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In the King of Prussia (1982)
Obscure Docu-Drama Low Budget Martin Sheen Gem
What really hurts this movie is that this film looks like it was shot on some VHS camcorder that was considered high-end circa 1980. It makes you wain in interest while watching, despite the fact that the plot is both interesting and based on a true incident, incidentally played by the actual people it happened to: a protest and subsequent unlawful entry of GE Plant by a religious group concerning Nuclear Warheads supposedly being manufactured there.
What also makes this film worth a watch is getting to see Martin Sheen as the judge. He acts well but his part is sort of boring. This is probably the lowest budget film I've ever seen Sheen in. Also Jackson Browne, Joe Walsh and Graham Nash provide music for the soundtrack? Those are some pretty big names for a musical score, again - that being mostly eclipsed by it's poor video quality. Makes you wonder if the famous people involved backed the film's production financially, or merely lent their talent to support the group's Anti-Nuclear sentiment.
I was lucky enough to find a rental copy of this at Scarecrow Video in Seattle, otherwise who'd really pay currently $200 to watch this VHS obscurity?
Claws (1982)
Mediocre South African Bush Film
Drama/Suspense/Thriller/No Monsters The redeeming qualities of this film are that is was beautifully shot in the South African Bush, all the supporting actors did well, and the story is interesting: A 12 year old boy is incidentally left to fend for himself and watch their early 20th century isolated farm as his father is taken by the rest of the family to Cape Town for medical treatment.
He is left alone for 3 days with farm's herding dog Impie - Since he's alone most of his dialog is said at his dog, and the kid frequently whines his dog name, sometimes over and over again, to the point where his voice is just irritating, considering it's the only one you hear.
As time passes farm animals continue to turn up dead and the boy does nothing out of fear. A lynx is caught killing a sheep and the boy starts and endless search for him which leads to the climax.
One part of this movie that really disturbed me is a fight between the lynx and dog. There's no way these two animals would roll around and play in real life, and the attack lasts for some time - (The boy of course doing nothing, prompting me to yell at the screen and shake my fist relentlessly) and the sounds from the dog seem like genuine pain. This seemed a bit cruel, but who knows, maybe the two were old college buddies.
Watch this if revel in obscure international cinema or you're interested in what South Africa loosely may have been like in the early 1900's, or if you like lynxes and love screaming at your screen in frustrated anger -
Jimi Hendrix: The Uncut Story (2004)
Fairly Thorough and Insightful
This Hendrix biography comes as a 3-Disc set, each disc covering a portion of his life (1942-1970). You can pick it up at Wal-Mart for around $19. The bio is rather insightful via family, friends, and collaborators of Jimi recounting his life. It contains some film footage of him, but most of it is photos and audio snipits. It talks about the good and the bad of his upbringing, and the development of his unique and spiritual personality. Follows his move from Seattle to London to Manhattan and back to London. Sheds light into the meaning of his lyrics, and contains a minimal amount of film and slew of pictures of his more memorable performances. Also contains information regarding the myths and mysteries surrounding his untimely death. All and all, a good film for the avid Hendrix fan, classic rock music lovers, or just to have an immense amount of Hendrix trivia in your pocket at the office water cooler/record store. (i.e. he was friends with Bruce Lee)
- Jesse
Traxx (1988)
Saw it on a Shelf at Goodwill
OK so I won't lie friends, I didn't see this movie, but rather I was at a goodwill thrift store today buying shirts and this little VHS gem was hiding under a neatly folded pile of Cosby sweaters on a shelf near the back. I read the posterior of the cassette and couldn't believe the premise of this film. I then looked at the cover and saw Shadow Setvens, and thought to my self, "Man was this guy NOT funny on the old Hollywood Squares, or that show Dave's World". So I set it back down, covered it with Cosby sweaters, made a few glances to ensure no one had seen me pick up that movie, much less read and consider wasting an hour of my youth watching it, and I left. And my life, was never the same.
The Complete Truth About De-Evolution (1993)
Worth Discovering
Before I did any of my own investigation, I just assumed Devo was a one hit wonder of the New Wave era. They have now become one of my favorite bands, and this DVD only confirms it further. This is the chronological history of them by Music Video; some of the earlier pieces on this DVD are stories as well, bits and pieces about their 'Devolution Theory'. The early videos weren't shot in the best quality, but ironically those videos tend to reflect their better music, because as you'll see as you gradually progress into the DVD you'll see the video quality enhance but the songs become less familiar & popular. The ideas of most of their videos are random and yet sometimes very literal at the same time. A majority of those videos were produced during the early stages of video editing magic and CGI, so they do seem rather kitsch, but after all, isn't that Devo in a nutshell? This DVD also includes a slew of extra features, as well as commentary and some live performances. I really recommend this DVD to the Devo fan, the Avant-Garde music enthusiast, and the B-Quality film admirer.