoyed this movie. buy it or rent it. enjoy it!

This is an ok kids movie, like the movie Jack type, but the kids are not cute in this one! It stars that Ernest guy. Its an okay movie for like 9 and 10 yr olds.

The Treehouse Hostage, an evolutionary masterpiece in the art of high school drama, takes a daring step in analyzing the social dynamics of the youth of our nation. Starring such unsung talent as Jim Varney, who has played the hopelessly lovable Ernest in the well...Ernest movie classics series, plays a ex-vietnam, underwater, basket weaving coach who befriends a hilariously charming talking dolphin named Nicodemus. Jim Varney's arcane knowledge of ancient Filipino stick fighting style makes for a zenith in the realm of martial arts cinema, the culmination of 20th century action. Overall I would recommend this to anyone possessing any type of obsessive compulsive disorder of the shin, of south east Pennsylvanian descent, or is in any way named Bob. 5 stars. Nuff said.

i enjoyed this movie. buy it or rent it. enjoy it!