67th Emmy Awards

67th Edition y'all

  So last night was the 67th annual Emmy awards and it was a weird combo of obvious picks for some acting awards mixed in with a pretty huge surprise for the top award for Best Drama Series. While it didn't really add up to ratings as it got smoked by the NFL's "Sunday Night Football" it was still a good night that provided some surprises along the way, even though it seems to mark the end of Andy Samberg hosting things because he looked unconfortable on stage all night. Anyway below is a list of all the winners in the major categories and my opinion on what the Emmys got right and where they may have dropped the ball.

Best Drama Series: "Game of Thrones"

   This one surprised me more then alittle bit. Kinda figured "Mad Men" was gonna get this one for old times sake, not to mention that most people myslef included thought "Game of Thrones" had an off year. Would have been nice to see "Better Call Saul" get the nod as the hot new show, or "Homeland" which had a huge return to form this season. Anyway lets hope "Game of Thrones" will up its game and justify this victory going forward.

Best Comedy Series: "Veep"

   HBO pretty much had this one locked up with either "Veep" or "Silicon Valley". Thought "Transparent" had an outside chance to steal the is one and i perosnally have a soft spot for "Unbreakable Kimmie Schmidt" but in the end "Veep" takes it. Soooo wish "Silicon Valley" woulda taken it home though.

Best Actor Drama Series: Jon Hamm "Mad Men"

   This one was decided last year after Bryan Cranston won for "Breaking Bad". Had hope maybe Bob Odenkirk could slide in here and steal one but pretty much everyone knew Hamm was gonna finally win for "Mad Men". Deserved i suppose though never been much of a fan of the show myself. File this under sorta lifetime achievement.

Best Actress Drama Series: Viola Davis "How to get away with Murder"

   History was made as Davis was the first African American woman to win the Best Actress award. Seemed like a 2 person race between her and "Empire" star Taraji Henson. Between those 2 i think they made the correct choice although I'd have like to seen Claire Danes get it for "Homeland". No arguments with the winner though. Certainly deserved it. I do have to say though where was Julianna Marguiles in the nominee pool? Huge snub there

Best Actor Comedy Series:  Jeffrey Tambor "Transparent"

   "Transparent" star Tambor again looked to be the runaway winner here. Both the news climate and the fact his performance basically is only reason the show was renewed meant everyone else might as well not shown up. Dont think it was an undeserved award as Tambor is excellent and fearless in the role in a way none of his competition could match

Best Actress Comedy Series: Julia Louis-Dreyfus "Veep"

   It was a 2 person race between  newcomer Amy Schumer and Dreyfus but ultimately the veteran with the serialized show won out. Dont cry for Schumer though as she did walk away with an award later on but Dreyfus is exceptional on "Veep" as Selina Meyers and adds to her impressive collection of awards. "Seinfeld" curse be damned in her case as she continues to kill it on the small screen.

Outstanding Supporting Actor Drama Series: Peter Dinklage "Game of Thrones"

   Here's one i was really disappointed with. This has nothing to do with Peter Dinklage as he was good as Tyrion lannister but like i said i didn't really think this was a good season of "Game of Thrones" and Tyrion's storyline wasn't exactly engaging stuff for most of the year. I was really hoping Jonathan Banks was gonna take it for "Better Call Saul" as he was the star of what i thought was the best hour of TV this year in "Five-O" and his performance resonanted across 2 shows as it also adds weight to "Breaking Bad".

Outstanding Supporting Actress Drama Series: Uzo Aduba "Orange is the new black"

   Even though it is weird to see "Game of Thrones" go 0-2 in any division this time its certainly warranted. You knew "Orange is the new black" was gonna receive some kind of award love and this one is the most deserving. Her performance is certainly memorable and stands out, not an easy feat with a cast this size.

Outstanding Supporting Actor Comedy Series: Tony Hale "Veep"

   This was my "Sophies Choice" division of the night as i wanted Titus Burgess, Andre Braugher and Tony Hale to somehow share the award. Once it came down to it i found myself pulling for Titus Burgess as i wanted "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" to win something but can't argue with Tony Hale's win either. Like i said really couldn't go wrong no matter who won.

Outstanding Variety Talk Series/Directing/Writing: "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart"

   "The Daily Show" cleaned up on Jon Stewart's way out the door taking all 3 award for variety talk. Lets hope they can keep this quality up once Trevor Noah takes over and not fade away. Still wish Jon Stewart stayed on though, just don't get why he left.

Outstanding Variety Sketch Show: "Inside Amy Schumer"

   Its the year of Amy Schumer so you just knew she wasn't walking away empty handed. She didn't get the Lead Comedy Actress like some people thought she would but her show winning it all in its category might be more validating for her. Either way good for her......i'd have gone with "Drunk History" though.

Game Review: Rare Replay

30 games for $30....Awesome deal but well they all can't be winners

   Re-releases and compilations have become all the rage lately and not to be outdone English developer Rare have jumped in with both feet with a collection of games spanning their entire history. The gimmick here is you get 30 games for $30 and sure enough thats exactly what you get, now if only the quality was consistent.

   So lets start with the good, if you're one prone to nostalgia then your going to be in your glory here. Games like "Perfect Dark", "Battletoads" and the "RC Pro-Am 1 & 2" immediately stoke that feeling. Just seeing these games in action is sure to take you back to your younger days. The "Pro-Am" series in particular still holds up as a solid racing game with a surprisingly well-done upgrade system. "Blast Corps" is still ridiculously fun to play, i mean a game where the point is destroying buildings with various different vehicles? Its just begging for an HD remake/reboot and the "Viva Pinata" games are the same sit on your couch and zone out fun that they've always been.

Just roll one up and turn your brain off

   Not only do these games get those nostalgia flames burning but some of the games are still as fun as you remember them and still hold up quite well today. The previously mentioned "Blast Corps" and "RC Pro-Am" still bring the fun and other games like "Cobra Triangle", "Grabbed by Ghoulies" and "Kameo" are just begging for you to jump back in, especially if you missed them years ago.

Still fun 30 years later......incredible

   Its very interesting to watch the progression of not only the graphics but also the gameplay. This is a collection that spans everything from "Jetpac" and its simple two-button and one screen design all the way up to "Banjo-Kazooie". Its a testament to how far game design has come and also Rare's ability to not only put out solid games but stay profitable long enough to have 30 years worth of quite varied material. This isn't a company that stuck to just one genre and you'll find platformers, RPG's and first person shooters all in here. Like side-scrolling beat 'em ups or fighting games? Got you covered there as well.

   On top of the wide variety of games they are also presented in an excellent old time way with tons of extra content like video histories and interviews with developers. The aesthetic of curtains and old music while selecting games is nice and puts you in the mood to just have fun. Plus all the extras will have you playing along to just unlock everything. There's also the matter of the 4000 gamerpoints for Xbox that are available for relatively minimal effort. You get 15 gamerpoints just for playing a game for the first time and especially on the older games you can grind your way to a massive point pick up relatively easily. Even notoriously hard/cheap games like "Battletoads" can be beaten now thanks to a sort of rewind button built into some of the games. It takes away from some of the hair pulling that would result from some of the more difficult games.

Looking at you pain in the ass hoverbike level

   All that good stuff though means we do have to discuss the bad. There are some GLARING omissions in this collection. Neither "Goldeneye" or "Donkey Kong Country" are on the disc for various licensing reasons and considering the cache those games hold in gaming history their absence is noted. Also a few of the games have either aged horribly or weren't that good in the first place. If you can play "Atic Atac" or "SabreWulf" more the once you're a better man then me. Also "Killer Instict Gold" actually hurt any good feelings i had for those old games. Its by no means unplayable but if you remember it being a good fighting game you're in for a rude awakening.

Not having either of these is SUPER notable as a collection

   These issues shouldn't be taken as you shouldn't pick this game up. If you're a fan of Rare then this is a must have. I mean the sheer volume of gameplay available here makes this a steal at $30. Despite it being a bit uneven at times in terms of quality overall there's more then enough content and fun to be had to recommend that you give this one a chance. 

Overall Score: 7/10

HBO Afternoon Classics "The Gate"

   Welcome back to a rainy day edition of HBO Afternoon Classics. This week gonna jumo into the horror arena, not horror comedy mind you but regular ole monsters and demons with the underrated but still very good......

   Just when you think life in the suburbs couldn't get worse......well we all know how its gonna go. Instead of pedophiles and Kevin Spacey being source of our terror now we get mini demons living under a tree.

No not these guys

   This movie also has the distinction of introducing the world to a young Stephen Dorff, he made his movie debut here and depending on your opinions of his acting skill he's been terrorizing us ever since.

I suppose there's a similarity there

   So what is this movie about anyway. Well its your typical story of a gate to hell located under a tree that's all. So Stephen Dorff plays Glen, your typical 80's middle class kid, who has an older sister named Al with annoying friends and a weirdo friend Terry who is into both geology and satanic records. Straight out of John Hughes this set-up. Anyway the night after a storm/nightmare the tree in the families backyard is struck by lighting and falls down. Glen awakens to the sound of workers in his backyard removing the very tree that was struck in his dreams.

Smoke is normal from a hole in the ground right?

 Once they're done Terry and Glen go to the backyard and uncover a Geode just below the dirt surface, the boys retrieve it but not without Glen getting a splinter and bleeding onto the area the tree was so you just know thats gonna end well. Anyway once inside Glen and Al's parents decide to leave for the weekend and leave Al in charge, this bein the 80's of course the first thing she does is decide to throw a party.

Talk about timeless fashion

   So with Al and her friends throwing a party downstairs Glen and Terry decide to open up the Geode they found in the backyard. Once open the contents spill onto a sheet of paper and spell out some kind of incantation. These being kids and obviously not that smart they decide to say it aloud (Note to everyone out there, NEVER read words that appear out of nowhere cuz it never ends well) and from then on literally hell breaks loose. During a sleepover Glen sees his walls seemingly stretch while Terry sees a ghost of his dead mother, which turns out to actually be the dead family dog. This obviously freaks out Terry who remembers a heavy metal album he has at home (obviously he'd have it and obviously random metal bands all have ancient satanic knowledge) that might as be well called exposition cuz it lays out all we need to know about the coming demons.

Ozzy ain't got nothing on Sacrifye

   Anyway after listening to the record backwards for the secrets (remember this is the 80's so every metal album had a hidden backwards meaning) the boys decide they should be safe as long as noone puts a sacrifice in the hole for the "old ones".....which is exactly what Al does by throwing the dog down there instead of taking it to the SPCA or whatever you do with them. There's a mall to go to people!! This completes the summoning and releases the evil which first appears as a bunch of foot tall minions intent of dragging you down the hole to release their master.

What the "Real Housewives" look like without make-up

   So this being a horror movie i'm not gonna spoil every surprise, i mean the point of these blogs is to get ya to go watch them ya know. But suffice it to say all kinds of supernatural happenings occur and our main cast gets picked off one by one until we're down to just Glen. Realizing that all the means for the big bad ancient one to be released have been met Glen realizes its down to him to save the world.....

Dont worry, Stephens got this

   

   "The Gate" is an example of the numerous reasons stop motion and practical effects will always be better then CGI. Yes you can tell how the effects are done and yes they don't look seamless but they add to the aesthetic of the movie in a weird way. Also how imagination and creature design can go a long way to taking what could be a ridiculous concept and make it work. Its the kind of plot that if you think about it too long the whole thing falls apart (How did they not find this hole when they were building the house in the first place?) but because of the pacing and the constant stream and variety of monster effects you never have a chance to think about it. This being the an 80's movie the unique mix of terror and cheese give this movie a more light feel then it should at times considering this is a movie where faces get ripped off and numerous children are killed.

Eye see you need a hand

   Even more impressive is what they accomplished on a nothing budget. This movie was made for $2.5 million and grossed $14 at the theatres. It even lead to a sequel "The Gate 2" which was horrible but still was an attempt to launch a franchise. There was even talk of a 3D remake in 2010 but that hasn't happened as to date. So do yourself a favor and check out "The Gate" as soon as you can, as a matter of fact just click the link below and your on your way.

http://www.letmewatchthis.im/movies/view/watch-3596-The-Gate

HBO Afternoon Classics **Krull**

   Welcome back one and all for another edition of "HBO Afternoon Classics". This week we're goin got a movie who's obscurity is somehow also just as high as its trivia value. So what could that be? Well i'm talking about the 80's fantasy classic......

   Yep your eyes are not deceiving you, this week my HBO classic recommendation is "Krull". Coming out during the 80's post-Conan sword-and-sandal boom this movie stands as one of the more memorable entries into a very overcrowded market. This movie retains a firm spot on the top rung of b-movie cheese right alongside the likes of "The Beastmaster",  "Willow" and "Dragonslayer". But lets not get ahead of ourselves here cuz honestly this movie is known for one real reason, its the movie debut of none other then Liam Neeson....

Who's this handsome Irish Devil?

   Also to a much lesser extent its also the movie debut of one Robbie Coltrane.....

Yep thats the same dude

   Yep go figure one random movie gives us both Oscar Schindler and Hagrid but that's the 80's for ya, It was a magical time indeed. Another fun fact is that at the time of its release "Krull" was one of the biggest budget movies of its kind ever, with a price tag of somewhere between $40-$50 million dollars, and thats in 1980's money. Now that money isn't wasted as the movie does look great and the 10 huge sets that were built for it are put to great effect, not to mention effects that while look dated now could have been alot worse. Course the big problem they ran into is noone really went to see it as the box office totals for it are around $16 million dollars. The movie has gained quite the cult following which is why i'm bringing it to you today.

   So what is this movie about? Well its a fantasy movie so its about saving a princess of course. The story centers around Colwyn (Ken Marshall) who on his wedding day to Princess Lyssa (Lysette Anthony) has his bride stolen by a group of "Slayers" who invade his castle, kill most of his guard and family, and proceed to take Lyssa to their master "The Beast". A huge being who lives in a fortress which changes its location everyday and is never in the same place twice. As you can imagine that makes saving the princess even more complicated then usual.

I mean who wouldn't want a piece of this?

   So after recovering from the attack, and after some motivation in prophecy form from The Old One Colwyn sets out to retrieve the mystical weapon "The Glaive" and use it to defeat "The Beast" and save his bride. Thereby giving us one of the most memorable special weapons in movie history.

I mean who wouldn't want to throw this thing around?

   Course no matter how badass a weapon may be its hard to defeat an evil an evil army all by yourself. This leads Corwyn to recruit a motley crue of thieves, young wizards and a cyclops that can see the future but only for his own death. Sure not the best looking lineup but beggars cant be choosers

Besides this duo what else do you need?

   So off we go on an adventure to save the princess. Now obviously finding a castle that changes and never repeats locations daily can prove quite the challenge so along the way have to make a quick stop at a seer, who of course has a history with one of the fellowship members, and is guarded by an crystal spider. In another wonderful use of stop-motion we get some tense spider dodging as one of the members rushes to deliver the location news before his life literally falls through his finger, oh the symbolism indeed.

Shelob? We dont need no stinking Shelob

   So now with the location figured out its time to "Storm the castle" as it were and our motley crew of adventurers arrives just in time before the castle disappears and moves again and they won't be able to find it again. Course attacking an ancient beings castle head on isn't exactly the smartest battle plan and a whole bunch of our guys die in the assault, including unfortunately both of our now uber-famous stars....

He won in the end so its all good

   So anyway after defeating the Beast and retrieving his lovely bride, and the Metroid style beat the clock exit we get our happy ending and even more then that we actually get more survivors then just the two leads, a HUGE rarity in fantasy movies of the time as usually you're a goner if you're not a lead. Altogether it may seem like a cookie cutter story and movie, in some ways it is there's no denying that, the movie as a whole is a glorious example of aiming for the stars. A kind of originality that is sadly lacking today when movies are afraid to try all new things. This movie went for it in terms of not only world building but also by embracing the cheesy elements in it and making them seem natural in this world. A Cyclops, glass spiders, horses with flaming hooves and storm trooper-esqe soldiers trying to kill our heroes the entire way all fit together naturally and add a sense of danger/wonder you'd be hard pressed to find today in an entirely original movie. Give it a shot, turn your brain off and enjoy "Krull" in all its glorious fantasy 80'sness. Included below is a link to free streaming copy so go ahead and jump on in

    Watch "Krull" for free here

HBO Afternoon Classics **Killer Klowns from Outer Space**

   Ok welcome to the second edition of  "HBO Afternoon Movies". Today we're gonna jump into a movie that just needs to have its title said aloud and people already are willing to give it a look. The premise may seem goofy, and it is, but thanks to some outstanding make-up work and a tounge-in-cheek mentality this movie is a low budget classic. I'm talking of course about....

   Yep the Killer Klowns, which yes is spelled wrong on purpose cuz they're aliens ya see, shows you why Coulrophobia is such a common thing. This is a movie about a group of aliens who look like twisted versions of clowns who arrive in Smalltown, USA and proceed to take out the citizens one at a time. I know the plot is your standard alien invasion plot but thats where the goofy premise and the awesome make-up allow it stand out and be the b-movie classic it is today.

Yep not hanging around these guys

   Now lets just get into the main idea behind this movie, clowns are freaking terrifying. I'm not sure what the exact history of them is but i do know that i've never met anyone who's comfortable around them. This movie basically takes all the things you might possibly be worried about and makes them real. Want some man-eating popcorn? Got ya covered there. How about a gun that turns you into cotton candy so the Klowns can drink your blood with a swirly straw? Check there as well. Last but not least there's the shadow puppet T-Rex that can actually eat you. Basically everything you've ever had a nightmare about you get here. Course the way the Klowns look makes you wonder how they got close to anyone without them fleeing in terror.....

I mean who gets anywhere near these things?

   One of the craziest things about this movie is despite its super low-budget, somewhere in the area of 2 million dollars, the make-up and special effects look like they come from a much bigger movie. The make-up for each Klown is not only distinctive but each is equally as terrifying yet somehow goofy as well. The Chiodo Brothers (Writers/Directors/Make-up artists) are able to give each one a distinct personality and look that i don't think could even be surpassed today. Its truly a testament to how much make-up and practical effects are superior to CGI in adding to not only the feel of a movie but also adding to its longevity since they don't age as quickly. Something JJ Abrams took note of from the Star Wars prequels and went back to for "The Force Awakens".

This is why i never buy cotton candy anymore

Klown making a human hand puppet, see things like this will keep you up

  The plot is your typical 80's alien invasion plot, not unlike "The Blob" really, where a young couple tries to warn the town about the incoming doom but are ignored much to the towns eventual dismay. Hell by the end of this movie as far as i can tell every single person in this town except our heroes are either made into cotton candy or in balloons for future consumption. Makes you wonder how you explain away all these missing people if you think about it. Anyway by the end a whole towns dead, every clown nightmare has been fulfilled (including a giant killer marionette btw) and a good time has been had by the viewer.  

As if its not bad enough, 20 foot tall puppet clowns. No thank you

   There's been talk of a sequel or a reboot for years now and i hope there is, as long as its by same folks of course, because "Killer Klowns from Outer Space" is truly an 80's gem that deserves the cult following it has and should see it continue to expand. Do yourself a favor and check this one out, just try to avoid the circus after.

Check out the official trailer here and click the link below to stream a free version online

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xlsrc8_killer-klowns-from-outer-space_shortfilms

HBO Afternoon Classics **The Last Dragon**

   Welcome to the first edition of "HBO Afternoon Classics". Yes i know it's a rather specific title so allow me to explain. Now in these days of 6 HBO stations its hard to imagine but there was a time when there was only 1 one. Basically if you were a cable junkie like myself you were at their mercy. Forced to suffer or enjoy whatever they decided for you on any given day. Sure you could go to Blockbuster/Zappers and rent a movie or game for $5, only for a day for new release movies btw, but frankly that was more of a hassle then it was worth unless you were in a "pick a movie by the cover" mood (a method Netflix has taken and run with nowadays). So it was back to cable and to see what the fates had in store for you. Luckily for me in my formative years HBO seemed fully aware of their power and seemed to take full advantage by scheduling movies aimed at my demographic. To most these movies could be cheesy, cheap or just flat out bad but to my young mind they were just awesome. Fantasy, horror, action and comedy it was all over the place and they just seemed to work. Despite their flaws even to this day watching these movies just makes me happy and i'm determined to share that joy with you, everyone out there who may not have heard of them or those who haven't thought of them in years. So it is on that note that i introduce my first entry....

   That's right we're gonna kick things off with the Berry Gordy kung-fu classic "The Last Dragon" starring Taimak and Vanity. Yep the movie that gave us "The Glow" and possibly Busta Rhymes as well. The Jury is still out....

You tell me which is which?

   So what is this movie about you ask? Well it follows the story of Leroy Green (A.K.A. Bruce Leroy) an African-American son of a pizza shop owner who has dreams of becoming a great martial artist like his idol Bruce Lee. Leroy trains hard until one day he is told by his teacher that he has nothing left to learn from him and that if he wishes to become a true master and unlock the secrets of "The Glow", a mystical energy that can make a persons body glow with power and that only a TRUE martial arts master may tap into, he must take an amulet that supposedly belonged to Bruce Lee to find master Sum Dom Goy who can help him unlock the power of "The Glow".

    Pretty straight forward mission really but the central plot isn't really what makes this movie stand out, its the myriad of side characters and stories. Now sticking to Leroy's main plot he's not the only would-be master around, not by a long shot. "The Shogun of Harlem" himself Sho'nuff (Julius Carry III), the previously shown Busta Rhymes lookalike, also fancies himself as the real master and sets out to prove it by forcing and defeating the usual pacifist Leroy in one-on-one combat. First by showing up with his gang as Leroy is trying to teach a martial arts class and forcing him to kiss his feet in front of his students, while threatening to hurt one if Leroy doesn't comply and later by showing up at the Green family pizzeria "Daddy Green's Pizza" and trashing it while terrorizing his family. None of this causes Leroy to break his pacifist ways, furthering angering Sho'Nuff.

Sho'Nuff and his motley crew

   
    Now if this was just a straight kung-fu story thats all there would be to it but nope, this is an American movie from the 80's so we need more dammit!! So as it turns out there's an arcade mogul (remember its the 80's) named Eddie Arkadian (Chris Murney) who has a plan to kidnap the host of the popular music show "7th Heaven" Laura Charles (Vanity) and coercing her to play his girlfriends terrible music video on her show.

Prince has great taste in women

   The kidnap attempt is stopped however when Leroy happens to be walking by after dropping his brother off at the shows taping and easily beats up all the thugs attempting to take her. Attempting to retrieve the amulet he dropped in the fight from Laura, who recovered it after Leroy fled after saving her, Leroy witnesses Eddie's main thug Rock (Mike Starr) successfully kidnapping her and dragging her away. Course seeing as how this isn't exactly Danny Ocean's gang they drop a clue that leads Leroy right to Arkadian's. Leroy suits up Daredevil style and breaks into Eddie's and cleans house. After almost feeding Eddie to his prized killer fish, could be a shark but i don't really remember, Leroy leaves with Laura but not without Eddie swearing revenge in a typical wet, evil businessman way.

Only in the 80's, evil arcade millionaires

   Back at her apartment Laura returns Leroy's medal and invites him to meet her the next day at the "7th Heaven" studio for repayment. Meanwhile Eddie begins to amass an army of numerous 80's tough guy stereotypes with the biggest hire being Sho'Nuff and his crew to take out Leroy. The next day Leroy meets Laura and she shows him a Bruce Lee montage set to a quite catchy song and she kisses him. Leroy's little brother Richie, who had snuck into the studio as he also has a crush on Laura, to jealously yells at Leroy about kissing her. This causes Leroy to leave and for Eddie's men to successfully kidnap Richie and Laura.

Boomboxes and red leather pants, timeless look really

   Unaware of Richie and Laura's situation Leroy attempts to finish his quest of finding the master Sum Dom Goy and dresses as a pizza delivery man to gain access to his fortune cookie company. He discovers however that this "Master" is really just a computer that writes fortune cookie messages and that the whole thing was a wild goose chase. Leroy confused confronts his Teacher to find out why he lied to him only for his teacher to tell him its so he can learn that he already knows all he needs and that the power of "The Glow" is already inside him. He just has to believe in himself.

Seems like legit lackies for a martial arts master right?

   Not wanting anyone to get hurt in the process of achieving her stardom, Eddie's girlfriend Angela leaves Arkadian and asks Leroy's student Johnny to warn him about Eddie's plan. Instead Leroy arms himself with various karate weapons and returns to "7th Heaven" and is ambushed by the army violent thugs hired by Arkadian. Just as he's about to be killed Leroy's students, led by Johnny, charge into the studio to even the odds. Using Laura as bait, Eddie lures Leroy to another building where he finally faces off against Sho'nuff.

Who's the master?...

   Sho'nuff reveals his ability to use "The Glow", his hands pulsating with a red aura, and beats Leroy viciously before attempting to force him to acknowledge Sho'nuff as "The Master". While Sho'nuff attempts to drown him recent events flash before Leroy's eyes, he realizes that his former Master was correct and that everything he needs to achieve the "Final Level" was inside him all along. His entire body bathed in the golden light of "The Glow" Leroy uses his new-found power to finally defeat Sho'nuff and prove himself as the true "Master".

I am...

    Now this being an 80's movie of course Arkadian appears and fires a single bullet which at first seems to kill Leroy who instead catches it between his teeth before restarinign Arkadian for the police. Laura and Leroy are then reunited at a fixed up "7th Heaven" and kiss as the credits roll to a booming 80's hip-hop soundtrack.

    Ahhh memories. If that rundown of the plot makes it seem like a ludicrous movie well thats cuz it is. The whole movie is played with an odd mix of serious and toungue in cheek humor that helps it avoid becoming overly cheesy. The surprisingly catchy soundtrack makes the numerous montages, which were the style at the time, seem more then just running time filler and stay with you after the credits roll. Course lets be honest here, the breakout character of this movie is Sho'Nuff. Julius Carry plays him straight here with an odd menace that is palpable even with the rather comical overall look of the character and his gang. Shoulder pads and weird hair be damned because you believe that despite that Sho'Nuff isn't just talk and can back it up.

   This movie was a vanity project of Berry Gordy's but frankly thats for the best here. The whole tone and feel of the movie just wouldn't work without that Motown vibe just below the surface. It helps keep things light and give just enough of a wink to the audience to keep them having fun and not be bored or think things through to much. Just shut your brain off and enjoy yourself for 90 minutes. Just like the karate kid had a generation doing crane kicks this movie has a whole other group yelling "WHO'S THE MASTER!!" and trying to achieve the mythic glow before Dragonball was even a thought. Hell there is even a remake in the works so its not just a one-off and forget it movie. This babies cult status is secure and rightfully so. Do yourself a favor and check this one out as soon as you can. Now enjoy yourself some Busta'Nuff and go find "The Last Dragon", you wont regret it.