The VHS Strikes Back

Mr. Destiny is the 1990 fantasy comedy and Chris' pick for this week. Produced, written and directed by James Orr and Jim Cruickshank, this one stars James Belushi, Linda Hamilton, Jon Lovitz, Hart Bochner, and Michael Caine.

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Plot Summary:

Larry Burrows (Jim Belushi) is unhappy and feels powerless over his life. He believes his entire life could have turned out differently had he not missed that shot in a baseball game when he was a kid. One night he meets this mysterious man named Mike (Sir Michael Caine), who could change his fate by offering him that alternative life he always dreamed of. But as Burrows embarks on this journey of self-discovery he realizes that even this new life has its problems and drawbacks.

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Well, that rascal Spider-Dan has done it again and picked one from the archives that few may have seen. In a tale as old as time, struggling actor does questionable porno flick to get by before hitting it big. And this one features a young Sylvester Stallone as 'Stud' in The Party at Kitty and Stud's. Directed and "written" (cough) by Morton Lewis, this movie cost $5k to make and was re-released as Italian Stallion after the success of Rocky in 1976.

Catch Spider-Dan at https://www.spiderdanandthesecretbores.com.

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Plot Summary:

The sex life of Stud and his girlfriend Kitty, a young New York City woman. He is brutal and oafish but she is enamored with his sexual performance. They sometimes engage in light sadomasochism, with Stud belt-whipping her. He later posts a sign on a bulletin board inviting people to a party. Several people show up at their apartment and they engage in group sex, with Stud servicing all the women.

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And now for something, completely different. Mulholland Drive is the 2001 surrealist neo-noir mystery film picked by our supporter, Helen! Written and directed by David Lynch and starring Naomi Watts, Justin Theroux, Laura Elena Harring, Ann Miller, and Robert Forster. This one is sure to divide opinions!

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Plot Summary:

Still untarnished by the false promises of the rapacious film industry, the wide-eyed actress, Betty, sets foot on bustling, sun-kissed Hollywood. Brimming with hope, and eager to spread her wings and prove her worth, Betty moves in Aunt Ruth's expensive apartment, unbeknownst to her, however, that fate has other plans in store for her, setting the stage for life-altering experiences with the unexpected, the indecipherable, and the unknown. Now, in the centre of an elaborate labyrinth of half-truths, faded memories, unrequited loves, and dangerous encounters with the city's ugly face lies a strange key to a mysterious keyhole, an even stranger indigo-blue cube, the young director, Adam, and one cryptic woman: the amnesiac brunette and devilishly seductive car-crash survivor, Rita. But, time flies and Rita's opaque past demands answers. After all, both women deserve the truth. What is the secret of the serpentine, dream-crushing Mulholland Drive?

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Hey you guys!! It's been a long time in coming, but this week Dave subjects Chris to The Goonies! Directed by Richard Donner, screenplay by Chris Columbus, and the story by Steven Spielberg. This one stars Sean Astin, Josh Brolin Jeff Cohen, Corey Feldman, Kerri Green, Martha Plimpton, and Ke Huy Quan.

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Plot Summary:

Mikey and his friends have always wanted to go on an adventure. One night they are all in Mikey's attic and Mikey stumbles across an old map. Mikey has always wanted to know if One-eyed Willy ever was a real person and now he might. They set off and later realize that they have to go through the evil Mama Fratelli's restaurant to get to a secret passage to the caves. As they try to get into the caves Mama Fratelli catches Chunk and he is left behind. He then meets Sloth one of Mama Fratelli's sons with a messed up face. He befriends Sloth. Meanwhile, Mama Fratelli and her sons are trying to get to the treasure too. Will the kids make it there before Mama Fratelli does? Will Chuck ever get out of her basement?

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There aren't too many people who hold more love for Patrick Swayze than Chris, and this week he's gone for the 1989 action thriller, Next of Kin. Never heard of it? Well, you aren't the only one so strap yourself in! Directed by John Irvin, written by Michael Jenning and starring Patrick Swayze, Adam Baldwin, Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Liam Neeson.

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Plot Summary:

Chicago cop Truman Gates has alienated his rural Kentucky relatives by living in the big city. Truman is happily married to Jessie, a violinist and music teacher. Back on the family spread in Kentucky, Truman's older brother Briar Gates, who has had to struggle ever since the local coal mine was closed down, resents Truman for moving to Chicago and for convincing their younger brother, Gerald Gates, to do the same. Gerald, a truck driver for a vending machine company, feels torn between Truman and Briar. But things are about to take a deadly turn, thanks to Chicago's Isabella crime family, which is led by John Isabella. In an attempt to legitimize his enterprises, John is bringing his son Lawrence Isabella, a recent business school graduate, into the Isabella family operation. That doesn't sit well with Joey Rosselini, whose plan to succeed John as the head of the family is now threatened. Insulted by being forced to groom Lawrence for a position that he feels should be his, Joey reluctantly lets Lawrence accompany him on a little trip to convince the owners of a local vending machine company to sell out to the Isabellas. Joey's method of achieving this goal is to hijack a company truck filled with merchandise, but its driver, Gerald Gates, leads them on a chase and nearly escapes before Joey shoots him dead. By the time Truman figures out that it was Joey who killed Gerald, Briar has arrived in Chicago looking for Joey, and then Lawrence is found dead. John wants revenge, and Joey tells John that it was Truman and Briar who killed Lawrence. Briar later ends up killed by Joey in a shoot-out. Having had more than enough, Truman gets his family together for an all-out war against Joey and his henchmen.

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This week's pick is one from Justin and it's the 1996 American crime film written and, making his debut as Director, Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Samuel L. Jackson. Plenty of Vegas, plenty of crime, an intriguing story, it's a wonder we hadn't seen this one before!

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Plot Summary:

John has lost all his money. He sits outside a diner in the desert when Sydney happens along, buys him coffee, then takes him to Reno and shows him how to get a free room without losing much money. Under Sydney's fatherly tutelage, John becomes a successful small-time professional gambler, and all is well, until he falls for Clementine, a cocktail waitress and sometimes hooker.

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Timothy's picked another early 90's classic which neither of us has seen and so going in pretty blind! And it did not disappoint to entertain! Directed by Russell Mulcahy and screenplay by Steven E. de Souza (Die Hard, Commando, 48 Hours) and starring Denzel Washington, John Lithgow, Ice-T, Lindsay Wagner, and Kevin Pollak.

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Plot Summary:

In this action thriller, Denzel Washington plays Nick Styles, the assistant district attorney of L.A. The film opens in his early days as a cop on the L.A.P.D. During a carnival, master criminal Earl Talbot Blake creates a scene after a botched drug deal. Styles and Blake confront each other, during which Blake is wounded by Styles and later sent to prison. Seven years later, Blake escapes from prison during a parole board hearing to carry out his revenge against Styles, and what follows is a violent series of events that destroys Styles' career. This sets the stage for one last bloody duel between Styles and Blake.

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It's yet another Loren Avedon pick this week but the only surprise is, that this time it was Dave who picked and not Chris?! All seems not well with the universe and this is a great martial arts action movie ensemble cast of Cynthia Rothrock, Jalal Merhi, Loren Avedon and Carter Wong.

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Plot Summary:

When a martial artist called Stryker resurrects three ancient Chinese master assassins so he can take over NYC's underworld, it's up to martial artist cop Tarek Richards to stop them. But he will need the aid of Stryker's former master.

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Deciding to give comedy a crack with a movie originally intended for Burt Reynolds, this 1978 movie stars Clint Eastwood along with Sondra Locke, Geoffrey Lewis, Beverly D'Angelo, Ruth Gordon. This was a favourite of both Chris and Dave's and we'll see how it holds up.

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Plot Summary:

Philo Beddoe (Clint Eastwood) is an easy-going trucker and a great fist-fighter. With two friends, Orville (Geoffrey Lewis), who promotes prize-fights for him, and Clyde (Manis the Orangutan), the orangutan he won on a bet, he roams the San Fernando Valley in search of cold beer, country music, and the occasional punch-up. But he is floored by country and western singer Lynn Halsey-Taylor (Sondra Locke), who gives him the slip when she realizes he's getting too serious. Phil, Clyde, and Orville set off in pursuit, pestered by bikers.

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Herb's Patreon pick this week is the 1994 movie, Sirens. Written and directed by John Duigan and starring Hugh Grant, Tara Fitzgerald, Sam Neill, Pamela Rabe, Elle Macpherson, Portia de Rossi, Kate Fischer. Though we've both never seen this one, it still does stir up some memories!

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Plot Summary:

Anthony, a young reverend and his wife, Estella are on the way from England to Australia to minister to their flock. The bishop asks him to visit Norman, an eccentric artist prone to sexual depictions and requests that he voluntarily withdraw a controversial work call "Crucified Venus" from his show. The minister, who considers himself a progressive, is shocked at the amoral atmosphere surrounding the painter, his wife, and the three models living at his estate. The minister's wife is troubled also, and has to deal with latent sexual urges while trying to remain loyal to her husband.

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