Posts by Brent Lorentson

“It’s times like this you need to think like a stoner.”

It’s not every day you get the chance to say the quote above and apply it with conviction.  But when you watch High School or any other “stoner” movie, you simply have to view them through smoke-filled glasses or the viewing experience will be in vain.  Kind of like watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show, as a movie it’s bad, but when you see it with a live performing act it becomes a completely new experience. 

Watching this film is like unearthing a time capsule, not just to another time, but what seems like another world.  It’s crazy to see how much has changed since this film’s original theatrical release back in 1975.  One moment that stuck out in particular: when they are driving along the streets of Los Angeles you might notice a sign at a gas station posting gas at 56 cents a gallon.  This is a family that is already sick of life in the big city.  I can only imagine how they would react to big city life now; would they run further into the hills or simply accept the advances in modern technology?

After solar storms ravage the earth causing the soil to overheat and scorch our forests, the few who survive are left in a barren wasteland that stretches across the globe.  The concept is an impressive one to explain the desert world we are first introduced to in the opening moments of Hell, though what’s more impressive is how this low-budget, post-apocalyptic film managed this look with simple camera tricks.  With Roland Emmerich involved as executive producer, you may be expecting big-budget recreations of famous landmarks exploding and wiped away in a giant tidal wave.

It’s not often, if ever that you’ll find me looking forward to a Hallmark Channel movie.  I have nothing against a good romance or sappy family dramas; it’s just that guys for the most part are not the target demographic.  To get to the point, this film is the chick flick guys fear being made to watch after losing the battle at the Red Box when all the other appealing titles are out and the wife or girlfriend is in no mood for action.  But thankfully the film isn’t all bad, and in fact it’s actually decent with the exception of a few clichés along the way.

As the credits rolled for this film I struggled to remember the last time I’ve been so relieved that a movie had finally come to an end.  Christian Slater and Donald Sutherland are so much better than this. Can things really be so bad that they are slumming to do this “D” grade action nonsense?  I understand a gig is a gig, but these guys used to be at least marketable names to the box office.  They still have the talent and swagger to steal a scene, so why subject them to this?  Before I digress any further, allow me to take a breath…

“I guess I kinda always liked cutting stuff up.”

Maybe it’s a little weird to admit this, but I dig movies where the characters are put in the position where they need to dispose of a body.  This is something of a sub-genre plot device that worked so well in Shallow Grave as well as Very Bad Things.  Sure, most of us would go ahead and call the police and report the body or the accidental homicide, but I always found these films amusing when they decide to let their characters do the wrong thing.

From the title alone it will either induce an eye roll or peak your curiosity.  I have a soft spot for fun cheesy horror, and with the tease of potential nudity well, this seemed like it would be a good time.  Turns out I had way more fun watching this movie than I expected; it was actually pretty good.  By no stretch of the imagination is this a brilliant slasher, but a solid B-movie that would have made Roger Corman and Lloyd Kaufman proud.