Gridlock’d (1997) Tupac Shakur And Tim Roth Are Spoken Word Jazz Band Dope Fiends

When a film opens with a conversation about penis implants and, later, a N word discussion, you can’t help but think the scriptwriters were trying to channel some Quentin Tarantino vibes. Furthermore, when one of the characters feels like Pumpkin from Pulp Fiction (1994) had dumped his crazy girlfriend, Honey Bunny, and ran off to join a jazz band, you can’t help but smile. However, Gridlock’d, really is it’s own movie. It’s shot very stylish, has a frantic paced script, features a deep strong message and best of all, you get a wonderful chemistry between it’s two leads. It might slip off the rails into slap stick territory in the last quarter but it’s hard not to like it for it. It’s a quirky buddy movie. So what’s it about?

My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) Thatchers Britain With Gay Love and Soap Suds

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The 80s was a weird and wonderful time. My era. Generation X. Born in the 70s and grew up in the 80s. Video rental, smoking cigarettes behind the school bike shed, underage drinking, sniffing glue!…… and those dreaded “Thatcher Years“! Good old Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher dividing the nation. Tory rule went on forever. It always felt bleak times. Constantly surrounded by the threat of nuclear destruction, the narrative of pop culture at the time. Music videos and TV shows were awash with images of the triad of superpowers. America, The UK and Russia, all with itchy trigger fingers ready to push the button… Sniff some more glue! Vast unemployment swept across the land. Three million and counting were numbers said to be out of work and claiming benefits on the dole. The miners strikes, Greenham Common CND protests and the AIDS epidemic filled the news cycle… Pass the Evo-Stik!

The Return of the Living Dead (1985) Tasty Brains Munching Zombie Filled Horror And A Ton Of Giggles

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This weeks nostalgic look back at the rental movies from my youth brings me to the bonkers horror comedy The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

Dead Heat (1988) Welcome To Zombieland Fun Action Buddy Cop Movie

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This weeks nostalgic rental isn’t a look back for me! This was the first time I’d seen this bonkers zombie cop horror comedy called Dead Heat (1988)

Cemetery Man (1994) Madness Zombies Sex Rupert Everett And Anna Falchi

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Francesco Dellamorte – “My name is Francesco Dellamorte. Weird name, isn’t it? Francis Of Death. Saint Francis Of Death. I often thought of having it changed. André Dellamorte would be nicer, for example.“

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House (1985) Freaky Mutant Creature Feature Filled Horror And A Ton Of Laughs

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This weeks nostalgic rental look back is the bonkers horror comedy House (1985)

Tango And Cash (1989) 80s Super Cops Sly Stallone & Kurt Russell Have To Get Along!

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This nostalgia look back review is for Tango and Cash from 1989

Tagline – “Two of L.A.’s top rival cops are going to have to work together… Even if it kills them.“

Which Way Is Up? (1977) How Do Three Richard Pryor’s Fit In With Today’s Changing Climate

There’s not many Richard Pryor films I hadn’t rented on VHS or managed to record from a TV broadcast. Such a brilliant comic and mighty fine actor. My whole pre-teens to my twenties the double act of Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder never left my screens. I can drop into Stir Crazy at anytime and still be in fits of laughter. I’d even seen all the others like Brewster’s Millions with John Candy and that bizarre one called The Toy! There was great fun to be had with Critical Condition and Moving plus he could also turn in a superb dramatic performance alongside the best of them like with Harvey Keitel and Yaphet Kotto in Blue Collar. One that had gone right under my radar was Which Way Is Up? Reading that he plays three different characters I just couldn’t wait to watch it.

Rubin And Ed (1991) Trent Harris Unleashes Crispin Glover And Howard Hesseman In A Cult Movie Gem

Signed copy by director Trent Harris too!

Now I knew I was gonna be in for a surreal trip so I lubricated up the old mind gears with a few bottles of strong, dark as oil, ale. The first line on the back of the DVD box reads “A delirious detour from the ordinary!“. I grab another bottle and guzzled back more of the good stuff. With a chance encounter with this curious cult Rubin and Ed DVD flying into my mitts from afar, I just couldn’t get my hairy arse sat down quick enough. “Right here I go, I’m going in”

Who’s Harry Crumb? (1989) When Fletch Is Outta Town John Candy Is On Call

When you need a master of disguise detective and Fletch is on vacation, who you gonna call? Well private investigator Harry Crumb is next down on the list.

Taglines – Nerves of steel. Body of iron. Brain of stone.