Author: BO

There's certainly a faceless man provided here, but it's the curse part of the title I'm not so sure of. A horror effort from 1958, "Curse of the Faceless Man" is small-time programmer with an interesting plot, pitting science and art against an unexplainable discovery found at the site of the Pompeii disaster, unleashing a stone creature who's not above killing anyone who stands in the way of longstanding love. Actual scares aren't generated by the production, but "Curse of the Faceless Man" remains an agreeably odd B-movie that keeps its macabre star front and center. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1966's "Ambush Bay" has the impossible task of selling Mickey Rooney as a grizzled career Marine, handing the diminutive actor a machine gun and some choice lines to build him into a force of nature. To the production's credit, the transformation works, with Rooney one of the highlights of this meat-and-potatoes war film, joined by Hugh O'Brian and James Mitchum in a World War II story that explores the price of valor and the fatigue of combat. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"Pieces" is a tale of murder and the assembly of a particularly macabre puzzle, offering filmmaking that's just as challenging to put together. It's a weird, wild effort from 1982, with director Juan Piquer trying to both pants and celebrate the slasher genre, using giallo training to create a suspenseful journey into absurdity, with a black-gloved killer the star of this lively show. "Pieces" isn't cohesive, more about chasing whims than telling a story, but it's undeniably fun, with patient genre fanatics rewarded with another gory chainsaw massacre, and one built with intriguing self-awareness, knowingly making a screen mess with familiar cinematic elements. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

A towering talent and beloved personality, John Candy was a special screen presence. An expert with timing and temper, Candy contributed to some of the finest comedic works during his media reign, with projects such as "SCTV," "Stripes," "Uncle Buck," and "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" just a few of his achievements. He was the best, but there's a painful truth to Candy's legacy: he wasn't always a good judge of quality when picking jobs. He never gave a bad performance, but he toplined more than a few stinkers, with gigs like "Armed and Dangerous," "Summer Rental," and "Wagons East" helping to temper enthusiasm for Candy's filmography. 1991's "Delirious" is one of those lesser Candy offerings, though it never lacks in sheer velocity. Director Tom Mankiewicz certainly has a vision for a romp through soap opera clichés, but there's very little successful humor in the feature, which usually doesn't have the writing to back up the satire. It's broad work, never boring, but "Delirious" periodically comes across winded and unprepared, stranding Candy in the middle of a farce that never catches fire, dependent on its star to handle much of the silly business. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As much as "Edge of Seventeen" appears like a standard coming-of-age movie, it carries itself in a different, more dignified manner. Dealing with issues of identity and freedom, the picture uses its cheery 1984 setting to dig deeper into character concerns, with director David Moreton and screenwriter Todd Stephens taking their time with the emotional needs of the participants, working through moments of sexuality and shattered trust with unusual care. Although it has every opportunity to devolve into a screamy, pouty melodrama, "Edge of Seventeen" keeps itself together through fine performances and good taste, trying to make sense of a special conflict without torching the entire production. Its restraint is remarkable at times, investing in sensitivities instead of volume and cynicism. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The tour of tattered innocence continues in 1989's "Pretty Peaches 3," with director Alex de Renzy recruiting star Keisha to portray the titular temptress, a nymph who once again is in search of a bad education. Slowly leaving the adult film aesthetic of the 1980s behind, the helmer builds a more confident and plot-loaded "Pretty Peaches" event with the second sequel, sending his heroine into a world populated with questionable people looking to exploit and contain the wonder of a sexually eager young woman. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1987's "Pretty Peaches 2" is technically a sequel to the 1978 Alex de Renzy adult movie, but the helmer isn't connecting the dots with this follow-up. It's more of a thematic continuation, once again retuning to a cartoonish depiction of innocence to explore sexual experimentation and awakening. It's episodic, but de Renzy certainly has a vision for his title character, creating a strange collection of opportunists and accidents that brings out pleasing mischief during this surprisingly eventful feature. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

When "National Lampoon's Animal House" destroyed the box office competition in 1978, a string of knockoffs were all but guaranteed. One of the strangest to emerge from the mist remains 1980's "Gorp," a summer camp festival of sophomoric behavior that strains to ape "Animal House" tomfoolery in every way. Director Joseph Ruben ("Sleeping with the Enemy," "The Stepfather") and screenwriter Jeffrey Konvitz largely invest in chaos to bring the strangely titled "Gorp" to life, believing that noise and aggressively odious behavior is the key to acquiring audience approval. Unable to land a single joke, the feature quickly transforms into an endurance test with painfully exaggerated characters and dispiritingly desperate attempts at juvenile humor. There's not even a plot to help tie it all together, rendering the effort a highlight reel of unimaginative monkey business that often feels like it's never going to end. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The producers of "Up the Creek" were smart. Instead of trying to mimic "Animal House" and "Porky's" with a group of nobodies, they went out and hired the actors partially responsible for the success of those films. Playing into trends of the era, 1984's "Up the Creek" is quite open about its creative pilfering, arranging a playful rafting chase that barely pays attention to the water, more consumed with pranks, bare breasts, and frat-house shenanigans, looking to become the next big thing in beer-stained, sophomoric entertainment. It's refreshing to find a picture that's honest about its intentions, but clarity of direction doesn't make the feature any funnier. Strangely designed to avoid the one element of the plot that gives the effort a distinct personality, "Up the Creek" is a winded affair that's always one step behind punchlines and sight gags, far too obsessed with other movies in the marketplace to land an inspired moment. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The best cult films don't know they're cult films. It's difficult to manufacture oddity; it truly has to come from the heart, with complete incompetence instinctual. 1991's "Samurai Cop" has built a reputation as a B-movie wonder over the years, charming audiences with its earnest goofballery, born from the mind of writer/director Amir Shervan. Sadly, the helmer passed away a decade ago, but his legacy continues (via crowdfunding) with "Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance," a follow-up that tries to hit all the same low-budget, no-talent beats as the original effort, only here the extravaganza is served up with a towering side of self-awareness. Die-hard fans may rejoice at the prospect of revisiting the "Samurai Cop" universe 25 years later, but it's clear from the start that the production isn't interested in building the potential of the brand name, content to replicate its severe limitations with a noticeable dip in enthusiasm. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com