The Game of Clones Bruceploitation Boxed Set Vol 1

 

TITLE-The Game of Clones Bruceploitation Collection vol 1

SOURCE-Severin

About a year ago this set came out. And I wanted it but wasn't gonna drop 120 bucks on it. Skip ahead to late May this year. Had a few extra bucks and ordered the documentary that comes in this set.  Took me 3 days to get it watched. Mostly cause the day it came in our power went out and was about almost 10 hours. But once I got it watched I knew I wanted this set.

Being born in the middle of the 70s I grew up with Kung Fu Theater every Saturday. After cartoons and Pro Wrestling on the UHF channel. Each week I saw a different Kung Fu movie. And I was a huge  fan. Got in trouble at the annual family reunion on Fathers Day weekend. All cause my  cousin pissed me off so I was chasing him around the  park karate chopping him in his back.

Now back when I was a kid I would be mad when I saw a Bruceploitation film  on Kung Fu Theater. And what is Bruceploitation? After Bruce Lee became a huge star other studios started making ripoffs of his films. Casting actors that looked a bit like Bruce. And once Bruce died the amount of these films multiplied.

This set is 7 discs. With 6 of them holding 2 films each. One disc is the documentary I mentioned,which means I now have two copies of it.

How are the films? Well Severin found the best prints they could. With them looking so much better than they ever did on Kung Fu Theater or the many  VHS or DVD copies I have seen over the years.

There is extras on  each disc. Sometimes you get a commentary,sometimes you get more than one on the film. 

Out of all the films the stand out is The Dragon  Lives Again. Where Bruce Lee goes to Hell and teams up with Popeye to fight Dracula. Go look the movie up on Youtube there is a few copies up. Total insanity but it works. 

Yea the films are cheap and  cheesy. Stil I had fun watching each of them. The extras help add some info and context to the movies. And the included book in  the boxed set is well made.

The Game of Clones Bruceploitation VOL 1 gets a B+.

GLOW The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling Blu Ray

 

TITLE-GLOW The Story of The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling

SOURCE-AFGA Blu ray

GLOW was part of my Saturdays for about 3 years. I got between 4 and 9 hours of wrestling each Saturday. And GLOW was the only one my parents watched with me.

Take a bad variety show,add in some lady wrestlers and you got GLOW. Imagine Hee Haw but set in a wrestling ring not a corn field.

And I loved it. Now of course more people know the Netflix show GLOW. Which was good. 

Years ago when this documentary came out I got a copy and loved it. Went out bought a few GLOW dvds and enjoyed them.

A recent Vingar Syndrome sale I grabbed this. Covering the entire run of GLOW and headed up by the lady that was Little Egypt,this documentary is a great look at the hard work all the ladies did to make that show a success.

And we also get to see what  pile of them have been up to since GLOW folded. I know Tina Ferrari became Ivory in WWE. I knew Matilda the Hun did some things. And had heard Hollywood was still working. Had no clue Hollywood films custom matches? 

Sadly we see that Mount Fiji is in rough shape. But she is gonna try her best to make the GLOW Reunion. And the last part of the documentary is that. Mount Fiji and a pile of the other ladies at this reunion. 

The commentary is great. They got a few of the GLOW wrestlers to help out. And the extras!!! Matches,promos and more!

GLOW The Story of Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling gets a A-

Challenge of the Tiger

 

TITLE-Challenge of the Tiger

SOURCE-Severin Blu Ray

While not the most insane Bruceploitation film in Severin's big boxed set of them,that would be The Dragon Lives Again,Challenge of the Tiger is close.

 A drug is invented that causes Males to not be able to reproduce. And everyone is after it. But we got Bruce Lei teaming up with Richard Harrison to protect it.

Filmed all over the place this is just pure fun. Every 5 or so minutes is either a fight or nudity. Oh yea forgot to mention not long after Harrison first appears in the film he goes to a villa. Where none of the women appear to wear tops. And we got a slow motion shot of a lady topless playing tennis.

Best fight scene in  the movie has Bruce and Richard fighting two guys on motorcycles. With a great stunt where Bruce lays on top of Harrison and a bike drives over Bruce's back.

The print looks and sounds good. A bit of wear but that is expected for a low budget film from 1980. The commentary is great. Loaded with info and stories. 

Worth tracking down. No clue what the releases before this one look like. Betting there is a 4:3 DVD from Wu Tang DVD or Brooklyn Zoo DVD.

Challenge of the Tiger gets a B-.

Mom n Pop the Indie video store boom of the 80s Blu ray

 

TITLE-Mom N Pop The Indie Video Store Boom of the 80s/90s

SOURCE-Saturns Core Blu ray

The small area on the MS gulf coast where I grew up was loaded with Mom n Pop video stores. Wasn't until 93 or 94 that a chain store invaded the area,and not long after that all the Mom n Pops started closing. So when I saw there was a documentary on these indie video stores I had to see it.

Full of people that either owned a Indie Video store or went to them often this is a great look back at a forgotten era. I see people all the time wishing Blockbuster was back.. Fuck that. Blockbuster sucked. Sure if you just wanted to see the major releases and rent a SNES game they were ok. But I wasn't finding stuff like Pink Flamingos or Nekromantix at Blockbuster. Nah had to goto Video Showboat or Tapes and More. 

Added bonus J.T. "Streebo" McRoberts appears a few times. He is a indie horror director/writer. Who through a podcast we learned we are both from the same hometown,well I was only born in that town he lived there for a bit. I was actually listening to this documentary while organizing my Blu Ray/4k shelf. Heard Streebo's voice and stopped to go see him being interviewed at one of the many cons he goes to.

Loaded with extras this is a niche documentary. One if you remember back when there was video stores everywhere and Blockbuster hadn't come and destroyed a once thriving local business.

And if you are one of those pining for the days of Blockbuster... I feel sorry for you. Not knowing a good video store. Will we have 28 year olds in 10 years from now wishing Redbox was back?

Mom N Pop the Indie Video Store Boom gets a B+

The Toy DVD

 

TITLE-The Toy

SOURCE-Full Screen DVD

It is odd what sticks in my memory. I sometimes forget the month or year. But got clear memories of going in 1982 with my parents and the neighbors to see The Toy at the movie theater near the mall in Mobile AL.  Then about a year or so after that new video rental store opens in town,we already had 2 in town that we were members of,and we go and rent The Toy. So After school one day Mom wasn't home yet,Dad got off at 5pm and was never home before 6pm,I invited a pile of the local kids over and we watched The Toy. 

And that rat bastard Lil Colon,yes he was Colon Jr so got called Lil Colon(also his last name was Brown...) told his mom about the part when the robot dog pisses on Richard and the nude painting of Gleason's wife. His mom comes over chews out my mom and I catch shit.

All of that clear in my memory and it was 83 so 42ish years ago. Then when I put this DVD in a few weeks ago I remembered almost nothing of the film. 3 scenes tops.

This is a remake of a 70s French film,Richard Pryor is Jack/Jackie Brown. A vet that is about to lose his home to taxes. His lady is a lawyer for Klan Watch,a civil rights group. He is told by his buddy at the bank if he had "A real job" the bank would extend the time he had to pay the back taxes. Pryor is a writer and wants to work for the big newspaper. Which is ran along with most other places in Baton Rouge Louisiana back then by U.S. Bates. 

U.S. Bates is an older delisional white guy. Who pretty much puts himself first ahead of all others. Became rich by being born into the money and running shady schemes to get richer. And has dreams of getting into Politics.

Pryor puts his name down as Jackie Brown,to maybe  get a job as cleaning staff at a big party at Bates' mansion. Gets hired to do that and work a few nights a week cleaning the big department store Bates has. 

The party is a disaster.Pryor is dressed up in a maids outfit. Dumps the meal in Bates lap and gets told to "Shave that mustache and you are fired".

Pryor the next night is cleaning the department store late at night,right when Bate's young son is coming into town. The kid lives at a military boarding school. Only coming home for 1 week a year. He is told he can  have anything in the store,by Ned Beaty(who is a weasel like underling for US Bates). Young Master Bates,and yes that joke is made,sees Pryor being his normal comedic self and tells them "I want that" 

So  needing lots of money fast Pryor agrees  to come stay at the mansion and be young Master Bate's living toy for a week. 

Young  Master Bates is played by Scotty Schwartz,who was Flick in A Christmas Story. Thinking  this is his first role. He is good as the asshole kid that just wants some attention from his dad.

After having too much of Scotty's pranks and just being a general asshat,Pryor leaves goes home. Then middle of the night a drunk as fuck Ned Beatty shows up. With a check for 10k,the amount Pryor needs to save his house. All he has to do is come back and stay until Scotty goes back to boarding school.

Pryor comes back, lets the kid know he aint taking any shit. And talks Scotty into doing a free newspaper called The Toy. The paper will be all about US Bates. They start interviewing the various butlers,maids an chauffers  that have worked for US Bates for years and learn he won the butler in a pool game. And various other shady deals.

The published their paper and US is up in arms. But sees that his son is happy. 

This cast,wow this cast. Jackie Gleason isn't given much to work with as US Bates. Stories are the stuff he would say and stories he would tell between takes was funnier than this film. Richard Pryor has said he really enjoyed working with Gleason. 

Of course as an 8 year old kid when I first saw this lots of the jokes went over my head. Now I of course I get them. I had been wanting to re-watch this for a long time. Never seems to be streaming on any service I got. So finding the DVD for a buck or so I was happy. 

Load it up,fucker is Full Screen. Ok it's a comedy I can deal with that. THen 20 minutes before the ending it starts skipping and pausing. FUCK. Clean the disc and yea appears disc rot....Want to see the ending. Go look Amazon Prime Video has it for 5 bucks. Got 3 bucks amazon credit. So 2 bucks out of pocket I now own it digitally.

The film has this odd is it for kids nah it isnt for kids shift often. The interactions between Pryor and Scotty are totally 80s made of kids movie stuff.  It is rated PG,but this is early 80s when PG wasn't like now. 

Never noticed before Richard Donner directed this. Yea Lethal Weapon 1,2,3 Richard Donner.

The Toy is one where if you saw it as a kid or back when it came out I can see you having nostalgia for it and wanting to see it again. The DVD and Blu ray are both out of print.  Used copies of the DVD are still cheap,undder 10 bucks. The Blu ray starts at 30 bucks and goes up from there. I am happy with the buck or so I paid for the partially working  DVD and then 2 bucks for the digital copy.

The Toy gets a C+

Bikini Carwash Company Blu ray

 

TITLE-Bikini Carwash Company

SOURCE-MVD REWIND Blu Ray

Never thought I would see this film on Blu ray. Much less one with a commentary. Bit of history. When cable finally made it to the backwoods community I grew up in it was 1990. I was working part time. So while my parents were happy to  pay for cable,going from 6 to 8 channels on a good day to 30 was mind blowing to them,I was the one that said Hey I will pay the 20 bucks a month they want so we get Showtime and The Movie Channel, Yea this tiny company (Rural Cable vision) only offered Showtime,TMC and Disney Channel as premium channels. At 10 each a month.

Quickly I learned about Joe Bob Briggs show on TMC. I would set my vcr to record it. Then one week he got a 5 night event on Showtime. Each night he showed a different Emmanulle movie. And not the Sylvia Kristel ones. This was Laura Gemser and all the other bootleg Emmanuelles. I had an 8 hour vhs that I recorded each of this 5 night event on. And the final night after the Emmanuelle film ended Showtime aired the R rated cut of Bikini Carwash company and my tape got this too. 

I had no clue. That tape sat in a box for years. I was tape trading a few years later and someone wanted that Fridays Joe Bob airing of Emmanuelle 4,the COrman cut of the film with Monique Gabrielle,and after it ended I let the master tape keep playing and saw Bikini Carwash Company. 

Watched it all and found a film that was dumb and funny. A film where over half the running time feels like music videos shot for Hot Rocks on Playboy Channel. But a film I would put on sometimes just cause it was so dumb.

The nephew of the car wash owner is called to Califorina from the mid west,I think it was Iowa. He gets dropped off at the beach and is trying to find the car wash. Ends up running into our leads,who have just had all their packs of edible bikinis melt in the heat. They sell him one as "California Gumbo" and tell him how to get to the car wash.

The Uncle is sick. Nephew has to run the place and sees it is about  to go under. Gets talked into hiring the California Gumbo Ladies to wash cars in bikinis. Saves the business. But a local politician wants to shut them down on  moral decency grounds.

All the while a flasher is running around showing his dong to people.

This all converges in the last 20 minutes before we get one final MUSIC VIDEO set to a song from some forgotten glam rock band.

Being on Blu ray this of course looks better than my copy on that 8 hour VHS tape. From what I have read online it is the unrated cut. The music videos now are a bit longer and include some shots that were not on that SHowtime airing. 

Heard this is an AI Upscale and sometimes the backgrounds look a bit smeary. The sound was decent. It is revealed on the commentary,cereal at midnight host talks to Jim Wynorski,that this was filmed on 16mm and then edited on tape. 

Really this is a niche release for a niche audience. Those of us that remember when it was a big deal cause Hardbodies was playing on HBO that weekend. 

Bikini Carwash Company Blu ray gets a B-

Update

 Ok Dad's surgery went fine. I will have at least 2 things up here in June. Hoping by July I will be able to get back to at least 1 post every 7 or 8  days.

Hey folks

 So when this post appears I should be getting home from the hospital. My father is 81 and having  his left knee replaced.

Which means for most of June I will have little free time. I will try my best to stick to my 4 posts a month on the blog here. But it might not happen. 

Thx to all that read my posts

Fist Fight Blu ray

 

TITLE-Fist Fight

SOURCE-Blu Ray

Been a huge Ice Cube fan since that first NWA album came out. When he left I followed him and over the years had every album he has put out. Saw him live back in the mid 90s. But his acting career I haven't followed that closely.

But when you are out at yardsales and blu rays are 50 cents I will take a chance on most anything. So grabbed this thinking ok I will watch it months from now. 

Two days after buying it put it in when I needed some laughes and wow this provided.

Ice Cube and Charlie from Always sunny are teachers at a high school. Rumor is there is funding about to be cut so some teachers will get fired. It is the last day of school and the Seniors are pulling pranks.

No student is brave enough to prank Cube,a no nonsense History teacher. But one kid grows some balls. Using his smartphone to act as a remote control for the old ass Tube tv with VCR on  a rolling cart. Now Pretty sure this won't work. Secondly what schools in 2016 had those vcr/tube tv/cart things anymore. Even the shitty schools by me got rid of them by 2000.

Cube grabs a fire ax and destroys the students desk. Instead of lying about it Charlie rats out Cube and gets told "I'm gonna fight you after school." So the rest of the film is Charlie trying to get out of this fight,avoid the various pranks the kids set up. And trying to get ready for his daughter's talent show.

The fight finally happens and it is a brawl. Going all over the school. Charlie gets to the talent show,driven by Cube. They keep their jobs and at the end appears all is good.

Sure this is nothing amazing. It is really the chemistry between Cube and  Charlie that makes this work.

Fist Fight gets a B-

American Ninja DVD

 

TITLE-American Ninja

SOURCE-MGM DVD

I was sure I saw this back after it hit home video. Nope cause I remembered nothing of it when watching it the other day. Guessing I saw part 2.

Joe Armstrong is a Army soldier. He has no memory of his life from about 10 years before now. But he is a skilled Ninja. 

Start of the film a car with the General's daughter gets attacked by criminals. Oh yea this Army base is in the Philipines. The daughter is played by the brunette lady from Weird Science. Not not Kelly Lebrock this is Julie Aronson. She was in a Friday the 13th and I have noticed her popping up in lots of 80s films.

But anyways the car is attacked but thankfully Joe AMERICAN NINJA Armstrong is nearby to save her. He uses his ninja skills to dodge bullets and kick ass. 

They escape and he gets her back to the base. He gets in trouble. End up fighting the kung fu guy from I'm gonna get ya Sucka. After beating him they become best friends. 

This entire film is insane. Armstrong has agility above what a human could do. And it appears that some times he has Ninja Magic like this is the old Sega Shinobi arcade game.

If I had seen this when it came out as a pre teen I would have loved it. Seeing it now as a adult I love it but for totally different reasons. This feels almost like a bigger budget version of all those Godfrey Ho cut and paste Ninja movies. All Armstrong needs is a headband that says Ninja and the Garfield phone.

Not many 80s action movies can compare to the insanity and just pure,i'm betting cocaine fueled,wackiness of American Ninja. I totally see why this spawned a franchise. Rumor is Chuck Norris got offered the lead and refuses cause his face would be covered for the last third of the movie. I want to believe it was because Chuck wasn't bad ass enough to be AMERICAN NINJA!

American Ninja gets a A-