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Reviews
Night of the Creeps (1986)
So ahead of it's time it's scary....
80's horror movies have this weird feeling to them. I can't quite put a finger on it, but a majority of them almost seem clueless to just how bad they are. I don't know what passed for scary or shocking then, but as they stand today, many are just sad and silly.
"Night of the Creeps" is not one of those many. It's a hilarious send up of all those terrible movies that we can now look back on and laugh at.
Hitting theaters smack dab in the middle of this "80's horror craze"(Friday the 13th IV came out just weeks before "Creeps" did, and a plethora of horror movies were quite successful the same year), it almost seems as though the general public just didn't get it back then.
I don't know how wide "Creeps" opened when it hit theaters in late August of 1986, but it's gross of only $591,366 in the theatrical run leads me to believe it was either thrown on the backburner and quickly yanked, or that no one went to it. Whether it was one or the other, it's a pure shame this one wasn't originally successful. Thank goodness for VHS!
The goodness of this movie is that it's AWARE it's a bad 80's horror movie. Numberous lines bring chuckles as these characters are VERY aware they're in a movie. What "Scream" made millions on so many years later, "Creeps" had as well: A genuine wit and sense of humor about itself. Yes, this was a much more subtle film than "Scream" in that regard, but it makes it that much better.
I beg of you to see this movie. It's just great entertainment. You don't need a plot synopsis or an overview of the acting jobs. All you need to know is this is most definately the BEST horror film of the 80's (even though it's really a comedy). It's on my top 10 list of 80's movies in general as well.
On a side note, the director of this film (Fred Dekkler) also made another classicly under appriciated movie called Monster Squad, another 80's classic.
Conclusion: 10/10 A classic treat for all who are lucky enough to see it.
That Was Then (2002)
Wonderful show...Deserves a second chance!
"That Was Then" grabbed my attention in mid-July when ABC started running promos for the new fall season. I'm a big fan of the "Back to the Future" movies so I was really hoping they would pull this one off in the same way.
Flash forward to late September: The show airs and I love it instantly. The writing, the acting, everything, is perfect. I laugh, I feel inspired, and I believe I've just witnessed the birth of a very popular show.
Though James Bulliard (Travis Glass), looks a little old to be in high school, we soon forget this as he plays the part to a T. Tyler Labine (Donnie Pinkus) is the perfect wise cracking mulleted-buddy. He steals every scene he's in, and plays one of the funniest new characters on TV this season. Top that off with the beautiful Kiele Sanchez (Claudia), who turns in great performance as the innocent "love that got away" from Travis. I actually remember seeing her on MTV a few years back on the wannabe VJ contest, and I was happy to see her career blossoming.
Along with the youthful stars, veterans Jeffrey Tambor (who could forget him on "The Larry Sanders Show") and Bess Armstrong round out the cast as Travis's parents.
The cast is perfect. The writing is perfect. This is a great show, one that I certainly hope will get a second chance in a much better time slot than 8 on Friday night. It deserved better, and I can only hope ABC will have sense enough to bring it back when the time is right.