JASIMO_DISCMAN

This month’s random guide of six movies are the ones I think you might want to consider if you’re looking to build a library of movie discs and tapes with mass variety. As always, the six titles presented here come from my very own archive of mail order and thrift store hauls. To make this post more fun and engaging, there will be a movie trailer that references each titled film, if applicable.

An unlikely mixture of action thriller, disaster prone mayhem, police procedural and elements of gory gruesomeness, SNAKES ON A PLANE (2006, rated R) benefited mainly from pre-release hype. Magazines and Internet buzz were going full throttle over it with the power of sensationalism, and that summed everything up about what moviegoers expected. The box office results were pretty tepid, but a loyal fan following remains even after 20 years of constant exposure on DVDs and premium pay TV. While formulaic at best, the plentiful camp and shock value in high amounts should keep you coming back for repeat viewings.

Samuel L. Jackson, the key figure of cinema’s pulp action movement, stars as an FBI agent who retains the witness of a drug lord’s death in Hawaii. To bring testimony for a trial, they go on board an airline flight to Los Angeles, but the passengers and crew are unaware that a crate of venomous snakes — of many sizes and breeds — is about to be unleashed from cargo space. Will they survive this frightful and punishing ordeal at 30,000 feet?

Jackson exclaims his anger masterfully in one of cinema’s most catchiest quotes of all time: “I have had it with these m.f. snakes on this m.f. plane!” Well said, Sammo… for a panic-ridden movie that’s got — what else? — snakes on a plane.

ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW (1959, no MPA rating) is a boldly overlooked film noir with stylish directing and no shortage of great performances. Tension boils in this suspenseful story about a planned bank robbery and some bad blood. Calypso musician Harry Belafonte received a lot of publicity here, and it paid off brilliantly; he was even involved with the film’s production as well.

Robert Ryan and Ed Begley star as an ex-convict and ex-cop, respectively, who hire a nightclub performer (Belafonte) to pull off a bank heist that would net in $50,000 as ‘reward’ money. The situation becomes heated as they discover that one of them is actually ‘black’. Rounding out the main cast are Shelley Winters and Gloria Grahame in minor roles.

It was one of the last of the vintage film noirs, and it sure packs a powerful gut punch. Its themes of racism and violence are evident throughout, and the ending is probably, IMHO, among the most shocking of all time.

Cult film enthusiasts should be on the lookout for a scene featuring Zohra Lampert in her first feature movie role as ‘girl in bar’ — she was best known as the lead heroine in the 1971 psycho-thriller LET’S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH.

I found something ‘odd’ about the bonus movie trailer for ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW in Kino Lorber’s Blu-ray release… the blurbs and titles are missing! You can find the real version elsewhere, which is, well, odd considering the collectible reputation of physical media. But here is the trailer in its proper form…

SUMMER RENTAL (1985, rated PG) is just a simple enough vacation comedy said to be John Candy’s first lone starring picture — unless you really consider GOING BERSERK with fellow SCTV stars his first starring role. And if that title applies to this film, then it does so with mighty fine precision because Candy is / was certainly known to get physical with almost everything.

Candy is an air traffic controller who sets out for a Florida vacation with his family. They rent a beach house, but along the way are some wacky complications including a rivalry with their landlord and dealing with unwanted beachgoers. Also starring are Karen Austin, Kerri Green, Joey Lawrence, Richard Crenna and Rip Torn, and features spot-on appearances by John Larroquette and Reni Santoni.

It’s just what a summer flick needs… crowded beaches, wild parties, a pirate maybe, some sailboats, and especially a tune by Jimmy Buffett. Of course you know it’s Candy with his vast supply of bumbling laughs that take center stage, while the movie’s summer spirit isn’t hopeless and never hopelessly lost. All in all, this entry from director Carl Reiner may not have earned a whole lot of respect but it still remains a classic summer staple.

Interestingly, the Candy summer frolics didn’t stop there as he’d later appear in THE GREAT OUTDOORS with fellow star Dan Aykroyd — another 80s comedy with recreation in mind.

This is the type of production that would hold up remotely well against some of today’s ‘indie’ films of this caliber. RAFFERTY AND THE GOLD DUST TWINS (1975, rated R) takes the familiar ‘on the road’ premise while providing some unforeseen yet surprising twists and turns that are enough to satisfy every minute of this 91-minute comedy journey.

Broke and driving a beaten down automobile, an honorably discharged Marine (Alan Arkin) runs into a troublesome money-swindling pair of female hitchhikers (Sally Kellerman, Mackenzie Phillips) as they set out for a complicated trip from Los Angeles to New Orleans. The film also stars Alex Rocco and Harry Dean Stanton.

Kellerman offers a rare onscreen highlight with a singing number (!) while Phillips shows off the kind of charisma that would soon land her a role in the sitcom ONE DAY AT A TIME. With some great characterizations and a warm touch for a quirky little film in the mid-70s, this was quite a critically underrated treasure.

The closest film I can think of is TWO-LANE BLACKTOP, another fine 70s road picture of its kind with a dedicated following.

Combine a supernatural thriller with pedal-to-the-metal action behind the wheel and off, and you’ve got THE WRAITH (1986, rated PG-13). A leading man, a high-octane soundtrack and a lot of fireworks all add up to this wild ride of a guilty pleasure that I’ve watched many times over since the glory years of late-night cable.

It’s important to know that Charlie Sheen had plenty of work cut out for him during 1986 from playing a minor part in FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF to a major one like the year’s Best Picture winner PLATOON. Here, he’s an element of a story concerning a ‘wraith’, or a mysterious spirit who’s behind the wheel of a black sports car — a Dodge M4S Interceptor built exclusively for this movie, btw — out to challenge a pack of road rats into deadly races in the Arizona desert. The cast also includes Nick Cassavetes, Sherilyn Fenn and Randy Quaid as the sheriff hot on the chase of the elusive entity.

Soundtrack buffs might want to take notice of its theme song called ‘Where’s The Fire’, which would make a sought after composition for ‘80s revival musicians — that one could have been primed for being a Top 40 radio hit! Yes, there was an official soundtrack album put out by Scotti Bros Records that featured a great deal of popular voices including Bonnie Tyler, Robert Palmer and Honeymoon Suite, but it’s been out of print way long ago and very hard to find except on YouTube.

Not long ago, I found an out-of-print DVD copy from a local thrift store — I explained this on my previous post.

This one’s an oddball entry in 80s action movies that deal with revenge. ROLLING VENGEANCE (1987, rated R) is a made-in-Canada production about a big rig driver’s quest for justice after his parents are murdered by the town’s marauding redneck gang. His solution is to build a homemade ‘monster’ truck and use it to crush the opposition — that goes for smashing cars and buildings, too.

It feels a lot like a straightforward drive-in flick coming out of the 70s with elements of exploitation, but with a few more plot twists than usual.  Much of the ‘action’ you see is demolition derby, fist fights, exotic dancers and the ‘ol boy’ stereotypes. 

The lead actor in the film, Don Michael Paul, built a multi-talented career resume as an actor, writer and director — he wrote the debut screenplay for HARLEY DAVIDSON AND THE MARLBORO MAN, and had only one music video directing credit to his name, notably working with the recently deceased pop singer Lauren Bennett. Also cast is highly renowned character actor Ned Beatty as ‘Tiny’, the proprietor of a sleazy bar whose five sons are causing the most trouble.

You can tell by first impression this was likely another video rental store curio from back in the day when gonzo action movies were never in short supply. Likewise, there probably isn’t another action movie in existence about 4×4 monster trucks involved with being heroic like some kind of ‘Rambo’ who’s having a real meltdown.

So… which one of the six movies would you be most interested in watching? Or, do you remember any of them? Sound off in the comments!