For What It's Worth (Keeter)

 

 (imdb)

UNMASKING THE IDOL-1986- Super ninja Duncan Jax (Ian Hunter) works for a secret organization, knows martial arts and has a pet baboon. His latest assignment is to break into an impregnable island and steal some gold to stop WW 3. He teams up with Gunner (Lise Patterson), Bugs (Vernond Littleton) and Whale (William Hicks). His friend Willie (Budd Browning) is despondent because he's too old to go on the mission (and to frolic in the Jacuzzi). Star (CK Bibby), his boss, seems to have great interest in the gold. The masked Red Leader waits on the island. Jax's real reason for going is that Goldtooth (Ron Campbell), a guy who killed his parents is there too. Jax's female spy Echo (Janet Nease) is fed to piranhas. Jax invades the island, has lots of fights and kills some red ninjas. (The good guys wear black) Even the baboon fights! Later his group steals the gold and substitutes fake stuff. Meanwhile, some stereotypical comic Germans ride around in a submarine. Jax beats up the Red Leader, who turns out to be China (Shakti Chen), a woman he had sex with at the beginning of the movie (she gets away). The Germans get blown up and Jay, Gunner and the baboon escape in a truck attached to a hot air balloon. Oh yeah, and Jax has a stereotype Asian manservant Sato (Shangtai Tuan). 

I think it was supposed to be a parody but the acting (especially from Hunter) and the script undermine it. The only person in the cast I knew was former pro wrestler, Dan Spivey, who's character seems too tough for Jax, so he shoots him. (like in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK) This is like a mishmash of James Bond, Indiana Jones and any number direct to video action movies made around the same time. 

Filmed in North and South Carolina. Director Worth Keeter made his directorial debut with Earl Owensby's WEREWOLF (1979) and went on to TV's “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers”. The Duncan Jax character returned in a sequel THE ORDER OF THE BLACK EAGLE (1987) also starring Hunter and directed by Keeter.

Thanks for reading!

RIP Herschell Gordon Lewis

 

 (imdb)

THE UH-OH SHOW-2009-Herschell Gordon Lewis (who appears telling gory stories to some kids) kind of updated his original “gore” movies (like THE WIZARD OF GORE) with his black comedy that's not very good. 

A late-night cable station called “The Uh-Oh Show” offers huge prizes to contestants who can answer questions correctly. However, if they answer incorrectly, a wheel is spun and a part of their body is hacked off. It features loud obnoxious characters, not so great acting and of course disgusting but not very convincing sfx. 

It's supposed to be a comedy I guess but the laughs are few and far between. This was writer/director Lewis' last feature film (he passed away in 2016 at age 90). 

Troma's Lloyd Kaufman has a small role as a pimp.

Thanks for reading!

Boss

BOSS NIGGER-1975-Two black bounty hunters Boss (Fred Williamson also the screenwriter) and Amos (D'Urville Martin) who hunt only white people become sheriff and deputy of a town and basically harass all the white people and give the mayor (RG Armstrong) a hard time. Later Williamson is kidnapped and tortured by Jed Clayton (William Smith) but Amos and Clara Mae (Carmen Haywood) rescue him. A doctor (Don “Red" Barry) patches him up. Later after Clayton kills Clara the townspeople help fight off Clayton's gang and Boss kills Clayton but he seems to be killed at the end (I think...??) 

Despite being directed by the great Jack Arnold (as noted previously he was doing lots of TV shows around this time), BN seems to tread a thin line between drama and parody. Many critics seem to think it's a set up. I personally think it's a disaster and the filmmakers had no idea where they were suppose to take the film.

Thanks for reading!