THE EXPLOSIVE REVIEW

Starring: Tim Matheson, Peter Riegert, John Belushi, James Widdoes, Bruce McGill, Douglas Kenney, Thomas Hulce, Stephen Furst, James Daughton, Mark Metcalf, Kevin Bacon, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Karen Allen, Donald Sutherland, Sarah Holcomb, DeWayne Jessie, Mary Louise Weller, Martha Smith, and Cesare Danova.

Directed by: John Landis.

Story:
The setting is within the fictional Faber College in 1962. Freshmen Larry Kroger (Hulce) and Kent Dorfman (Furst) want to get accepted in a fraternity with a good reputation. First, they try out for the most prestigious one on campus, the Omega Theta Pi House consisting of militia-minded elite students like Gregg Marmalard (Daughton) and Doug Neirdermeyer (Metcalf), which they are kicked out from because they’re way out of their league. That leaves them with the option next store - The Delta Tau Chi House - a group of campus misfits where people like John “Bluto” Blutarsky (Belushi) and D-Day (McGill) dwell at. Fortunately, they are sworn in and given their fraternity names “Pinto” (for Larry) and “Flounder” (for Kent).

The Omega house is not Delta’s only problem - Dean Vernon Wormer (John Vernon) is in the process of removing Delta from the entire campus. Partnering with the Omegas, they put their minds to work to find a way to rid of the Deltas once and for all. What results is an all-out war of hilarious pranks between both sides that will knock your socks off.

Characters:
*Eric ‘Otter’ Stratton (Tim Matheson): Smooth playboy type, the delta’s unofficial leader.
*Donald ‘Boon’ Schoenstein (Peter Riegert): Otter’s best buddy, always caught up in between his girlfriend Katy and his Delta friends.
*John ‘Bluto’ Blutarsky (John Belushi): A crazy, insane, and drunken degenerate in his 7th college year and practically a zero GPA.
*Robert Hoover (James Widdoes): The fraternity’s clean cut President, always struggling to maintain normalcy amongst them to avoid trouble from the Dean.
*Daniel Simpson Day ‘D-Day’ (Bruce McGill): Tough biker type, also with no GPA.
*’Stork’ (Douglas Kenney): A delta member with suspected brain damage.
*Lawrence ‘Pinto’ Kroger (Thomas Hulce): Shy but normal type. He’s a newbie to the frat along with Flounder.
*Kent ‘Flounder’ Dorfman (Stephen Furst): Overweight and clumsy type who joins the Delta along with his friend Pinto.
*Gregory Marmalard (James Daughton): President of the Omega House, one of the main villains here.
*Douglas Niedermeyer (Mark Metcalf): ROTC Cadet officer and military-family bred Omega pledge who is a Nazi type.
*Dean Vernon Wormer (John Vernon): The Dean of the college who is trying to kick out the deltas.
*Marion Wormer (Verna Bloom): Vernon’s wife who has no problem sleeping with younger men, even if they are one of the deltas.
*Katy (Karen Allen): Boon’s frustrated girlfriend who spends a lot of ‘time’ with her professor.
*Professor Dave Jennings (Donald Sutherland): An English professor who seems practically bored out of his skull.

Overall:
Things go bad from worse in the laugh-out-loud campus comedy “Animal House”, which tells the tale of a misfit pack of fraternity boys who take on their college administration, no guts, no glory. Based on the real-life fraternity experiences of screenwriters Chris Miller at Dartmouth College and Harold Ramis at Washington University in St. Louis.

“Animal House” is the film that launched what’s known as the “gross-out genre”. The film consists of spectacular performances by an all-star cast ranging from Kevin Bacon, John Belushi, Karen Allen, John Vernon, Tim Matheson, Peter Riegert, Donald Sutherland, and many more. The story contains sheer levels of manic energy and anarchic action-packed humor. Director John Landis handles the comic pitch very carefully and with great skill. The script is filled with hilarious highs of tummy-buckling laughter that culminates in one of the most epic, action-packed, laugh-out-loud finales ever depicted on film since 1972’s “What’s Up, Doc?”. “Animal House” may be gross, it may be tasteless, but the one thing for sure is that it’s unbearably funny, and that’s why it’s so lovable.

Rating: *****

Starring: David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger, Gaylen Ross, David Crawford, David Early, Richard France, Howard Smith, James A. Baffico, Rudy Ricci, Tom Savini, Taso N. Stavrakis, Marty Schiff, Nick Tallo, William George, and Larry Valra.

Directed by: George A. Romero.

Story:
Set approximately three weeks after “Night of the Living Dead”, the zombie plague has now escalated to new heights as opposed to the end of ‘Night’ where it seemed like everything was under control - A state of martial law is now in effect in all major cities of the United States, the plague has begun to spread overseas as well, some people are listening to what the scientists and media tell them, but many aren’t, many are reluctant to give up their deceased loved ones to be discarded of completely, adding to the ever-growing ranks of the army of the living dead spreading across the globe.

The story opens in a chaotic news station where all hell has broken loose, the hosts debate back and forth, old and incorrect information fills the TV screens, and people are abandoning their posts left and right. A News chopper pilot, Stephen Andrews (David Emge), meets up with his camera operator girlfriend, Francine Parker (Gaylen Ross), to steal a chopper and escape the ever-growing zombie threat. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia SWAT team is forcing a raid on a ghetto tenement building where its residents refuse to give up their revived loved ones for proper extermination. Part of this raid is SWAT operative Roger DeMarco (Scott H. Reiniger) whom finds himself in a more of a bloody massacre than he bargained for upon working his way into the building with his teammates. He soon runs into Peter Washington, part of another SWAT unit raiding the building, whom he connects with and offers a getaway ticket from the end of the world.

The two SWAT officers, the pilot and his girlfriend all meet up to escape Philadelphia via helicopter. The group flies cross-country Pennsylvania, stopping for fuel and supplies wherever they can and running into the undead everywhere they go. They soon stumble across a massive shopping mall in Monroeville, a suburb just outside of Pittsburgh, which the dead are already starting to invade. The group lands on the roof and set up shelter in one of the mall’s storage rooms on top. But what starts as a short break soon turns into a long-term stay as they decide to take over the shopping mall, blocking all the entrances with trucks, taking care of what’s left inside, and keeping the place all to themselves - And they have everything they will ever need right there.

Characters:
*Stephen ‘Flyboy’ Andrews (David Emge): The clumsy traffic helicopter pilot who needs a lot of practice firing a gun as well as getting his priorities straight.
*Peter Washington (Ken Foree): A big and tough SWAT team member who is pretty much the brains and backbone of the group.
*Roger ‘Trooper’ DeMarco (Scott H. Reiniger): A wildcat SWAT team member who’s close friends with Stephen and partners up with Peter.
*Francine Parker (Gaylen Ross): A news camera woman who is also Stephen’s girlfriend and is pregnant with his baby.
*Blades (Tom Savini): An important member of a biker gang that wants to loot the shopping mall.

Overall:
“Dawn of the Dead” is the best sequel since “The Godfather, Part II”, a classic piece of 1970s cinema that has been heavily praised ever since. The cast of four each hold their own. Romero once again casts an African-American hero and, just like the original, there is no mention of race anywhere to be found. Much like James Cameron did with “Aliens”, George A. Romero tops himself in many ways with this epic-scope horror sequel with its setting, gore, action, and characters.

The ending is not necessarily a happy one, but there is a slight glimmer of hope as not every single one of the cast members die, but their secluded shopping mall haven comes tumbling down in one of the most fashionable, disgusting, and action-packed showdowns ever depicted. The music is a huge plus this time around, much thanks to Dario Argentino and Goblin, while it does have a 70s streak, it is some of the most creative and unconventional tracks ever recorded for a horror film.

As the first sequel to “Night of the Living Dead”, “Dawn of the Dead” deserves its rightful place next to the likes of “The Godfather, Part II”, “Aliens”, and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”.

Rating: *****

Starring: Dennis Weaver, Jacqueline Scott, Eddie Firestone, Lou Frizzle, Gene Dynarski, Lucille Benson, Tim Herbert, Charles Seel, Shirley O’Hara, Alexander Lockwood, Amy Douglass, Sweet Dick Whittington, Cary Loftin, and Dale Van Sickle.

Directed by: Steven Spielberg.

Story:
The story opens with the sound of an engine starting up, that of the car’s. We follow along the road, via the car’s point of view, while listening to the radio as the driver takes heads out from the city, to the countryside, and finally, to the remote desert highways. The driver, played by Dennis Weaver, eventually runs into the villainous tanker truck which seems very persistent to stay in front of him. They even stop at the same gas station to fuel up; it is here where we begin to see bits here and there of the truck’s driver (i.e. his boots from beneath the truck). Then, later on, the truck follows him to a diner where he sees two-three men with the same exact boots with whom he suspects. They all turn out to be wrong guesses and the truck drives off again. Curiosity gets the best of our hero as he pursues the fear of the unknown, which the movie heavily plays on, until the two drivers are having it out by themselves on the highways as the flick approaches climax.

Characters:
*David Mann (Dennis Weaver): Middle aged businessman driving to an appointment.
*The Tanker Truck: A mean and big Peterbilt 281 model whose driver nearly goes unseen throughout most of the flick.

Overall:
Replace the shark from “Jaws” with a scary looking tanker truck and you have “Duel”, a film which marks the beginning of Steven Spielberg’s career. Released on television, the film is about a man who journeys cross-country in the west with his 1971 red Plymouth Valiant, only to be stalked on an almost remote and deserted road by a 1955 Peterbilt Tanker Truck, whose driver goes almost unseen throughout most of the flick.

The truck driver is always anonymous and unseen for the duration of the film, thus making it seem that the actual truck is the real villain, more so than its driver. It is also very notable how Mr. Spielberg decided to include multiple license plates on the truck’s front bumper, subtly suggesting that the truck may be a serial killer (i.e. possibly have run down other drivers elsewhere). Spielberg shoots the truck in ways that make it almost seem as if the machine is alive.

Being that this was a success back when it was aired on TV, the 74 minutes of film were extended into 90 minutes for a theatrical release in Europe one year later. These new scenes add a lot of more meat to the story, including Dennis Weaver’s character - A railroad crossing sequence, a school bus, and a telephone conversation with his wife. “Duel” may seem dated, but the content it delivers certainly doesn’t fail. After watching this movie, one can’t help but wonder what it would be like if Steven Spielberg was chosen to direct Stephen King’s 1986 flop, “Maximum Overdrive”.

RATING: *****

Preview Unavailable

Starring: Barbra Streisand, Ryan O’Neal, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, and Austin Pendleton.

Directed By: Peter Bogdanovich.

Story:
Somebody with an attention span disorder (aka 90% of today’s young audience) will not be able to tolerate a clever plot like this one. There’s four identical bags - One cotains a bunch of igneous tambula rocks which belongs to Dr. Howard Banister (Ryan O’Neal), a musicologist from the Iowa Conservatory of Music, along with his very annoying and overbearing fiance, Eunice Burns (Madeline Kahn). They have arrived at San Francisco in hopes of winning a grant funded by Frederick Larrabee (Austin Pendleton). Howard’s theory revolves around how ancient man may have used rocks to create music. Challenging him for the grant is the uptight, dubiously-accented Hugh Simon (Kenneth Mars).

     The second bag belongs to Judy Maxwell (Streisand), filled with her clothes (a dictionary included). Everywhere this girl goes, trouble goes along right with her. Car accidents and confusing scenarios galore. Being a college drop out, she happens to be very intelligent and can talk herself out of just about anything she gets herself into.
Bag number three belongs to Mrs. Van Hoskins (Mabel Albertson), a rich old lady who stores her extremely valuable jewels in the bag. The fourth and last bag contains some top-secret government documents that belongs to the mysterious Mr. Smith (Michael Murphy), who has obtained them illegally with the intention of going public. Rivaling him is the mysterious Mr. Jones (Philip Roth) who happens to be a government agent who’s mission is to get those documents back to where they belong.

     Following me so far? Good. All of those people happen to check into the same San Francisco Hotel. The main catalyst for the chaos and confusion that follows is Judy Maxwell, for the most part. She lodges herself into the hotel without paying and pursues Howard whom she finds very attractive and tries to deter him from marrying that wicked witch of a fiance he has, she goes to great hilarious lengths to win the heart of her desire (i.e. posing as his fiance while securing the Grant for Howard). Meanwhile, two hotel employees (Sorrell Booke and Stefan Gierasch) are plotting to steal Mrs. Van Hoskins’s bag (the one with the jewels in it), but at the same time, Agent Jones is trying to get the government bag back from Mr. Smith. Over the course of one evening, the four different parties unwittingly take one another’s bags (i.e. Howard ends up with the jewels, Judy with the documents, Mr. Smith with Judy’s clothes, and the hotel thieves with Howard’s rocks). Things get way, way out of control in some of the most funniest situations ever imagined on film, from burning hotel rooms, a shootout, and to one of the most laugh-out loud and longest multi-car chases that scales down the hills of San Francisco, Chinatown, and into the San Francisco Bay. The film has an anti-climax which continues in a hilarious courtroom/arrest sequence and then an airport where everything gets tied up very neatly.

Characters:
*Judy Maxwell (Barbra Streisand): A big troublemaker where, no matter where she goes, trouble just happens to find her.
*Dr. Howard Bannister (Ryan O’Neal): A musicologist from the Iowa Conservatory of Music.
*Eunice Burns (Madeline Kahn): Howard’s overbearing fiancee who doesn’t know how to relax.
*Hugh Simon (Kenneth Mars): Another musicologist who wants nothing but to compete with Howard for Mr. Larrabee’s attention.
*Frederick Larrabee (Austin Pendleton): The funder behind the grant which Howard and Hugh are competing for.

Overall:
     It’s movies like “What’s Up, Doc?” that reminds us that good comedy actually exists out there amidst all of the saturated garbage. The film pays homage to the genre of screwball comedy that ran rampant mostly in the 1930s like “Laurel and Hardy”, “Bringing Up Baby”, the Bugs Bunny cartoons, among others. In fact, it is a remake (in a way) of “Bringing Up Baby”.

     As the third highest grossing film of 1972, “What’s Up, Doc?” was a huge cinematic hit that won Best Written Comedy and even made the lists of American Film Institute’s 100 Greatest Comedies (#61) and AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Passions (#68). Although the film is dated in some ways, you won’t find comedies like this in today’s mostly screwed up cinematic era. Don’t let the decade it was made in fool you, “What’s Up, Doc?” is a true comedic gem that will forever bring you to your knees laughing.

Rating: *****

Starring: Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, William Holden, Fred Astaire, Faye Dunaway, Susan Blakely, Richard Chamberlain, Jennifer Jones, O.J. Simpson, Robert Vaughn, Robert Wagner, Susan Flannery, Mike Lookinland, Carlena Gower, Scott Newman, Sheila Matthews, Jack Collins, Paul Comi, Gregory Sierra, Don Gordon, Norman Grabowski, Dabney Coleman, Norman Burton, and Felton Perry.

Directed by: John Guillermin and Irwin Allen.

Story:
Architect Doug Roberts (Paul Newman) and Fireman Chief Michael O’Hallorhan (Steve McQueen) battle a vicious high-rise fire that begins from a burnt out circuit breaker - What begins with a simple spark becomes 165 minutes of highly flammable action and adventure that traps 300 party guests on the 135th floor in the ballroom plus some stragglers on the lower floors. Chaos ensues with a whole onslaught of spectacular special effects sequences ranging from dangling elevators, crashing choppers, daring rescued attempts that both succeed and fail, and even a wet and wild showdown between the ballroom on the 135th floor and the enormous water tanks right above it.

Characters:
*Doug Roberts (Paul Newman): An architect who built the Glass Tower.
*Jim Duncan (William Holden): The Glass Tower’s building financier and Doug’s boss.
*Chief Michael O’Hallorhan (Steve McQueen): Chief firefighter who teams up with Doug.
*Susan Franklin (Faye Dunaway): Doug’s girlfriend.
*Roger Simmons (Richard Chamberlain): The stupid son-in-law of Mr. Duncan who is responsible for the whole fire in the first place.
*Patty Duncan Simmons (Susan Blakely): Roger’s wife.
*Harry Jernigan (O.J. Simpson): Head of the Glass Tower’s security.

Overall:
Riding on the heels of successful 70s disaster mega hits such as “Airport” and “The Poseidon Adventure”, the Roland Emmerich of 70s cinema (albeit a much better director), Irwin Allen, created “The Towering Inferno”. Mr. Allen and Warner Bros. adapted the concept from two novels, “The Tower” by Richard Martin Stern and “The Glass Inferno” by Thomas N. Scortia and Frank M. Robinson.

The film has an all-star cast led by McQueen and Newman, some including Faye Dunaway, O.J. Simpson, Fred Astaire, and many more. With John Williams’ catchy score and a blockbuster screenplay, “The Towering Inferno” was and still is a massive cinematic achievement that was won three Academy Awards (Best Cinematography, Film Editing, Best Song), two BAFTAS (Best Actor In A Supporting Role - Fred Astaire, Film Music- John Williams), and two Golden Globes (Best Supporting Actor - Fred Astaire, Most Promising Newcomer - Female - Susan Flannery).

Rating: *****

Starring: Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Leslie Nielsen, Peter Graves, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack, Lorna Patterson, Stephen Stucker, Frank Ashmore, Jonathan Banks, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Craig Berenson, Barbara Billingsley, Lee Bryant, Joyce Bulifant, Marcy Goldman, Barbara Stuart, and Ross Harris.

Directed by: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker.

Story:
Ted Striker, a former ex-fighter pilot suffering from trauma and a fear of flying, boards the fictional Trans America commercial airliner in an attempt to rekindle his broken relationship with his stewardess ex-girlfriend Elaine. After taking off the ground, the flight crew and many passengers slowly succumb to food poisoning as the plane hits poor weather conditions. It’s soon left up to Ted Striker to conquer his fear of flying and safely land the plane and its passengers, guided by the help of air traffic controllers Steve McCroskey and Rex Kramer.

Characters:
*Ted Striker (Robert Hays): The main protagonist who is a traumatized ex-fighter pilot with a fear of flying.
*Elaine Dickinson (Julie Hagerty): Striker’s ex-girlfriend stewardess.
*Dr. Rumack (Leslie Nielsen): The main doctor on board the plane who does more harm than good.
*Captain Clarence Oveur (Peter Graves): The head Captain of the plane.
*Steve McCroskey (Lloyd Bridges): An air traffic controller who’s way off his hinges
*Captain Rex Kramer (Robert Stack): Striker’s former military mentor whom he has negative wartime history with.
*Randy (Lorna Patterson): A hot lead stewardess on the plane with a talent for music and unknowingly hurting others.
*Johnny Henshaw (Stephen Stucker): One of McCroskey’s associates at Air Traffic Control who’s as off as McCroskey himself judging by his…gay…old time that he’s having here.
*Victor Basta (Frank Ashmore): The second co-pilot.
*Roger Murdock (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar): The co-pilot of the plane who also plays his real life self, although here he is trying to hide his identity.
*Paul Carey (Craig Berenson): A nerdy informant who doesn’t make great friends with dogs. He is sent to inform Mr. Kramer of the airline situation.
*Mrs. Hammen (Lee Bryant): Joey’s mother.
*Mrs. Kramer (Barbara Stuart): Rex’s wife.
*Joey (Ross Harris): A young boy with a big annoying mouth who has a talent for upsetting former basketball stars.

Overall:
“Airplane!” was the first to spoof the disaster film genre which dominated the recent 1970s era at that time (films such as “The Poseidon Adventure”, the “Airport” series, “The Towering Inferno”, “Earthquake” and so on). At the same time, it is also a remake of 1957’s “Zero Hour!”. This film was a huge turning point in many people’s careers including Leslie Nielsen, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack, among others. “Airplane!”’s box office experienced similar tremendous results as it became a major successor in the summer of 1980, taking in a domestic $83 million against its small budget of $3.5 million.

“Airplane!” is one of the best comedies ever made and deserves to sit up there with 1972’s laugh-fest “What’s Up, Doc?”. It plays the airport and disaster spoof for all that it’s worth. The gags found in this film are highly laughable and endless; it’s quite enjoyable to see the comedic Leslie Nielsen and Lloyd Bridges before their ‘Naked Gun’ and ‘Top Gun’ roles, they are just as hilarious here. Most of the comedies that are of this kind that you see today may seem like they’re trying too hard after you watch this. Just remember, before there was “Epic Movie” or “Scary Movie”, there was “Airplane!”.

Rating: *****