Movie Review: The Story of Ricky (1991)

DIRECTOR: Nai-Choi Lam. CAST: Siu-Wong Fan, Mei-Sheng Fan, Ka-Kui Ho, Yukari Oshima, Tetsuro Tanba, Gloria Yip, Philip Kwok, Frankie Chin, Koichi Sugisaki, Kwai-Hung Wong, Gan-Wing Chang, Kai-Wing Lam, Ging Chan, Kwok-Leung Wong.
The Story of Ricky does not just blur genre lines; it tramples the very notion of these distinctions. Ricky’s hyper-violent story takes place in a future (2001, to be exact) where housing criminals is simply a government job run by the private business sector. He is serving a sentence in a maximum-security prison after running wild on a gang of drug dealers who caused his girlfriend’s death. Ricky soon runs into trouble with the thugs who control the prison population at the corrupt warden’s behest, resulting in scenes of bloodshed and disembowelment that would make Herschell Gordon Lewis smile. Eyes pop out of skulls like ping-pong balls, fists punch through stomachs, and intestines used for strangulation. Ricky even ties his own severed tendons back together to continue fighting! The Story of Ricky is an unforgettable spectacle of carnage; it is epic in its own way and readers must see it at least once. Based on the Japanese manga Riki-Oh.

Movie Review: Batman (1966)

DIRECTOR: Leslie H. Martinson. CAST: Adam West, Burt Ward, Lee Meriwether, Cesar Romero, Burgess Meredith, Frank Gorshin, Alan Napier, Neil Hamilton, Stafford Repp, Madge Blake, Reginald Denny, Milton Frome, Gil Perkins, Dick Crockett, George Sawaya.

Quite interesting to revisit the 1966-71 era Batman in all of its campy glory after both of the modern franchises reinvented the Caped Crusader, rendering the beloved TV show outdated and obscure. Batman (the movie) was originally to launch the series, but 20th Century Fox turned down the idea until opting to cash in on the first season’s incredible success. There is no dark story of personal demons and retribution; expect lighthearted ‘60s hipster humor with some swipes at international politics instead. Batman & Robin take on the filthy & diabolical United Underworld—the Joker, the Penguin, the Riddler & Catwoman—who have gained possession of a dehydrator that can reduce human beings into mere dust particles! World domination is on the agenda as these criminal masterminds use the dehydrator to kidnap the entire United Nations Security Council! Only the Dynamic Duo can save the day, delivering a little “POW! THWACK! BIFF!” to the bad guys. Good kitschy fun for the whole family, especially if Mom & Dad have smoked a joint or two beforehand. Batman is the MAD magazine to Tim Burton & Christopher Nolan’s graphic novels.

Movie Review: Over the Edge (1979)

DIRECTOR: Jonathan Kaplan. CAST: Michael Kramer, Pamela Ludwig, Matt Dillon, Vincent Spano, Tom Fergus, Harry Northrup, Andy Romano, Ellen Geer, Richard Jamison, Julia Pomeroy, Tiger Thompson, Eric Lalich, Kim Kliner, Lane Smith, Bill Whedbee.
Those of you who name The Breakfast Club or something similar as your favorite teen movie should see Over the Edge, as it is a more realistic depiction of teenage alienation. These kids are not all right in New Granada—they are getting high, having sex, and committing juvenile crimes out of boredom in a planned community that has nothing to offer its youth. Their parents are apathetic and ignorant to their needs, caring more about chasing the American Dream than raising productive children. Fourteen-year-old Matt Dillon debuts as the worst of the bunch, a longhaired troublemaker doomed to fall at the hands of the local police sergeant. His unnecessary death compels New Granada’s adolescents to raise havoc in a fiery conclusion satisfying every rebellious kid’s revenge fantasies. Dazed & Confused wishes it was this cool. Real-life events inspired this story; particularly a San Francisco Examiner article published in 1973 about the unusually high juvenile crime rate in the planned suburb of Foster City, CA. Although Over the Edge is good visceral fun, it also makes necessary statements about suburban communities disregarding its troubled youth. Prophetic too—ironically, much of the filming took place in a Colorado suburb just 15 miles away from where the Columbine High School massacre took place twenty years later.

Movie Review: Mary Jane's Not a Virgin Anymore (1998)

DIRECTOR: Sarah Jacobson. CAST: Lisa Gerstein, Chris Enright, Greg Cruikshank, Beth Allen.
How many girls recall losing their virginity to some uncaring jerk that just pounded away with no regard and then split a couple of minutes later? You probably spent some time hating boys and did not understand what all the hype was about regarding sexual intercourse. Mary Jane's Not a Virgin Anymore is about a girl going through similar emotions in this ultra-low budget fare. Viewers will not marvel over the Oscar-worthy performances, but perhaps they will find a funny and realistic portrayal of a woman’s sexual awakening from her perspective. Mary Jane’s story has a punk rock backdrop, but I think anyone who remembers the awkward nature of sex and dating in early adulthood can relate. Incidents and conversations of this nature take place in all of our lives. Longtime San Francisco garage rocker Beth Allen—of bands like the LOUDMOUTHS, COCKPIT, and the MEAT SLUTS—is in the best-friend support role while A.F.I. vocalist Davey Havoc and Jello Biafra are just two more Bay Area punk scene faces seen on Sarah Jacobson’s Super 8 camera.