Two DING! DING! DING! WINNAH WINNAH! pics in a row? It must be David Carradine Day at Junesploitation! 2025. :-P
Q: THE WINGED SERPENT (1982, BLU-RAY... streaming on Peacock) SONNY BOY (1989, TUBI) KILL ZONE (1993, ROKU CHANNEL)
I've seen this hastily-slapped-together creature feature many times (including at a packed NYC theater with Larry Cohen present for an entertaining post-screening Q&A), but when I tried to recall Carradine's role in "Q" my memory was blank. Between Michael Moriarty's going-for-broke intense performance, the impossible-to-recreate early '80's NYC production values and the cheap-but-mesmerizing creature/gore special effects this is an entertaining 'B' flick where the slow parts are quicky forgotten. That means Carradine and partner Richard Roundtree looking for the detached head of an Empire State Building window washer early on quicky fades after (a) the titular beast snaps a cute chick from a rooftop pool and (b) Moriarty sings/plays an aggressively bad piano tune in a midtown dive. Turns out Carradine's Detective Sheridan was at the same bar listening to Quinn play his song, a moment that gets called back (twice!) and establishes the detective as both audience surrogate and man of action. Candy Clark (as Quinn's too-tolerant girlfriend) and Roundtree are also in a lot more of "Q" than I remembered, but since the latter's the only principal that doesn't make it 'till the end you could say Richard got the... shaft? (BOOYAH! :-P). I already liked "Q," but this rewatch made me love it (and Carradine's Sheridan) even more. 5 DIET PEPSI CANS (out of five).
I must have said outloud (to myself in my empty apartment) 'I can't believe I'm watching this!' over and over during my first-time viewing of the Ovidio G. Assonitis-produced "Sonny Boy." A Southwest-set, indie-like noir/crime tale with shades of "Frankenstein" (the film was shot in New Mexico), we start in 1970 with Brad Douriff's Weasel killing a young couple of tourists and stealing their car and possessions as a tribute to local crime boss Slue ("Pieces"/"Popeye's" Paul L. Smith). Turns out a baby was aboard the stolen car, and Slue would have gotten rid of the now-orphaned infant if his better half Pearl (David Carradine either playing a transvestite man or a transsexual woman, it's never explained or even made a big deal) hadn't taken a serious liking to the kid. That doesn't prevent Slue from torturing and mutilating 'Sonny Boy' (tongue sliced off as a sixth birthday present, leaving Carradine-as-Pearl voiceovers as the only way we know what he's thinking), which by his 17th birthday yields a feral creature that the criminal uses to eliminate local folks that oppose him.
Feeling like an Alex Cox-directed western hijacked by John Water acolytes, there's a surprising amount of heart and pathos as the titular character (Michael Boston, looking like an emaciated, beat-to-shit Bruce Banner after a Hulk-out) is exposed to an outside world that fears him as much as he fears it. This is some of Carradine's best acting ever on film, never breaking character and wholly believable as the Bonnie to Paul L. Smith's Clyde. Both Smith and Douriff (alongside Sydney Lassick's henchman) play repugnant scumbags well, but Carradine and Michael Boston steal the show. A 3/3.5 on a regular scale, but for J! it's 5 STOLEN B&W TV SETS (out of five).
Philippines exploitation maestro Cirio H. Santiago goes back to the well-worn Vietnam War action movie genre for another recycle mishmash of old war footage (with the same Philipino army extras as too-well-dressed Vietnam troops) and newly shot scenes of American soldiers sent to Cambodia in a covert mission to cut the Vietnamese army's supply chain. "Kill Zone" apes the genre classics ("Rambo 2," "Missing in Action," etc.) and lets David Carradine play a low-rent variation of Brando's Col. Kurtz from "Apocalypse Now." Nothing too terrible besides the framey final shot (barf!), but mostly a going-through-the-motions snooze. 2.75 EXPLODING HELICOPTERS (out of five).
Sonny Boy was shown on TCM Underground several times, J.M. It is such an interesting oddity. David Carradine as Pearl is a performance that you remember. My girlfriend at the time caught the end (only the end) of Sonny Boy with me, and it became one the films that left the biggest impression on her. She was not the biggest fan of exploitation, either.
Nice story about the screening of Q, would have loved to been there. Surprised you didn't mention the top of the Chrysler Building, I find those scenes mesmerizing, story goes he approached them with 6 offers before they would agree to shoot up there. You happen to remember any comments by Cohen that night? Great post and series!! T from B-Movie Gazette
Cohen (RIP 🥺😭) was attending every screening of a week-long 35mm retrospective of his work at NYC's QUAD Cinema in the mid-to-late 2010's, with rotating guests paired with him for every screening. For example, Eric Bogosian was with Larry for a screening of their 1984 flick "Special Effects." I remember because l got to talk to Bogosian afterwards about "Talk Radio" and his TV show "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." 😎 Shame l could only go to 3 or 4 screenings because it was a work week. For "Q" post-screening Q&A Larry had one of the cops (a personal friend, don't remember the name) as they went through the same war stories you hear on the Blu-ray commentary. Cohen was old but still had child-like enthusiasm, and the biggest laugh (from him and the packed theater) was that the movie he was fired from made less money than the slapped-together "Q." Cohen loved to curse and get a rise from his audience. 😁
Cannonball! (1976 Dir. Paul Bartel) A spiritual sequel to Death Race 2000 thats not as much fun as Gumball Rally. Cannonball Run or Deathrace itself but still a pretty good time. The cast is stacked the racing solid and you even get a CHIPS style massive car pile up near the finale. Best scene? Martin Scorsese and Sylvester Stallone Stallone eating KFC as Paul Bartell complains how fat he has gotten from not pooping for 6 months.
Carradine is a badass lone wolf warrior who comes to a village that's terrorized by two warring factions and immediately decides to pull the Yojimbo maneuver of playing the two warlords against each other. It's no masterpiece, but it does a fine job scratching that 80s swords and sorcery itch. Special attractions include a giant bipedal lizard, a tentacle monster, and a four-boobed woman who hides even more surprises up her, um, sleeve.
Dune Warriors (1991, dir. Cirio H. Santiago) (Director's Cut)
In a post-apocalyptic world where water is the most valuable resource, a small settlement is threatened by a powerful warlord, so a young woman goes out to find a ragtag team of warriors to defend them.
Mad Max 2 meets Seven Samurai, shot in a disused quarry on a three dollar budget. Like I've come to expect from Roger Corman productions, it's clearly cheaply made, but uses its limited resources quite wisely. A few decent actors, a little set dressing and a solid score go a long way. Most if not all of the dialogue is clearly ADR'd, but weirdly while most of it is pretty well done, there's one actor whose ADR timing is way off. Made me laugh every single time he said something. David Carradine basically plays David Carradine as an old, wise and enigmatic swordsman with a personal grudge against the invading warlord.
This was my pick too, though I don't think it was the Director's Cut. I streamed it on Tubi to see if I liked it and would be keeping my still shrink-wrapped Code Red Blu-ray. I will not be keeping it. Cirio Santiago knows how to deliver the goods when he needs to and this certainly fits with Junesploitation viewing, but I found it more dull and lifeless than anything else. I'm 0/3. Month's going great.
For David Carradine Day, I wanted to go with something new to me — always on the hunt for fresh gems during Junesploitation. I was really tempted to dive into Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (you know, the one with Bruce Campbell and vampire cowboys?), but I didn’t get around to it yet. Might save that one for a Free Space day later on!
Instead, I ended up watching Evil Toons — which honestly could’ve worked just as well for Cartoon Day or Exploitation Auteur Day (shoutout to Fred Olen Ray, the king of budget mayhem). Now, the actual “evil toons” barely show up (but when they do, it’s… well, something), and Carradine looks half-drunk in every scene he stumbles into, but you know what? The whole thing is oddly charming.
You've got a stacked cast of scream queens and playmates (Monique Gabrielle, Madison, Michelle Bauer), and even the legendary Dick Miller pops in for good measure. It plays like a low-budget, sleazier version of Night of the Demons, and I was totally on board.
Bruce Lee originally was to write and appear in this, saying in the intro he wrote, “The story illustrates a great difference between Oriental and Western thinking. This average Westerner would be intrigued by someone’s ability to catch flies with chopsticks, and would probably say that has nothing to do with how good he is in combat. But the Oriental would realize that a man who has attained such complete mastery of an art reveals his presence of mind in every action…True mastery transcends any particular art.”
Working with James Coburn and screenwriter Stirling Silliphant, Lee didn’t just want to make the first Western movie about martial arts. He tried to make a movie that would introduce audiences to the philosophy behind martial arts; more than fighting, more about mastering the self.
Coburn and Lee eventually got frustrated by one another—small stuff, like Coburn getting a better hotel room and treatment than Lee, be like water indeed, or Lee nonstop humming pop songs until Coburn screamed at him—and Lee went to Hong Kong to make Fist of Fury, become a star and die.
Lee had intended his movie — you know, the same one that would teach Eastern theories of the martial world — to have Thai, Cantonese, Arabic and Japanese dialogue, explicit Tantric sex and scenes of genital destruction.
A few years later, Stanley Mann rewrote it, added comedy and brought on board a bunch of the finest all-white actors—some of whom could do martial arts. And that’s how we got this movie, which is ridiculous in all the best ways.
Cord (Jeff Cooper, who played Kaliman in a few Mexican movies) is a fighter who is undisciplined and kicked out of the temple by Roddy McDowall. Yet he still wants to find The Book of Knowledge, which is held by Zetan (Christopher Lee). The man sent on the quest instead of him, Morthond (Anthony De Longis, Blade from Masters of the Universe), has been nearly killed — and demands help to die with honor — and it seems like a fool’s errand. Then Cord meets the mysterious Blind Man (David Carradine) and starts his own quest.
Carradine also plays Death, a Monkey Man and Chang Sha, who uses his wife Tara (Erica Creer) to seduce our protagonist before leaving him behind and her crucified. Cord also runs into Eli Wallach, who has been sitting in a pot of boiling oil for a decade in the hopes that his penis falls off. I did not make that up.
Also known as The Silent Flute, this has director Richard Moore (his only full-length, but he shot the underwater footage for Thunderball and was the cinematographer on The Wild Angels, Devil’s Angels, Myra Breckinridge, The Stone Killer and Annie) making a mix of a king fu movie and a Zen koan that feels more Holy Mountain than Enter the Dragon.
The flute Carradine plays in this is the same one from Kill Bill: Volume 2.
So yes, this movie is complete bullshit but it’s wonderful bullshit. None of the people other than Carradine seem to know how to do martial arts, and I couldn’t care less. With Lee, this would have been a classic, perhaps, but as it stands, it’s this majestic attempt at something, a movie with dialogue like this:
Blind Man: A fish saved my life once.
Cord: How?
Blind Man: I ate him.
The sound of one hand clapping? You’re watching it.
I have seen this already mentioned several times on Blue Sky, but it seems like I am the first one here to write about it. And it is not easy to write about. This is a pure WTF Junesploitation movie, however. Deathsport is post-apocalyptic nonsense that features telepathic wasteland wanderers, televised death sports, awkward sword fights, Star Wars-inspired laser blasting, nude torture, and a long chase on motorbikes. All of this is being done, mind you, with seemingly no budget. As a viewer, I felt like I was watching a different movie every ten minutes. Objectively, Deathsport is dreadfully put together, a film that has you wondering what is going on all the time. I love Roger Corman, but figuring out how he put this junk out into the world baffles me. On the other hand, I had a genuinely entertaining experience taking it all in. Part of the fun is seeing David Carradine not be phased by the ramshackle production he is in. I guess that is how he survived a long B-movie career.
This was my watch as well for David Carradine day and I was pretty impressed by what they accomplished on a shoe string budget. It’s not gonna be one of favorite discoveries of this month but I really liked Carradine bringing Kwai Chang Caine to a dystopian future where there are still tire factories that produce knobbies. (I guess that’s always my nitpick with my beloved dystopian vehicle movies: tires.)
I was very impressed by the ambition of the script, Chris. I kept thinking that a reworking it to fit the budget would have produced a decent film. As it is, Deathsport feels like fragments of a film.
{the following is how i imagine a phone call between producers for this film went the day before shooting began}
"Hey Jim! Good news! I spoke with David and he's free this weekend. Looks like the movie's a go! Heres what i proposed:
* We'll shoot it in two days. * Dont have time to write a script so i was thinking we'd take a smidge of the premise of Judge Dredd, a private police force that acts as judge and jury but just put it in modern times. Also, kids seem to dig Robocop so we'll throw in a strap on robotic arm. * The proposed budget of $465.32 should cover the key costs: - Goodwill visit for Carradines outfit ($45) - Cant afford a Nintendo Power Glove for the robo arm so we'll build a crappy knockoff ($68) - A handful of firecrackers, condoms filled with fake blood, and small metal plates for our one Squib shot ($24.32). - Whatever remains to cover the post production addition of a "laser" beam for the glove.
I dont want to jinx things but i cant see how this wont be a HUGE hit!!!"
My only other comment is that 15m in i said to myself "man this would be a fun flick for Rifftrax" and it wasnt until after finishing it that i found out they've already done it! Ha!
Although I enjoy straight-up trash exploitation cinema as much as the next guy, I also love it when movies like Death Race 2000 blow me away with their messaging. If you've been a teenage boy behind the wheel of a car in the last 50 years, you've had an annoying friend point at a group of people on the sidewalk and say, "30 points!" Little does your friend know that the movie that comes from is a prescient, scary, dark comedy about the degradation of our country, our values, and our freedoms. Turning violence into television, long before The Running Man or The Hunger Games, hits hard in the wake of controversies like Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem maybe/maybe not supporting the idea of a reality show where immigrants compete in challenges for a path to citizenship. Ouch.
From executive producer Roger Corman! Let's be honest: you know what you're getting with a movie called Dinocroc vs. Supergator. This is the kind of movie I love watching for Junesploitation, although they never establish which CGI creature is the Dinocroc and which is the Supergator. I mean, seriously. You had one job, guys.
FWIW, probably the best Fred Olen Ray flick I’ve watched. Also features Lee Van Cleef, Mako, Ross Hagen, Dick Miller, Laurene Landon, and Michael Berryman, decent stunts, and dialog cheesier than Wisconsin. I screened Carradine’s abysmally alcoholic turn in ANIMAL PROTECTOR a couple weeks back, and when I saw he played a bartender in this one, I had my fears, but Van Cleef seemed to be the inebriated actor here. Also, random musing that occurred during the film: who has made more b-movies, David or his dad, John Carradine? Perhaps we can examine John’s output in Junesploitation 2026?
I was into this one as soon as the hostage taker in the first scene shouts at his lackey “I demand decorum”. Yes Rothrock is underutilized and Chad McQueen is not very charismatic, but this one is fun overall. Has some classic “that guys” from Pee-Wee’s butler to the hit Uber dude that gets a football to the face in The Last Boy Scout. David Carradine’s special move is strangely, essentially The Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique.
CIRCLE OF IRON (1978) A hopeful young martial artist/barbarian goes in search of an ancient book of knowledge, battling various opponents along the way. As noted above, this was allegedly an unfinished passion project of Bruce Lee’s, who wanted the film to showcase not just fighting but also zen philosophy. David Carradine plays a blind Zatoichi type (or is he?), with Christopher Lee and Roddy McDowall as villainous masterminds (or are they?). I felt actor Jeff Cooper was pretty wooden as the hero, though, and wondered what Lee would have brought to the role. Still, this was nicely filmed, had some great fights, and moved along at a quick pace. Consider this a musclebound yet serene recommend!
30 days of Georges Melies, day 3: THE IMPOSSIBLE VOYAGE (1904) Explorers go on a trip around the world, encountering fantastical sights and eventually travelling to the sun. The emphasis is on the giant machinery and the outlandish vehicles. But it’s also a comedy, with our explorers being a bunch of bumblers. And this has a “face in the sun” effect that rivals the famous moon one. It’s very, very goofy, but I enjoyed it.
I couldn't join in for the first two days, so tonight's pick had to be *just* right to kick off Junesploitation (meaning I couldn't possibly chose anything classy and/or respectable). Plus I realized I had only ever seen Carradine in esteemed movies, which, to say the least, paint a rather incomplete picture of his carreer. In that regard, I had a lot of fun with Future Force (courtesy of Tubi, Saint Patron of Junesploitation)! Mashke summed it up perfectly. I just have to mention that one scene where (very enthusiastic) exotic dancers are grooving to the following lyrics: "High school was so terrible / All my friends have died". No notes.
Always fun, very prescient— lots of parallels to today’s political morass. It seems like every line between Stallone and Louisa Moritz was improvised, especially “You know what? You’re a baked potato.” The opening credit graphics look like Junior High School student notebook doodles, as do the designs of the race cars! Grade A Junesploitation fodder.
B&S said pretty much all there is to say about this. I will say that it was unintentional for me, but after being excited to see Tuco's brother From The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly show up in Caliber 9 on Day 1, it was another unexpected pleasure to see Eli Wallach himself show up in a small part in this.
There is a charm and imagination ti Future Force. As well as a kind of charm to David Carradine with his beer gut driving around in a shitty Jeep Cherokee shooting TVs in bars. A charm to that he only uses his robot arm twice. To be fair he does use it to punch a guy while the glove is zooming through the air. Which is cool. David A. Prior feels like he is more interested in making a dystopian western where Bounty Hunters and six shooters rule. Future Force is a movie that is set three years in the future in 1992 so there had to be some future tech in it.
I applied to join FUTURE FORCE as well! First-time watch, Tubi, 6/10 w/a heart for LBXd glow. I claim to be a David Prior fan on the strength of SLEDEHAMMER & DEADLY PREY alone, though I've seen a few others & will keep at them. Tired of THE GAUNTLET being tense, set in the present & missing a PowerGlove?? Ding Dong, the ham salad is here. I enjoyed this one enough to add FUTURE ZONE to my watchlist, but was struck dead by one thing, considering this is essentially a manhunt-picture: mindblowingly MEDIUM pace throughout.
A story about a odd couple that finds a baby and decide to home school him. When he's old enough to go out into the world, the locals rebel against the family's eccentricity. It's quite tragic and the only lesson learned is that the world is a cruel unforgiving place.
Thanks for the recommendation, A Casual Listener. Certainly one of the more original things I've seen in a while.
5 out of 5 cardboard boxes. I really liked this one. Carradine, and his whole immediate family put in standout performances. The editing of this movie is superb. There's a musical theme throughout that is clearly a rip off of the Midnight Cowboy theme.
I saw Sonny Boy over a decade ago on TCM for the Underground programming. It has lingered in my mind since then. With David Carradine having such a long list of acting credits, I wanted to promote Sonny Boy because it is so easy to ignore that title and, frankly, he was in a lot crap over the years. Sonny Boy at least gives you a great performance from him.
FYI, David Carradine sang the opening song for Sonny Boy. "Maybe it's paint..."
Forgot the daily Franco: EUGENIE DE SADE, aka DE SADE 2000 (1973) Soledad Miranda builds a strange relationship with stepdad Paul Muller, Euro-sleaze ensues. This was another of my earliest Franco films & something about it crystallizes a subgenre of Sadean oddballery that really appeals to me. Opinions are very mixed on this. It seems to be streaming on Fawesome, whatever that is.
Just mentioned this one over on the Zombie post. The mood of the Eugenie De Sade has always been the best part of it for me. The pacing is undoubtedly slow, but that score always lulls me into the rhythm of the film. I have only ever watched in French, though.
My first time! Very entertaining, and I enjoyed the quirky Bartel touches throughout. What about Martin Kove showing up! Yes, the star of Steele Justice (check it out for Jun 29)!
I too was struck by the grim future portrayed, complete with Nazis... But all in all, a great Junesploitation flick!
Whoa. A horror-comedy with a cartoon demon as the monster is inspired. The execution is not great unfortunately. Not bad though. Carradine, Dick Miller and the fun performances from the adult film star leads keep this one from being a snooze. The animation is fun, but the budget didn’t allow for it to be used as much as it needed to be.
I watched Death Race 2000 for the first time and wow! Total knockout, loved it from the opening credits on. Agree with everything in JB’s review and some commenters here about how timely some of it feels.
Carradine's good. "Evil Dream," a song performed by Michael Moriarty, which plays in the background as his character runs away from NYC cops, is a truly terrible song. His piano bar riffing is better. The titular winged serpent is good.
I've been participating 1-2 days behind so far, but I'm really going to try to get on schedule today!
Two DING! DING! DING! WINNAH WINNAH! pics in a row? It must be David Carradine Day at Junesploitation! 2025. :-P
ReplyDeleteQ: THE WINGED SERPENT (1982, BLU-RAY... streaming on Peacock)
SONNY BOY (1989, TUBI)
KILL ZONE (1993, ROKU CHANNEL)
I've seen this hastily-slapped-together creature feature many times (including at a packed NYC theater with Larry Cohen present for an entertaining post-screening Q&A), but when I tried to recall Carradine's role in "Q" my memory was blank. Between Michael Moriarty's going-for-broke intense performance, the impossible-to-recreate early '80's NYC production values and the cheap-but-mesmerizing creature/gore special effects this is an entertaining 'B' flick where the slow parts are quicky forgotten. That means Carradine and partner Richard Roundtree looking for the detached head of an Empire State Building window washer early on quicky fades after (a) the titular beast snaps a cute chick from a rooftop pool and (b) Moriarty sings/plays an aggressively bad piano tune in a midtown dive. Turns out Carradine's Detective Sheridan was at the same bar listening to Quinn play his song, a moment that gets called back (twice!) and establishes the detective as both audience surrogate and man of action. Candy Clark (as Quinn's too-tolerant girlfriend) and Roundtree are also in a lot more of "Q" than I remembered, but since the latter's the only principal that doesn't make it 'till the end you could say Richard got the... shaft? (BOOYAH! :-P). I already liked "Q," but this rewatch made me love it (and Carradine's Sheridan) even more. 5 DIET PEPSI CANS (out of five).
I must have said outloud (to myself in my empty apartment) 'I can't believe I'm watching this!' over and over during my first-time viewing of the Ovidio G. Assonitis-produced "Sonny Boy." A Southwest-set, indie-like noir/crime tale with shades of "Frankenstein" (the film was shot in New Mexico), we start in 1970 with Brad Douriff's Weasel killing a young couple of tourists and stealing their car and possessions as a tribute to local crime boss Slue ("Pieces"/"Popeye's" Paul L. Smith). Turns out a baby was aboard the stolen car, and Slue would have gotten rid of the now-orphaned infant if his better half Pearl (David Carradine either playing a transvestite man or a transsexual woman, it's never explained or even made a big deal) hadn't taken a serious liking to the kid. That doesn't prevent Slue from torturing and mutilating 'Sonny Boy' (tongue sliced off as a sixth birthday present, leaving Carradine-as-Pearl voiceovers as the only way we know what he's thinking), which by his 17th birthday yields a feral creature that the criminal uses to eliminate local folks that oppose him.
Feeling like an Alex Cox-directed western hijacked by John Water acolytes, there's a surprising amount of heart and pathos as the titular character (Michael Boston, looking like an emaciated, beat-to-shit Bruce Banner after a Hulk-out) is exposed to an outside world that fears him as much as he fears it. This is some of Carradine's best acting ever on film, never breaking character and wholly believable as the Bonnie to Paul L. Smith's Clyde. Both Smith and Douriff (alongside Sydney Lassick's henchman) play repugnant scumbags well, but Carradine and Michael Boston steal the show. A 3/3.5 on a regular scale, but for J! it's 5 STOLEN B&W TV SETS (out of five).
Philippines exploitation maestro Cirio H. Santiago goes back to the well-worn Vietnam War action movie genre for another recycle mishmash of old war footage (with the same Philipino army extras as too-well-dressed Vietnam troops) and newly shot scenes of American soldiers sent to Cambodia in a covert mission to cut the Vietnamese army's supply chain. "Kill Zone" apes the genre classics ("Rambo 2," "Missing in Action," etc.) and lets David Carradine play a low-rent variation of Brando's Col. Kurtz from "Apocalypse Now." Nothing too terrible besides the framey final shot (barf!), but mostly a going-through-the-motions snooze. 2.75 EXPLODING HELICOPTERS (out of five).
Sonny Boy was shown on TCM Underground several times, J.M. It is such an interesting oddity. David Carradine as Pearl is a performance that you remember. My girlfriend at the time caught the end (only the end) of Sonny Boy with me, and it became one the films that left the biggest impression on her. She was not the biggest fan of exploitation, either.
DeleteNice story about the screening of Q, would have loved to been there. Surprised you didn't mention the top of the Chrysler Building, I find those scenes mesmerizing, story goes he approached them with 6 offers before they would agree to shoot up there. You happen to remember any comments by Cohen that night? Great post and series!! T from B-Movie Gazette
DeleteCohen (RIP 🥺😭) was attending every screening of a week-long 35mm retrospective of his work at NYC's QUAD Cinema in the mid-to-late 2010's, with rotating guests paired with him for every screening. For example, Eric Bogosian was with Larry for a screening of their 1984 flick "Special Effects." I remember because l got to talk to Bogosian afterwards about "Talk Radio" and his TV show "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." 😎 Shame l could only go to 3 or 4 screenings because it was a work week. For "Q" post-screening Q&A Larry had one of the cops (a personal friend, don't remember the name) as they went through the same war stories you hear on the Blu-ray commentary. Cohen was old but still had child-like enthusiasm, and the biggest laugh (from him and the packed theater) was that the movie he was fired from made less money than the slapped-together "Q." Cohen loved to curse and get a rise from his audience. 😁
DeleteCannonball! (1976 Dir. Paul Bartel)
ReplyDeleteA spiritual sequel to Death Race 2000 thats not as much fun as Gumball Rally. Cannonball Run or Deathrace itself but still a pretty good time. The cast is stacked the racing solid and you even get a CHIPS style massive car pile up near the finale. Best scene? Martin Scorsese and Sylvester Stallone Stallone eating KFC as Paul Bartell complains how fat he has gotten from not pooping for 6 months.
The Warrior and the Sorceress (1984)
ReplyDeleteCarradine is a badass lone wolf warrior who comes to a village that's terrorized by two warring factions and immediately decides to pull the Yojimbo maneuver of playing the two warlords against each other. It's no masterpiece, but it does a fine job scratching that 80s swords and sorcery itch. Special attractions include a giant bipedal lizard, a tentacle monster, and a four-boobed woman who hides even more surprises up her, um, sleeve.
A silly but fun flick. The Sorceress seems to have a serious aversion to clothing.
DeleteDune Warriors (1991, dir. Cirio H. Santiago) (Director's Cut)
ReplyDeleteIn a post-apocalyptic world where water is the most valuable resource, a small settlement is threatened by a powerful warlord, so a young woman goes out to find a ragtag team of warriors to defend them.
Mad Max 2 meets Seven Samurai, shot in a disused quarry on a three dollar budget. Like I've come to expect from Roger Corman productions, it's clearly cheaply made, but uses its limited resources quite wisely. A few decent actors, a little set dressing and a solid score go a long way. Most if not all of the dialogue is clearly ADR'd, but weirdly while most of it is pretty well done, there's one actor whose ADR timing is way off. Made me laugh every single time he said something. David Carradine basically plays David Carradine as an old, wise and enigmatic swordsman with a personal grudge against the invading warlord.
This was my pick too, though I don't think it was the Director's Cut. I streamed it on Tubi to see if I liked it and would be keeping my still shrink-wrapped Code Red Blu-ray. I will not be keeping it. Cirio Santiago knows how to deliver the goods when he needs to and this certainly fits with Junesploitation viewing, but I found it more dull and lifeless than anything else. I'm 0/3. Month's going great.
DeleteFrom what I read, the theatrical is under 80 minutes, while the director's cut is about 15 minutes longer. No idea what was added, though.
DeleteFor David Carradine Day, I wanted to go with something new to me — always on the hunt for fresh gems during Junesploitation. I was really tempted to dive into Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (you know, the one with Bruce Campbell and vampire cowboys?), but I didn’t get around to it yet. Might save that one for a Free Space day later on!
ReplyDeleteInstead, I ended up watching Evil Toons — which honestly could’ve worked just as well for Cartoon Day or Exploitation Auteur Day (shoutout to Fred Olen Ray, the king of budget mayhem). Now, the actual “evil toons” barely show up (but when they do, it’s… well, something), and Carradine looks half-drunk in every scene he stumbles into, but you know what? The whole thing is oddly charming.
You've got a stacked cast of scream queens and playmates (Monique Gabrielle, Madison, Michelle Bauer), and even the legendary Dick Miller pops in for good measure. It plays like a low-budget, sleazier version of Night of the Demons, and I was totally on board.
A weird little treat — glad I checked it out!
I think I’m in the minority, but I’ve always liked Sundown.
DeleteI’ll be watching a different Fred Olen Ray directed Carradine movie today that I’m very excited about.
FOR and DC had a few collaborations! I need to check out Evil Toons for sure. Interested in your pick as well, Brian!
DeleteTHUNDER AND LIGHTNING (1977, Dir. Corey Allen):
ReplyDeleteCorman. Carradine. Fanboats. Moonshine. Bumpkins. Pure cinema.
Circle of Iron (1978)
ReplyDeleteThis movie is fantastic bullshit.
Bruce Lee originally was to write and appear in this, saying in the intro he wrote, “The story illustrates a great difference between Oriental and Western thinking. This average Westerner would be intrigued by someone’s ability to catch flies with chopsticks, and would probably say that has nothing to do with how good he is in combat. But the Oriental would realize that a man who has attained such complete mastery of an art reveals his presence of mind in every action…True mastery transcends any particular art.”
Working with James Coburn and screenwriter Stirling Silliphant, Lee didn’t just want to make the first Western movie about martial arts. He tried to make a movie that would introduce audiences to the philosophy behind martial arts; more than fighting, more about mastering the self.
Coburn and Lee eventually got frustrated by one another—small stuff, like Coburn getting a better hotel room and treatment than Lee, be like water indeed, or Lee nonstop humming pop songs until Coburn screamed at him—and Lee went to Hong Kong to make Fist of Fury, become a star and die.
Lee had intended his movie — you know, the same one that would teach Eastern theories of the martial world — to have Thai, Cantonese, Arabic and Japanese dialogue, explicit Tantric sex and scenes of genital destruction.
A few years later, Stanley Mann rewrote it, added comedy and brought on board a bunch of the finest all-white actors—some of whom could do martial arts. And that’s how we got this movie, which is ridiculous in all the best ways.
Cord (Jeff Cooper, who played Kaliman in a few Mexican movies) is a fighter who is undisciplined and kicked out of the temple by Roddy McDowall. Yet he still wants to find The Book of Knowledge, which is held by Zetan (Christopher Lee). The man sent on the quest instead of him, Morthond (Anthony De Longis, Blade from Masters of the Universe), has been nearly killed — and demands help to die with honor — and it seems like a fool’s errand. Then Cord meets the mysterious Blind Man (David Carradine) and starts his own quest.
Carradine also plays Death, a Monkey Man and Chang Sha, who uses his wife Tara (Erica Creer) to seduce our protagonist before leaving him behind and her crucified. Cord also runs into Eli Wallach, who has been sitting in a pot of boiling oil for a decade in the hopes that his penis falls off. I did not make that up.
Also known as The Silent Flute, this has director Richard Moore (his only full-length, but he shot the underwater footage for Thunderball and was the cinematographer on The Wild Angels, Devil’s Angels, Myra Breckinridge, The Stone Killer and Annie) making a mix of a king fu movie and a Zen koan that feels more Holy Mountain than Enter the Dragon.
The flute Carradine plays in this is the same one from Kill Bill: Volume 2.
So yes, this movie is complete bullshit but it’s wonderful bullshit. None of the people other than Carradine seem to know how to do martial arts, and I couldn’t care less. With Lee, this would have been a classic, perhaps, but as it stands, it’s this majestic attempt at something, a movie with dialogue like this:
Blind Man: A fish saved my life once.
Cord: How?
Blind Man: I ate him.
The sound of one hand clapping? You’re watching it.
This one sounds very cool. I need to check it out.
DeleteThis one shows up on a lot of Carradine best movie lists. Ive never seen it but your review makes me want to!
DeleteDEATHSPORT (1978) on Tubi
ReplyDeleteI have seen this already mentioned several times on Blue Sky, but it seems like I am the first one here to write about it. And it is not easy to write about. This is a pure WTF Junesploitation movie, however. Deathsport is post-apocalyptic nonsense that features telepathic wasteland wanderers, televised death sports, awkward sword fights, Star Wars-inspired laser blasting, nude torture, and a long chase on motorbikes. All of this is being done, mind you, with seemingly no budget. As a viewer, I felt like I was watching a different movie every ten minutes. Objectively, Deathsport is dreadfully put together, a film that has you wondering what is going on all the time. I love Roger Corman, but figuring out how he put this junk out into the world baffles me. On the other hand, I had a genuinely entertaining experience taking it all in. Part of the fun is seeing David Carradine not be phased by the ramshackle production he is in. I guess that is how he survived a long B-movie career.
This was my watch as well for David Carradine day and I was pretty impressed by what they accomplished on a shoe string budget. It’s not gonna be one of favorite discoveries of this month but I really liked Carradine bringing Kwai Chang Caine to a dystopian future where there are still tire factories that produce knobbies. (I guess that’s always my nitpick with my beloved dystopian vehicle movies: tires.)
DeleteI was very impressed by the ambition of the script, Chris. I kept thinking that a reworking it to fit the budget would have produced a decent film. As it is, Deathsport feels like fragments of a film.
DeleteDeath Race 2000 (1975)
ReplyDeleteMy first time watching this. It’s some good carnage and I enjoyed pre-Rocky Sly, but overall I was really struck by how timely it feels today.
It's among of the best exploitation movies ever made.
DeleteFuture Force (1989)
ReplyDelete{the following is how i imagine a phone call between producers for this film went the day before shooting began}
"Hey Jim! Good news! I spoke with David and he's free this weekend. Looks like the movie's a go! Heres what i proposed:
* We'll shoot it in two days.
* Dont have time to write a script so i was thinking we'd take a smidge of the premise of Judge Dredd, a private police force that acts as judge and jury but just put it in modern times. Also, kids seem to dig Robocop so we'll throw in a strap on robotic arm.
* The proposed budget of $465.32 should cover the key costs:
- Goodwill visit for Carradines outfit ($45)
- Cant afford a Nintendo Power Glove for the robo arm so we'll build a crappy knockoff ($68)
- A handful of firecrackers, condoms filled with fake blood, and small metal plates for our one Squib shot ($24.32).
- Whatever remains to cover the post production addition of a "laser" beam for the glove.
I dont want to jinx things but i cant see how this wont be a HUGE hit!!!"
My only other comment is that 15m in i said to myself "man this would be a fun flick for Rifftrax" and it wasnt until after finishing it that i found out they've already done it! Ha!
The result priceless. Prior seemed to revel in his budget. This is what I got lets go!
DeleteDeath Race 2000 (1975)
ReplyDeleteAlthough I enjoy straight-up trash exploitation cinema as much as the next guy, I also love it when movies like Death Race 2000 blow me away with their messaging. If you've been a teenage boy behind the wheel of a car in the last 50 years, you've had an annoying friend point at a group of people on the sidewalk and say, "30 points!" Little does your friend know that the movie that comes from is a prescient, scary, dark comedy about the degradation of our country, our values, and our freedoms. Turning violence into television, long before The Running Man or The Hunger Games, hits hard in the wake of controversies like Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem maybe/maybe not supporting the idea of a reality show where immigrants compete in challenges for a path to citizenship. Ouch.
Dinocroc vs. Supergator (2010)
ReplyDeleteFrom executive producer Roger Corman! Let's be honest: you know what you're getting with a movie called Dinocroc vs. Supergator. This is the kind of movie I love watching for Junesploitation, although they never establish which CGI creature is the Dinocroc and which is the Supergator. I mean, seriously. You had one job, guys.
ARMED RESPONSE (Fred Olen Ray, 1986)
ReplyDeleteFWIW, probably the best Fred Olen Ray flick I’ve watched. Also features Lee Van Cleef, Mako, Ross Hagen, Dick Miller, Laurene Landon, and Michael Berryman, decent stunts, and dialog cheesier than Wisconsin. I screened Carradine’s abysmally alcoholic turn in ANIMAL PROTECTOR a couple weeks back, and when I saw he played a bartender in this one, I had my fears, but Van Cleef seemed to be the inebriated actor here. Also, random musing that occurred during the film: who has made more b-movies, David or his dad, John Carradine? Perhaps we can examine John’s output in Junesploitation 2026?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMartial Law (1990 Steve Cohen)
ReplyDeleteI was into this one as soon as the hostage taker in the first scene shouts at his lackey “I demand decorum”. Yes Rothrock is underutilized and Chad McQueen is not very charismatic, but this one is fun overall. Has some classic “that guys” from Pee-Wee’s butler to the hit Uber dude that gets a football to the face in The Last Boy Scout. David Carradine’s special move is strangely, essentially The Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique.
“Hit Uber” was autocorrected from “ hot tub”. Fantastic.
Delete😅😛
DeleteCIRCLE OF IRON (1978)
ReplyDeleteA hopeful young martial artist/barbarian goes in search of an ancient book of knowledge, battling various opponents along the way. As noted above, this was allegedly an unfinished passion project of Bruce Lee’s, who wanted the film to showcase not just fighting but also zen philosophy. David Carradine plays a blind Zatoichi type (or is he?), with Christopher Lee and Roddy McDowall as villainous masterminds (or are they?). I felt actor Jeff Cooper was pretty wooden as the hero, though, and wondered what Lee would have brought to the role. Still, this was nicely filmed, had some great fights, and moved along at a quick pace. Consider this a musclebound yet serene recommend!
30 days of Georges Melies, day 3: THE IMPOSSIBLE VOYAGE (1904)
Explorers go on a trip around the world, encountering fantastical sights and eventually travelling to the sun. The emphasis is on the giant machinery and the outlandish vehicles. But it’s also a comedy, with our explorers being a bunch of bumblers. And this has a “face in the sun” effect that rivals the famous moon one. It’s very, very goofy, but I enjoyed it.
I just realized HBO MAX has some of these Melies shorts streaming. 🤓👍
DeleteFuture Force (David A. Prior, 1989)
ReplyDeleteI couldn't join in for the first two days, so tonight's pick had to be *just* right to kick off Junesploitation (meaning I couldn't possibly chose anything classy and/or respectable). Plus I realized I had only ever seen Carradine in esteemed movies, which, to say the least, paint a rather incomplete picture of his carreer.
In that regard, I had a lot of fun with Future Force (courtesy of Tubi, Saint Patron of Junesploitation)! Mashke summed it up perfectly. I just have to mention that one scene where (very enthusiastic) exotic dancers are grooving to the following lyrics: "High school was so terrible / All my friends have died". No notes.
🤣✌️😅
DeleteDeath Race 2000 (1975)
ReplyDeleteAlways fun, very prescient— lots of parallels to today’s political morass. It seems like every line between Stallone and Louisa Moritz was improvised, especially “You know what? You’re a baked potato.” The opening credit graphics look like Junior High School student notebook doodles, as do the designs of the race cars! Grade A Junesploitation fodder.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCircle of Iron (1978)
ReplyDeleteB&S said pretty much all there is to say about this. I will say that it was unintentional for me, but after being excited to see Tuco's brother From The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly show up in Caliber 9 on Day 1, it was another unexpected pleasure to see Eli Wallach himself show up in a small part in this.
Future Force 1989 David A. Prior
ReplyDeleteThere is a charm and imagination ti Future Force. As well as a kind of charm to David Carradine with his beer gut driving around in a shitty Jeep Cherokee shooting TVs in bars. A charm to that he only uses his robot arm twice. To be fair he does use it to punch a guy while the glove is zooming through the air. Which is cool. David A. Prior feels like he is more interested in making a dystopian western where Bounty Hunters and six shooters rule. Future Force is a movie that is set three years in the future in 1992 so there had to be some future tech in it.
Beefy bounty hunters...
DeleteI applied to join FUTURE FORCE as well!
ReplyDeleteFirst-time watch, Tubi, 6/10 w/a heart for LBXd glow.
I claim to be a David Prior fan on the strength of SLEDEHAMMER & DEADLY PREY alone, though I've seen a few others & will keep at them.
Tired of THE GAUNTLET being tense, set in the present & missing a PowerGlove?? Ding Dong, the ham salad is here.
I enjoyed this one enough to add FUTURE ZONE to my watchlist, but was struck dead by one thing, considering this is essentially a manhunt-picture: mindblowingly MEDIUM pace throughout.
Sonny Boy (1989)
ReplyDeleteA story about a odd couple that finds a baby and decide to home school him. When he's old enough to go out into the world, the locals rebel against the family's eccentricity. It's quite tragic and the only lesson learned is that the world is a cruel unforgiving place.
Thanks for the recommendation, A Casual Listener. Certainly one of the more original things I've seen in a while.
5 out of 5 cardboard boxes. I really liked this one. Carradine, and his whole immediate family put in standout performances. The editing of this movie is superb. There's a musical theme throughout that is clearly a rip off of the Midnight Cowboy theme.
DeleteI saw Sonny Boy over a decade ago on TCM for the Underground programming. It has lingered in my mind since then. With David Carradine having such a long list of acting credits, I wanted to promote Sonny Boy because it is so easy to ignore that title and, frankly, he was in a lot crap over the years. Sonny Boy at least gives you a great performance from him.
DeleteFYI, David Carradine sang the opening song for Sonny Boy. "Maybe it's paint..."
Forgot the daily Franco:
ReplyDeleteEUGENIE DE SADE, aka DE SADE 2000 (1973)
Soledad Miranda builds a strange relationship with stepdad Paul Muller, Euro-sleaze ensues. This was another of my earliest Franco films & something about it crystallizes a subgenre of Sadean oddballery that really appeals to me. Opinions are very mixed on this.
It seems to be streaming on Fawesome, whatever that is.
Just mentioned this one over on the Zombie post. The mood of the Eugenie De Sade has always been the best part of it for me. The pacing is undoubtedly slow, but that score always lulls me into the rhythm of the film. I have only ever watched in French, though.
DeleteDeath Race 2000 (1975)
ReplyDeleteMy first time! Very entertaining, and I enjoyed the quirky Bartel touches throughout. What about Martin Kove showing up! Yes, the star of Steele Justice (check it out for Jun 29)!
I too was struck by the grim future portrayed, complete with Nazis... But all in all, a great Junesploitation flick!
Q: The Winged Serpent (1982)
ReplyDeleteThe beginning features a window-washer using his job to be creepy to a woman and then getting his head removed 10/10.
Side note! If anyone has a library card, check and see if your library has access to Kanopy! Great resource for this!
Evil Toons (1992 Fred Olen Ray)
ReplyDeleteWhoa. A horror-comedy with a cartoon demon as the monster is inspired. The execution is not great unfortunately. Not bad though. Carradine, Dick Miller and the fun performances from the adult film star leads keep this one from being a snooze. The animation is fun, but the budget didn’t allow for it to be used as much as it needed to be.
I watched Death Race 2000 for the first time and wow! Total knockout, loved it from the opening credits on. Agree with everything in JB’s review and some commenters here about how timely some of it feels.
ReplyDeleteHaving a fab Junesploitation so far!
Q: The Winged Serpent (1982)
ReplyDeleteCarradine's good. "Evil Dream," a song performed by Michael Moriarty, which plays in the background as his character runs away from NYC cops, is a truly terrible song. His piano bar riffing is better. The titular winged serpent is good.
I've been participating 1-2 days behind so far, but I'm really going to try to get on schedule today!