Terminal Exposure (1987) User Reviews

80s Southern California Hardy Boys getting to the "bottom" of things!

[lowlandermg · 4/10 · 13 May 2023]

A whiskey stream of consciousness review.

80s screwball hardy boys murder mystery. Has moments of good 80s nostalgia. But most of it is cringe. The script shamefully steals a number of scenes and lines from its predecessors in the genre including a classic Better off Dead quote. Part Scooby Doo, yes there is a villain who completely spills his beans and part bad Pink Panther slapstick via the chase scenes, there are still some redeemable elements. The actors seem to be having fun with it and writer director Nico Mastorakis is able to set up some decent sequences which keeps some interest. There are very few lessons learned from the film however, so although fun, it doesn't have enough memorable moments to wanna share with friends over a bourbon.

Underwhelming like with my Willett pot still bourbon.

A Comedy in Need of a Bit More Humor

[Uriah43 · 4/10 · 20 October 2023]

This film essentially begins with two losers by the names of "Lenny Hartigan" (Mark Hennessy) and "Bruce Greene" (Scott King) hanging out on the beach and taking pictures of the young ladies as they walk by. As it so happens, after being accosted by several men on the beach for taking pictures of one particular woman, Lenny accidentally photographs the murder of a man named "Ned Carson" (Patrick St. Esprit) who they had bumped into just minutes earlier. Quite naturally, Lenny Immediately thinks about giving this information to the police to help them in their investigation. Bruce, on the other hand, sees this an opportunity to increase their popularity with all of the eligible females and, to that effect, convinces Lenny that they should conduct their own investigation instead. Likewise, for his part, Lenny also sees this as a chance to exonerate a young woman he met earlier named "Christie" (Hope Marie Carlton) who appears to be the prime murder suspect. What neither of them realize, however, is that their investigation will soon lead them directly into an altercation between two rival crime organizations--with both Lenny and Bruce as their primary targets. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that, although the movie had some solid actors and a fairly decent plot, there simply wasn't enough humor to really elevate this comedy ahead of numerous other films of this type. LIkewise, while Hope Marie Carlton and, to a lesser extent, Tara Buckman (as "Mrs. Stacy Karrothers") certainly helped add to the local scenery, their presence simply wasn't enough to offset the overall lack of humor, and I have rated this film accordingly. Slightly below average.

Extremely dumb but fun '80s trash.

[BA_Harrison · 6/10 · 23 April 2023]

Coming from director Nico Mastorakis, who gave us the taboo-busting video nasty Island of Death, Terminal Exposure was never going to be a tasteful movie: it would probably be labelled as 'problematic' by Gen Z, the film being full of scantily clad young women (the focus on their shapely backsides), with a few camp gay stereotypes for comic relief. All of this means that it is perfect entertainment for an old dinosaur like me, who couldn't give two hoots about political correctness when it comes to entertainment.

Mark Hennessy plays teen photographer Lenny; Scott King is Lenny's best friend Bruce. Together they hit Venice Beach to surreptitiously snap candid pictures of women's asses, hoping to publish a compendium of sexy bikini-clad behinds that will bring the dollars rolling in. When Lenny is pushed around by three musclemen who find his behaviour unacceptable, he accidentally captures a murder with his camera, the pictures seemingly revealing the killer to be a woman with a rose tattoo on her butt. Bruce convinces Lenny that solving the murder could be a shortcut to the fame and fortune they desire, but their investigation puts the friends in deadly peril.

Terminal Exposure is a prime example of dumb '80s trash, with a nonsensical plot, atrocious acting, laughable dialogue and basic direction. Mastorakis chucks in wacky WTF? Scenes that boggle the mind: a blonde dominatrix with a swastika tattoo on her butt; a surprise party held by a bunch of mafiosi; the two young heroes disguising themselves as bushes; an ice cream fight on the beach; and an 'exciting' finalé in which an assassin tries to escape the police on a skateboard. There's also gratuitous female nudity, most notably from gorgeous blonde Playmate Hope Marie Carlton as Lenny's love interest Christie. Undeniably awful, yet still somehow enjoyable, it's the sort of movie best accompanied by a six pack of beer.

6/10.

Music by Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer!

Look out for Danny Trejo in the crowd scene at the end.

I visited Venice Beach in 1989 and that guy juggling the chainsaw was there - I wonder what he is doing these days...

Achieves What It Aims For

[mvance-1 · 8/10 · 25 April 2006]

No, it's not great film-making by any stretch of the imagination, but I fail to see the reason for the animosity that's been directed at this flick. It strives simply to be a goofy, mindless romp featuring likable protagonists, good-looking women, a tissue-thin plot to explain why the guys go from one location to another, cartoonish violence, and a happy ending, and it delivers in all of those areas. Okay, the two lead characters obviously aren't the teens they're cast as, but that's a minor detail. This movie may have been primarily a tax dodge, since I doubt that it received a real release, but it's also not a bad way to kill a couple of hours with your brain in neutral Did I say I liked the ending? Steve.

terminal movie needs no more exposure

[FieCrier · 16 August 2003]

There's a few funny lines in the movie, but on the whole, it's not a very involving or entertaining flick. "Terminal," in the Venice Beach, Los Angeles, California slang of this movie means "bitchin', cool" (as one of the characters tells us), but the negative connotation suits it better.

Joe Estevez' voice is similar to his brother Martin Sheen's, but his acting, particularly his last scene, is pretty dreadful in this movie. John Vernon plays his usual character. Hope Marie Carlton, a Playmate, does get nude briefly, as do some other minor characters, but there as not as much gratuitous nudity as one might expect in an R-rated '80s comedy.

The two male leads apparently never acted in a film before or since, which is never a terribly good sign.

It's apparently out of print on video, and has never been released on DVD. If that situation stays the same, it would not be a shame at all.

Fun misadventures from Venice Beach to Las Vegas and back

[Wuchakk · 6/10 · 30 October 2022]

Two best friends in SoCal (Mark Hennessy and Scott King) accidentally capture evidence of a murder on camera and seek a blonde with a tattoo on her derriere (Hope Marie Carlton). Ted Lange plays a literal beach bum and Joe Estevez a grim shady man.

Shot in August-September, 1986, and released the next year, "Terminal Exposure" is a comedy/crime misadventure with focus on youths chasing beach beauties à la "Private Resort" (1985).

I thought the two leads made for an entertaining duo despite being unknowns. Meanwhile Hope Marie is lovely (along with a few other females) and the misadventures are fun. But, like "Private Resort," there's a little too much sleaze in the air for my tastes. Yet this is mostly limited to the first act and the flick drives home the importance of finding the right mate and the corresponding faithfulness despite the guys' obsession with T&A.

The film runs 1 hour, 40 minutes, and was shot in the Los Angeles area, as well as Las Vegas.

GRADE: B-

I really kind of wished this was an airport kind of film...

[sethn172 · 10/10 · 6 June 2006]

...but unfortunately, for me, it is not.

However, I did find this movie very intriguing, very interesting, and totally different from any other beach movie I have ever seen (think 60's beach blanket bingo here, people!!!!!): especially the plot is strange enough: a photo leading to an adventure. Ha!

"Terminal Exposure" shows us not only that being on the beach can be fun; it can also lead up to something very exciting on the way. By sitting through this film, you can actually see it all happening so quickly! It may not be an award-winning type of movie, but it's definitely worth watching! 10 stars!

This film has so many problems that I don't know where to begin.

[guitardude2000_ca · 9 November 2002]

There are two categories of BAD movies. 1. Being the funny bad movies that you get together with your buddies and heckle (ie. plan 9 from outer space, Eegah etc.) Then there are just plain BAD BAD movies that shouldn't have been made. I believe with all my heart that this movie falls into the second category. This film has it all...poor acting, dialogue, sound, lighting, story, acting, plot...the makers of this film failed to get one thing right. This film is also a type of spin off of that John Travolta movie called "blow out" where he captures a murder by accident with his camera.

I chuckled a few times during the film where I just couldn't believe that something as bad as I was watching had made it to video release. There are also some moments in the film that come out of left field. For example, in the first 20 mins of the film, the director thinks that it would be cool to all of a sudden make all the action slow mo..."yeah that'll look great!!!guys love slow mo of cheezy, frizzy haired girls playing volley ball" And the soundtrack...don't even get me started.

If any of you are into film making, and feel that your stuff is not good enough, rent this picture and you will feel 400 times better about your material. In fact, I recommend this film to all who watch movies all the time and maybe have a hard time finding the true gems...this will certainly make the next few movies you watch feel like pure genious.

Out of 5 stars, I give this film 0, as I feel that even one star is positive in some way. Those that made this film should be ashamed.

Offbeat (fetishistic) comedy/thriller

[lor_ · 29 March 2023]

My review was written in January 1989 after watching the movie on HBO.

Nico Mastorakis' "Double Exposure" is an oddball comedy-thriller focusing on the a in "t&a". Pic had a brief theatrical run in Miami in fall 1987 and is now cablecast by HBO.

Mark Hennessy and Scott King portray two aimless guys in Venice Beach, California, who decide to take photos of the lovely derrieres paraded daily by beach bunnies in order to come up with a salable photo montage or calendar (film originally was titled "Terminal Exposure") . In homage to the classic film "Blow-Up" they accidentally photograph a murder, with the clue being a rose tattoo on the posterior of a woman holding a gun.

Antics of the duo trying to solve the murder involve mafia hitmen, a wild bachelor party and endless rear end-themed puns. The emphasis is toward comedy rather than thrills, but it's okay (if a bit fetishistic) light entertainment. Amoral attitude is emphasized, especially in film's payoff.

Two lead players are pleasant, abetted by Playboy magazine model Hope Marie Carlton as their beautiful prime suspect. Joe Phelan as a hitman in a black van bears strong facial and vocal resemblance to his brother Martin Sheen.